Red Bull Wololo III Medal 2021

Building on the previous edition and remaining faithful to the game’s universe, we drew inspiration from the jewelry and ornaments of ancient Chinese civilizations. The goal was to give the medal the appearance of a relic from a bygone era—a forgotten treasure that has survived through the centuries.

Given China’s major influence across much of Asia, we naturally focused on one of its most iconic symbols: the dragon. For the medal’s central relief, we took inspiration from the Jiao Long, a dragon representation particularly prevalent during the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279. Associated with the emperor and sovereign power in both China and Korea, the dragon echoes the notions of domination and conquest at the heart of Age of Empires II.

Our design process thus centered on the concepts of conquest and victory. We studied traditional Chinese patterns and motifs to select the most evocative elements. Framing the dragon, we incorporated patterns reminiscent of those found on bronze vessels inlaid with tin, silver, or gold.

This research extended to the medal’s finer details as well. The suspension loop was reimagined using the shape of Feiyan roof tiles—traditionally associated with the Western Zhou dynasty—whose contours we intentionally stylized to create a more distinctive piece.