Proving Global Design Competitiveness in the Student Division
The Department of Industrial Design at Hanyang University ERICA College of Design has achieved the distinction of winning awards in two categories, including the top Platinum prize, in the student division of the prestigious Spark Design Awards 2025.
On December 17, Hanyang University ERICA College of Design announced that two student projects from Professor Choisungwoo’s “Design Engineering Studio” class in the Department of Industrial Design were honored at this year’s awards ceremony, receiving Platinum and Bronze respectively.
The Spark Design Awards is a global competition that comprehensively evaluates design, technology, and user experience. The competition for the student division’s Platinum prize is especially fierce, with only two projects selected for this honor.
At this year’s ceremony, the FIND team (Joo Sungmin, Shin Dongmin, Park Yeonwoo, and Lee Haerim from the Department of Industrial Design) won the Platinum award in the student division for their project “CHAC.” “CHAC” is a medical device design project that replaces the repetitive tape fixation process required by medical staff during IV catheter placement with a single structural device. The adhesive surface is naturally exposed and the catheter is fixed at the moment the stylet is removed, a method that was highly praised for reducing procedure time and increasing safety in emergency and critical care settings. The team’s detailed analysis of existing inconveniences in medical practice and their structural solution-oriented approach drew particular attention from the judges.
The Bronze-winning “Bonda” project by the ISL team (Kim Juhyun, Kim Seunghyun, Lim Jeongun, and Ko Jaewoo from the Department of Industrial Design, and Jang Namcheol from the Department of Electronic Engineering) was designed to address the burden experienced by caregivers and the stress on elderly companion animals during subcutaneous fluid therapy. By applying a wearable structure and an automatic infusion system, the device enables companion animals to receive treatment in a relatively stable condition. The design also took into account the animal’s body shape and movement, receiving meaningful recognition from a welfare perspective.
This achievement is seen as further international validation of the results of the design and engineering convergence education that the Department of Industrial Design at Hanyang University ERICA College of Design has been pursuing. Within just two years of its launch, this course has produced winners of major international design awards, including the national James Dyson Award, the Red Dot Concept Design Award “Best of the Best,” and the Spark Design Awards Platinum, rapidly expanding its educational competitiveness.
Professor Choisungwoo, who led the course, commented, “This class emphasizes design engineering thinking that observes problems and seeks structural solutions, rather than simply focusing on the quality of the final product. It is especially meaningful that the students’ process of analyzing real-world issues from multiple perspectives and developing solutions has led to international recognition.”
Meanwhile, Professor Choi established the Future Form Design Lab (FFD Lab) at Hanyang University ERICA in 2024, drawing on his experience leading innovative design projects at global companies such as McLaren in the UK and Logitech in Switzerland. FFD Lab supports students in becoming industry-ready designers with global competitiveness through convergence research connecting design, engineering, and industry, as well as project-based education.
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