BUSAN — Dongseo University has showcased the strength of its global design education.
The university said on the 7th that it won three prizes at Germany's Red Dot Design Award, one of the world's most prestigious design competitions, including two "Best of the Best" awards given only to the top 1% of entries worldwide.
With the latest wins, Dongseo has collected 48 trophies at the Red Dot Design Award over the past 12 years — seven top prizes and 41 Winner awards.
Launched in 1955, the Red Dot Design Award is considered one of the world's three major design prizes alongside the iF Design Award and the IDEA. This year's competition drew about 8,000 entries from more than 50 countries, which were reviewed by 24 experts.
The winning works came out of two interdisciplinary courses, "Ideation Convergence Practice" and "Creative Problem Solving," run with support from the university's Innovation Support Project Group and its AI Convergence Education Institute.
"McDonald's Fake Meal," one of the top prize winners, is a solution designed to let victims who cannot easily call for help in an emergency use a routine app order as a distress signal. When a user orders a preset menu item, location data and a rescue request are sent to the nearest police station.
The other top prize winner, "No Take," is a package design that warns of the risks of taking expired medicine. After a set period following opening, the phrase "Tylenol, take when needed" changes to "NO TAKE," giving an intuitive signal that the drug should no longer be taken.
"Bite Care," which received a Winner award, is a dog toy-based solution for the early detection of kidney failure in older dogs. A sensor attached to the toy measures urea, sodium and potassium in saliva and sends alerts to an app when it detects abnormal signs.
The winning works will be listed in the 2026-2027 Red Dot Brand & Communication Design Yearbook and displayed online and offline. The top prize winners will be permanently exhibited at the Red Dot Design Museum in Berlin, and the award ceremony will be held in the German capital on Nov. 7.
"I am overwhelmed to receive such a meaningful award on a global stage, and I feel proud and fulfilled to have my abilities recognized internationally," said Han Yu-jin, a third-year student in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations. "I will use this experience as a stepping stone to grow into a valuable advertising professional who connects people and the world."
