South Korea’s tire-maker Kumho Tire has won in the “concept” category of Germany’s iF Design Award 2018, the company said Tuesday.

iF Design Award that boasts 65 years of history is organized by Germany’s International Forum Design, and is often dubbed as the Oscar of the design industry, along with Red Dot Design Award and IDEA Design Award.

Some 6,400 pieces were submitted from 54 countries to be reviewed by 63 judges selected from different parts of the world to evaluate the design’s appeal in terms of innovation, eco-friendliness, degree of completion, functionality and convenience.



Kumho Tire’s concept tire “Bon, Birth on Nature” was chosen as the winner in the concept category. The design took a motif from bone structures of the nature to create an airless tire. It applied “Voronoi” structures, or informal patterns such as beehives or plant cells, for structural stability and economic efficiency, the firm explained. Simply put, the Voronoi structure that intertwines all directions of the tread of the tire, enables it to withstand weight and impact while in driving mode in any environment, as well as being cost-efficient.

“The iF award is an accomplishment of Kumho Tire’s future-forward design capacities and technical skills,” said Jeong Taek-kyun, head of the tire-maker’s research unit. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)