By Kim Young Deok and Kim Hwaya

"Silo Super Graphic," a giant outdoor mural on grain silos at the Port of Incheon, is a finalist in this year's IDEA Design Awards of the U.S. sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America.

The Incheon municipal government on Aug. 21 announced that the mural was a finalist for the honor after winning the main prize in March at the iF Design Awards of Germany. "Silo Super Graphic" ranked among the top 5%-7% of the 1,700 entries received from all over the world.

Since January last year, the port authority has pursued a project to change negative perceptions of aged industrial facilities through the use of colorful murals on the silos. Using 865,400 liters of paint, the 16 silos that are each 48 meters tall depict a young boy with grain who enters books and his journey from childhood to manhood.

On the work's recognition by prestigious global design competitions, the Incheon city government said the project's degree of completion and superiority have been confirmed through judging criteria such as design innovation, user benefits and social responsibility.

The Incheon Port Authority said, "The nomination of 'Silo Super Graphic' as a finalist for the IDEA Design Awards is a good opportunity to promote to the world the new changes at the Port of Incheon," adding, "We plan to use designs on aged industrial facilities at the port to create a synergy effect."

kyd1991@korea.kr