Kookmin University students win Red Dot Design Award
The design image of project “INSPO,” winner of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2026 / Courtesy of Kookmin University
Project ‘INSPO’ recognized for innovative insulin pen design
Two design students from Kookmin University have won the prestigious Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2026 for their innovative insulin pen design, the university said Monday.
The winners are Kang Ha-neul and Lee Min-seo, both students in the Department of Industrial Design. They were recognized for their project called “INSPO.”
INSPO was first presented at an exhibition co-organized by the product design clubs of Kookmin University and Konkuk University in spring 2025.
Kookmin University said the award is meaningful as it demonstrates international recognition of design ideas developed by students through club activities and exhibitions.
The Red Dot Design Award, based in Germany, is regarded as one of the world’s top three design awards, along with the IDEA awards in the United States and the iF Design Award in Germany.
Among its categories, the Design Concept category focuses on discovering innovative ideas and future-oriented design concepts that have not yet been commercialized.
INSPO is a smart insulin care solution designed for people with diabetes. Based on an intuitive user experience and lifestyle-oriented approach, it aims to integrate medical devices naturally into everyday life.
The project focuses on reducing the inconveniences experienced by individuals with diabetes during the insulin management process and transforming medical devices from mere treatment tools into products that reflect users’ individuality and lifestyles.
The illustrations and pictures show how to use an insulin pen designed by two industrial design students from Kookmin University. The students – Kang Ha-neul and Lee Min-seo – won the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2026 for their project “INSPO.” Courtesy of Kookmin University
Kang and Lee proposed through the project that medical device design can play a role in reducing users’ psychological burden and helping them manage their health more naturally and confidently.
The university said the project was recognized for its design approach that goes beyond functionality and usability by incorporating user experience and emotional appeal.
The achievement is also in line with KMU VISION 2035: EDGE, announced by Kookmin University to mark its 80th anniversary. EDGE stands for Entrepreneurship, Digital transformation, Global and ESG.
The university has been strengthening creative problem-solving capabilities and interdisciplinary design education, with a focus on design and content, one of its eight specialized areas.
It added that the recognition won by INSPO can be seen as an example of how the university’s educational philosophy has contributed to students’ achievements in international design competitions.
“While preparing for the project, we put a great deal of thought into form, functionality and usability. I am very pleased that our efforts have led to winning an award at a prestigious international competition,” Kang said.
“We exchanged many ideas and had numerous discussions with our team members while completing the project and preparing for the exhibition in a short period of time,” Lee said. “It is meaningful that our efforts to complete the project as we envisioned have resulted in such a positive outcome.”