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| Design Museum Designs of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Name | Design Museum Designs of the Year |
| Awarded for | Annual design awards |
| Presenter | Design Museum |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2007 |
Design Museum Designs of the Year
The Designs of the Year is an annual awards programme presented by the Design Museum in London that recognises innovation across architecture, product, digital, fashion, graphics, transport and social impact. The programme stages a public exhibition at the Design Museum, showcases shortlisted projects at partner venues, and culminates in a jury-selected winner drawn from an international field including practices from United States, France, Germany, Japan and Brazil. The awards intersect with institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, events like the London Design Festival, and major exemplars from firms and makers including Foster + Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects, Apple Inc., IKEA, and Nike, Inc..
Designs of the Year assembles a shortlist across discrete categories—Architecture, Product, Fashion, Graphics, Digital, Transport, and Debut—announced annually by the Design Museum. The programme features submissions from studios like BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), Herzog & de Meuron, UNStudio, and individual designers associated with schools such as the Royal College of Art, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, and Delft University of Technology. Judges have included figures from MoMA, Tate Modern, British Council, and corporations such as Google LLC and Microsoft Corporation. The prize aims to reflect contemporary debates visible at events like the Venice Biennale, the Milan Furniture Fair, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
Founded in 2007 under the leadership of the Design Museum director and curators, Designs of the Year evolved alongside shifts in global practice seen in the work of Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Renzo Piano, and Bjarke Ingels. Early shortlists referenced projects exhibited at the Serpentine Galleries and responses to crises framed by organisations like Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières. Over time the awards incorporated digital innovation from companies such as IBM and Samsung, sustainable prototypes from NGOs like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and academic research from Harvard University and ETH Zurich. The award’s timeline intersects with policy moments involving the European Union and global fora such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Entries are judged on innovation, sustainability, accessibility, and cultural significance, assessed by jurors drawn from institutions including the British Museum, Serpentine Galleries, Museum of Modern Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, and firms like Arup, AECOM, and Atelier Bow-Wow. Categories mirror industry classifications encountered at the Princeton University design curricula, the Royal Institute of British Architects accreditation, and professional awards such as the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Compasso d'Oro. Criteria reference international standards promoted by organisations like the International Organization for Standardization and sustainability frameworks used by UNEP and the World Economic Forum.
Winners and nominees have ranged from signature skyscrapers by Foster + Partners and Herzog & de Meuron to consumer products from Apple Inc. and Dyson, fashion houses including Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and graphic works by studios linked to Pentagram and Sagmeister & Walsh. Transport projects have featured manufacturers such as Tesla, Inc., Toyota Motor Corporation, and Boeing, while social-design nominees included initiatives by OXFAM, Habitat for Humanity, and WaterAid. High-profile shortlisted projects referenced exhibitions at Venice Biennale of Architecture, publications from Domus (magazine), and collaborative research from MIT Media Lab.
Each year the Designs of the Year exhibition is staged at the Design Museum with touring displays at partner venues including the British Council, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and festival sites like the London Design Festival and Frieze Art Fair. Curatorial teams collaborate with fabricators such as Arup and logistics partners like DHL to realise installations. Catalogue essays draw on critics from The Guardian, New York Times, Dezeen, Architectural Review, and academic contributors from Columbia University and University College London.
The awards have elevated the profiles of practices including SANAA, Toyo Ito, Carlo Ratti, and startups incubated at Idealab and Y Combinator. Coverage by media outlets such as BBC, The Telegraph, Financial Times, and Wired (magazine) has amplified public engagement with design discourse, influencing procurement decisions by institutions like National Health Service and urban commissions in cities such as New York City, Copenhagen, and Singapore. The programme’s focus on sustainability and social impact aligns with discussions at the World Economic Forum and climate action dialogues at COP26.
Critics have questioned the awards’ commercial links to corporations including Apple Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and IKEA and the perceived prominence of Western firms over practices from regions represented by African Union member states and organisations like the Asia Development Bank. Debates in publications such as The Guardian and The New Yorker have scrutinised jury composition, transparency, and the balance between speculative work and market-ready products. Calls for widening geographic representation reference initiatives by UNESCO and demands echoed in forums like the Biennale Architettura.
Category:Design awards Category:Design Museum (London)