The London Design Festival was initiated in 2003 as an annual celebration and promotion of London as the innovative capital of the world and gateway to the UK’s world class creative industries. The Festival promote the partner organisations drawn from across the design community to stage the UK””s biggest annual design event. The Festival also commissions its personal projects.
London Design Festival runs for ten days in September, with hundreds of projects across the city, and being visited by hundreds of thousands of people.
There is a Guide every year with information about activity, distributed across London in September. Some of the events are free to attend.
Starting with 2009 the London Design Festival is hosted by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The Landmark Projects
In 2007, the London Design Festival has been commissioning leading designers and architects to create interventions in London””s public spaces during the event, often pairing the designers with manufacturers who are exploring new materials or processes. Locations for these installations have included Trafalgar Square, the Southbank Centre, the V&A, Somerset House, Covent Garden and St Paul””s Cathedral.
2007 – “Urban Nebula”, Zaha Hadid; “Prototile”, Amanda Levete
2008 – “Sclera”, David Adjaye; “Portrait,” Fredrickson Stallard
2009 – “Supercell”, Marc Newson; “Paper Tower”, Shigeru Ban; “Tournament”, Jaime Hayón
2010 – “Framed”, Stuart Haygarth; “Drop”, Paul Cocksedge; “Outrace”, Kram/Weisshaar; “Blow & Roll”, Oskar Zieta; “Vermiculated Ashlar”, Max Lamb
2011 – “Perspectives”, John Pawson; “Textile Field”, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec; “Two Lines”, “David Chipperfield”; “Timber Wave”, AL_A
The Medal
The London Design Medal awards individuals with outstanding contributions to the world through their achievements and influence on contemporary design.
The medal is designed by Domenic Lippa of Pentagram. Pentagram are also responsible for all London Design Festival branding. Thomas Fattorini Ltd, a long established British medal manufacturer based in the West Midlands, produce the double-sided medal which is 75mm in diameter, made from Sterling Silver with a gold plate finish.
The Winners
2007 – Zaha Hadid
2008 – Marc Newson
2009 – Sir Paul Smith
2010 – Thomas Heatherwick
2011 – Ron Arad; Lifetime Achievement Award, Vidal Sassoon
2012 – Sir Terence Conran Lifetime Achievement Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg Emerging Talent Jane ni Dhulchaointigh Entrepreneur El Ultimo Grito, run by Roberto Feo and Rosario Hurtado London Design Medal
London Design Festival team
Sir John Sorrell CBE, Chairman
Ben Evans, Director
Max Fraser, Deputy Director
London Design Festival 2014
The London Design Festival, which will run from 13 – 21 September, is renowned for its ‘Landmark Projects’. Set in iconic locations within the capital these demonstrate some of the most inventive ideas in design and have become the public face of the Festival.
This year, the Festival is collaborating with Airbnb to bring a fascinating project to life in London’s Trafalgar Square. Airbnb is the world’s largest community-driven hospitality company. Whether it’s a chic urban loft, a stylish treehouse, or an artist’s garden retreat, with unique listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries, travellers can feel at home wherever they go.
‘A Place Called Home’ brings together four highly acclaimed designers who have been invited to create their own interpretation of home. The four designers, Jasper Morrison, Patternity, Raw Edges and Studioilse will present a personal vision of a room which will intrigue and amuse visitors to Trafalgar Square.
The four ‘homes’ will appear to be similar in construction from the outside though each will have its own individual exterior identity, hinting at the creative interiors which range from a room which expands and contracts to the home of a pigeon fancier.
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