Pictographs by an Air Force Soldier That Amazed the World

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]An Air Force soldier-created 'Air Force Pictogram' has won a prestigious international design award. A pictogram is a simplified graphic symbol designed to easily convey meaning, such as traffic signs or emergency exit indicators.

According to the Air Force on the 14th, the Air Force Pictogram received the Grand Prize in the Communication category at the 'iF Design Award' held in Germany the previous day.

The award-winning Air Force Pictogram categorizes aircraft, clothing, weapons, ranks, and more into 27 categories, expressed through 720 pictograms. Sergeant Kim Hyun-jun (23) from the Air Force Headquarters Media Content Division planned and produced the project.

Sergeant Kim, who is scheduled to be discharged in May, enlisted in 2019 as a specialized Air Force soldier while studying Digital Media Design at Hongik University and has been assigned graphic design duties.

During his service, he also participated as the creative director in the development of the 'Corona Checkup' application, a COVID-19 prediction and prevention app developed by military medical officers, contributing to the official website and content production.

Sergeant Kim said, "The Air Force Pictogram was created to make the Air Force more accessible and enjoyable to the public," adding, "I hope the Air Force Pictogram will become a design loved not only by the public but also worldwide."

The Air Force is distributing the Air Force Pictogram for free on its official blog 'Gonggam' (www.afplay.kr). Anyone can freely use it for non-commercial purposes as long as the source is credited.

Established in 1954, the German iF Design Award is considered one of the world's top three design competitions alongside the American IDEA Design Award and the German Red Dot Design Award. This year, the iF Design Award received over 10,000 entries from 52 countries, judged by 98 experts from 20 countries. This is the Air Force's second Grand Prize at the iF Design Award, following the 'Air Force Clothing Character' in 2019.