Kwangdong wins design award for nutritious tonic product

By Chung Hyun-chae

Kwangdong Pharmaceutical received an award at a domestic design competition, K-Design Award 2016, for the packaging of its nutritious tonic product.

The product is Kyungokgo which won the Gold Winner prize in the communication category of the award. It is an over-the-counter drug that helps users fight fatigue and weariness. Its ingredients include ginseng, honey, crudus and hoelen.

“I believe that changing its packaging to a type of pouch has contributed to improving the product’s brand image,” said Lee Sang-min, creative director of the design center.

In the past, Kyungokgo was packaged in a jar requiring spoons to consume, which was inconvenient for consumers. It debuted in 1963 when Kwangdong was founded.

“We also used a traditional Korean font to help improve the image of the drug and its credibility,” Lee said.

The color of the packaging was changed to black and gold, which gives a feeling of exclusivity, he added.

“We will keep trying to make products of good design and quality to satisfy customers,” Lee said.

Along with the Design for Asia Awards and the Golden Pin Design Award, K-Design Award has been considered one of Asia’s top three design awards.

The K-Design Award is divided into three categories ― industry, communication and space.

About 1,700 entries from across the world including Korea, China and the United States competed in the competition.

Kwangdong’s packaging of products sold via its online shopping mall Sfun Box also won the prize in the communication category at the K-Design Award.

Featuring images of the name of the shopping mall, all products are packed in boxes on which the logo of Sfun Box is written.

The company’s soy milk product received awards for its packaging in two international design competitions ― Red Dot Award 2015 and iF Design Award 2016.

These are two of the world’s top three design awards. The other one is the International Design Excellence Awards.