SEOUL, Apr. 22, 2022 – Kakao Entertainment announced today that its Kakao Webtoon platform has won the most prestigious mobile app prize given out by Germany’s iF Product Design Awards. The international recognition goes beyond the convenience, creativity, and smooth dynamic structure of Kakao Webtoon – it also places a spotlight on the company’s commitment to creating world-class design that matches its premium content IP, which users can enjoy each time they open the app.

The iF Design Award is adjudicated by the German International Forum and is one of a trio of top international prizes, also including the Red Dot and IDEA design awards. The sheer number of entries in the category this year – some 11,000 from 57 countries – is a testament to the scale and importance of Kakao Webtoon’s win. A total of 75 design experts from 23 countries served as judges to help screen entries and determine the finalists. 

Since its launch by Kakao Entertainment last year (Thailand and Taiwan in June and South Korea in August), Kakao Webtoon has been capturing attention for its unique design innovations, breaking from typical static displays and square thumbnails in favor of thoughtful touches that add value to the Kakao Entertainment’s premium IP on the platform. 

The approach neatly captures the spirit of each webtoon in a continuously evolving structure that pulls content from dramas, movies, and games, and brings it to life in the dynamic interface through recommendations from the AI. This expands the consumer’s experience with the IP and makes it much more personal. The approach has garnered great reviews from users and is helping to propel Kakao Webtoon’s growth globally. 

What makes this achievement even more meaningful is that the category – Best Mobile App – is one of the most competitive. To get the full experience, judges download and explore all aspects of the app to evaluate usability, convenience, and creativity. According to the iF Design Awards’ official website, “Kakao Webtoon is a global webtoon platform that transcends national, language, and generation barriers and focuses on delivering content in the most valuable way to readers.”

This is the second time for Kakao Entertainment’s design creativity to be validated with a globally recognized design award. Daum Webtoon, Kakao Webtoon’s predecessor, also took home a 2020 iF Product Design Award for the outstanding mobile app UX/UI design of its 2.0 version. 

Yoo Cheon-jong, the platform design team leader charged with revamping both Kakao Webtoon and Daum Webtoon, talked about what the win means for his team: “We are thrilled to hear that our hard work and vision have been recognized, and we will continue to do what we do best – provide talented creatives with the platform and stage they deserve.”

Kakao Entertainment is a multiple iF Design Award recipient, starting with the Melon app and Kakao Page brand identity 2018. In 2019, Melon music service branding was also awarded, along with Kakao Page’s brand website and brand kit. Most recently, 1thK’s online media branding was recognized in 2021. Kakao Entertainment will continue to match its outstanding IP with design innovations that meet the needs and expectations of our growing global audience.