Kia Takes Double Win at Prestigious iF Design Award 2023

Bennett  Oghifo

Kia has been awarded two highly significant accolades at the iF Design Award 2023. The brand’s success in the prestigious iF Design ‘Company Branding’ and ‘Shop/Showroom Store Identity’ categories signifies the continued strength and effectiveness of Kia’s creative approach to customer engagement and its competitiveness in global design since the brand relaunch in 2021.  

Kia’s ‘Movement that Inspires’ ethos and its ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy sit at the heart of every strand of the brand’s global corporate identity and showroom identity strategies. Combined with models such as the recently revealed EV9 all-electric flagship SUV, they play a pivotal role in accelerating Kia on its rapid transition from a car manufacturer to a sustainable mobility solutions provider. 

‘Movement that Inspires’ represents Kia’s determination to create spaces for customers to find value in every moment to become inspired and find more time to bring their ideas to life. Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy takes inspiration from the contrasts found in nature and humanity, utilizing the character of one element to bring out the character of another. 

Contemporary Corporate identity 

The Kia logo symbolizes Kia’s assured new brand direction and conveys ‘Movement that Inspires’ through three design concepts: Symmetry, Rhythm, and Rising. Kia’s confidence in suggesting new customer experiences through providing futuristic products and services is captured by the symmetry of the logo. Rhythm represents the brand’s promise to tirelessly progress to meet customers’ demands and aspirations and provide continuous inspiration. Finally, the bold rising nature of the logo illustrates the brand’s ambition to deliver new values that truly encapsulate the customer’s perspective. 

Kia’s confident corporate color scheme features Midnight Black and Polar White. These two primary color schemes at either end of the color spectrum convey the values of Sustainability, Eco-Friendliness, and Smart Mobility. Projecting confidence through contrast, they depict the brand’s unflinching vision to pioneer and expand to new domains as a mobility service provider beyond physical mobility.  

Strong Showroom Identity 

Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy inspires the confidence and vision required to combine elements that don’t traditionally go together. This ability to leverage creative contrasts to achieve a unique outcome is perfectly expressed in the groundbreaking global design of Kia’s showrooms, which feature visually opposing exhibition and customer zones.  

The futuristic exhibition zone features pronounced corners and achromatic colors, along with steel surfaces that subtly reflect each model to enhance visibility and a sense of space. By contrast, the customer zone relies upon round edges, beautifully lit wooden walls, floors and ceilings, and premium fabric-covered furniture to create a unique snug, and soothing ambiance where customers can relax and view the cars, almost as works of art in a gallery. 

Consistent Awards Success 

The latest wins for Kia at the iF Design Awards 2023 maintain an exceptional winning streak for the brand and its products, further affirming Kia’s global competitiveness in design. The accolades include the Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid’s recognition with a Red Dot Design Award, and the Kia EV6 GT being named ‘2023 World Performance Car’, following on from the EV6’s What Car? ‘Car of the Year 2022’ and ‘European Car of the Year’ titles. 

iF: One of the most prestigious global design awards 

This year, the iF Design Awards attracted 10,544 entries from 56 participating nations and highlighted an array of outstanding achievements in the field of design. A total of 133 design experts from 20 different countries gathered to judge the 3,572 projects that had made it to the shortlist after a digital preliminary round.

The iF design award honors and celebrates winners in nine disciplines, including Product, Communication, Packaging, Service Design, Architecture, Interior Architecture, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), and Professional Concepts, in 81 categories. 

The iF Design Award was founded in 1954 by iF International Forum Design GmbH in Hanover, one of the world’s leading independent design institutions. iF Design Award Night 2023, the Awards ceremony, is scheduled to take place on May 15, at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, Berlin.