K-pop continues to gain recognition around the world, and most recently for what fans see rather than what they hear.
SM Entertainment groups Super Junior, f(x), and EXO walked home with three of the most prestigious design awards at Germany's 2016 iF Product Design Awards this week.
SM Entertainment took the grand prize for excellence in the packaging design category. The special edition of Super Junior's seventh album This Is Love, EXO's first 2013 Christmas EP Miracles in December, and f(x)'s recent fourth studio album 4 Walls all snagged honors.
In addition to the album covers SM Entertainment's lifestyle shop "Stardium" also received an interior design award.
According to Korea Herald, SM Entertainment has received recognition for their noteworthy designs from other notable awards. In 2014, Girls' Generation, Super Junior, and SHINee album cover designs received Red Dot Design Awards. In total, SM Entertainment has eight design awards for their design and packaging. Furthermore, EXO and Girls' Generation have been recognized by the iF Product Design Awards for the The First Album 'XOXO' and The Boys, respectively.
Other K-pop agencies also took home prizes at the iF Product Design Awards. According to YG Entertainment, the company took home nine distinctions.
Epik High's unreleased album Feast, Taeyang's second album Rise, and iKON's Welcome Back all won for album design, while WINNER's "WWIC 2015 Concert" won a branding design prize. The record label's live family concert CD and WINNER's holiday special "Season's Greeting DVD" won in the packaging design division.
JYP Entertainment also said that three of their acts won prizes for packaging design - Colors by miss A, 2PM's album No. 5, and two GOT7 albums, Just Right and MAD.
iF Product Design Awards is also known as the Oscars of the design world. For the 2016 awards, held on January 26, over 2,400 participants from 53 different countries entered to receive one of the coveted design titles. Only 75 iF "gold awards" are given each year.
