Shinsegae Central City 'Cheongnyeon Coffee LAB' Wins iF Design Award Main Prize

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] Shinsegae Central City announced on the 17th that its youth startup support space, ‘Youth Coffee LAB,’ won the main prize at the 'iF Design Award 2020,' one of the world's three major design awards.

The award category was Communication Design, Corporate Identity & Branding. Shinsegae Central City planned a design that not only well expresses the core value of 'a space where youth can realize their entrepreneurial dreams' but also harmonizes youth, Shinsegae Central City, and society.

The design of Youth Coffee LAB interprets the word youth as 靑 (blue) and 年 (Year), choosing blue as the main color. The blue portafilter represents Shinsegae Central City, and the coffee drops falling through the portafilter symbolize youth, while the cup collecting the coffee drops is shaped as society.

The logo of Youth Coffee LAB, born from a sophisticated yet restrained design, received excellent evaluations and earned the honor of winning an award on its first submission.

The iF Design Award is presented by the International Forum Design company, a German marketing consulting firm, and is considered one of the world's three major design awards alongside the USA’s IDEA Award and Germany’s Red Dot Design Award.

It comprehensively evaluates design, innovation, functionality, social responsibility, and positioning across seven categories: product, packaging, communication, interior, professional concept, service design, and architecture.

For this iF Design Award, a total of 7,298 entries from about 56 countries were submitted, and judging took place over three days from the 21st to the 23rd of last month in Hamburg, Germany. Approximately 70 expert judges from about 20 countries selected the final winners.

Youth Coffee LAB is a social contribution program where Shinsegae Central City provides not only the store space but also design, store interior, and coffee machines, supporting six months of practical caf? operation experience and startup capital.

Park Joohyeong, CEO of Shinsegae Central City, said, “It is very meaningful that Youth Coffee LAB, our first social contribution project, was recognized at a global design award,” adding, “We hope this award will create a positive synergy for prospective young entrepreneurs who have passed through Youth Coffee LAB and serve as an opportunity to expand support.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.