HMM's 50th-anniversary book wins Red Dot Design Award 2026

HMM said Wednesday it won the Brand & Communication Design category at the Red Dot Design Award 2026, one of the world's three most prestigious design honors.

Established in 1955 by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany, the Red Dot Design Award ranks alongside Germany's iF Design Award and the United States' IDEA Design Award as one of the world's top three design prizes. The competition draws around 20,000 entries each year across three categories: Product Design, Brand & Communication Design, and Design Concept.

To mark its 50th anniversary this year, HMM partnered with corporate history specialist Dani Gihoek to produce a two-volume company history — a chronological volume and a storybook. The storybook, "HMM LOGBOOK," an essay-style publication, earned the award in recognition of its originality.

"HMM LOGBOOK" draws its design concept from the ship's logbook — a daily record of routes, wind conditions and hard-won progress that charts the course for the next voyage. The cover takes the shape of a compass, an essential navigation tool, while the case was crafted with a refined sensibility reflecting HMM's brand colors and a sense of playfulness.

"We are delighted that a historical record spanning half a century has been recognized at a design award where consumer products typically take the honors," an HMM official said.

A Dani Gihoek official said the team embedded precise interactive elements throughout the book to capture the grand narrative of South Korea's shipping industry — including a deep-blue case whose perforated opening reveals a vision keyword when pulled apart. "We are thrilled that our intent to give readers the special experience of boarding the HMM vessel and setting sail together toward the future has resonated on the global stage," the official said.

Meanwhile, HMM has continued to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities through a range of community initiatives, including a mural-painting volunteer project recently held at a children's welfare facility in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul.