‘Design Oscars’ if Design Award, Mokwon University’s Yoo Gahee Wins

Yu Gahi. Provided by Mokwon University

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The if Design Award, regarded as the Oscar of the design world, was awarded to a student at Mokwon University.

Mokwon University announced on the 23rd that Yu Ga-hee (photo, 4th year), a student in the Department of Industrial Design at the College of Art and Design, was named a recipient in the Inequality Alleviation category at the if Design Talent Award 2021.

The if Design Talent Award is a leading international student design competition that supports talented next-generation designers and their potential. It is included among the world's top three design awards alongside the Red Dot Design Award and the IDEA Design Award.

The if Design Talent Award selects winners annually through a competition, with over 10,000 entries submitted each year.

This year’s competition was held under the theme of the 15 goals to change the world, selected by the United Nations (UN).

Yu won in the category of Inequality Alleviation, which aims to focus on the needs of marginalized populations. She designed the "Alphabet Touch Card" for the visually impaired, earning her the honor.

The work submitted by Yu enables visually impaired individuals to learn letters by recognizing the stroke order of the alphabet through tactile sensation.

Judges reportedly gave high marks because the card design, which allows learning the alphabet through touch, can be used as a practical educational tool for visually impaired children and others.

Yu explained the background of her submission, saying, "While working as a children's ministry teacher at church, I encountered various educational tools for children and realized that there were no word education tools specifically needed for visually impaired children."

She added, "Winning the if Design Talent Award motivates me to strive so that, when I become a product designer in the future, various designs that help socially vulnerable groups can shine."