London Design Festival
London Design Festival is a citywide cultural event that takes place over nine days every September across London. It was founded by John Sorrell and Ben Evans in 2003 and celebrated its 22nd edition in September 2024. In an article by Wallpaper, the festival chairman stated, "We consciously founded the London Design Festival to be public spirited. Over the last 20 years, the Festival has had incredible depth of penetration and success in bringing people together and distilling new ideas." The inaugural edition of the London Design Festival took place from the 20th to 28th September, 2003, "bringing together 90 speakers in over 60 events throughout the capital". "In 2017, the Festival welcomed an estimated audience of 420,000 visitors". In 2019, it attracted an audience of over 600,000 visitors from over 75 countries. On average over 2,000 design businesses participate each year, including brands and universities. The Festival is made up of over 400 events and exhibitions staged by over 300 partner organisations across the design spectrum and from around the world. The Festival also commissions and curates its own program of Landmark Projects, Projects at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and Special Commissions throughout the city. The Festival also has events including its though-leadership programme the Global Design Forum, talks, keynotes, daily tours, and workshops. In 2019 it had 50 speakers from 18 countries and 2,800 visitors. = The Festival commissions and curates large-scale installations across the city in indoor and outdoor locations. The installations are developed and shown during the Festival, with many later being shown in other cities or locations in following months or years. Working with businesses and designers, previous Landmark Projects have included Sclera by David Adjaye (2008), Endless Stair by Alex de Rijke (2013), The Smile by Alison Brooks Architects (2016), Medusa by Tin Drum and Sou Foujimoto (2021), INTO SIGHT by Sony Design (2022), and Sabine Marcelis's swivelling stone chairs on St Giles Square (2022). Since 2009, the Victoria and Albert museum has been the central hub for the London Design Festival, celebrating fourteen years of partnership in 2022. It has been called the "true epicentre" of the festival. Museum director Tristram Hunt said that the “London Design Festival occupies a vital role in London’s thriving design sector, reaffirming London’s position as one of the world’s leading global design capitals.” In 2022, twelve Design Districts across London participated – Bankside, Brompton, Pimlico Road, Clerkenwell, King's Cross, Design District (Greenwich Peninsula), Mayfair, Shoreditch, Islington, Park Royal, William Morris Design Line and Southwark. Other districts have participated in previous editions including Paddington Central, West Kensington, Marylebone, and Chelsea. Each year a jury composed of established designers, industry commentators and previous winners choose recipients of the London Design Medals across four categories. Winners are chosen from a wide range of design disciplines and awarded for their contribution to their field. Festival Director Ben Evens stated “While there is no shortage of design awards, we wanted to do it differently. So we took the Nobel Prize route – there’s no shortlist, just a winner. So that means there’s no losers either.” The London Design Medal is designed each year by jewellery designer Hannah Martin. The Medals feature a London bird, the Cockney Sparrow, in flight. = London Design Medal: The highest accolade bestowed upon an individual who has distinguished themselves within the industry and demonstrated consistent design excellence. Design Innovation Medal: Celebrates entrepreneurship in all its forms, both locally and internationally. It honours an individual for whom design lies at the core of their development and success. Emerging Talent Medal: Recognises an impact made on the design scene within five or so years of graduation. Lifetime Achievement Medal: Honours a significant and fundamental contribution to the design industry over the course of a career. = Pat McGrath, London Design Medal (2024) Natsai Audrey Chieza, Design Innovation Medal (2024) Harry Blackiston Houston, Emerging Design Medal (2024) Rei Kawakubo, Lifetime Achievement Medal (2024) Hanif Kara (2023) Pooja Agrawal (2023) POoR Collective (2023) Dame Magdalene Odundo (2023) Sandy Powell (2022) Joycelyn Longdon (2022) Indy Johar (2022) Don McCullin (2022) Ilse Crawford (2021) Eyal Weizman (2021) Mac Collins (2021) Michael Wolf (2021) Paola Antonelli (2020) Yinka Ilori (2020) Dame Ellen MacArthur (2020) Ken Garland (2020) Tom Dixon (2019) Ross Atkin (2019) Daniel Charny (2019) Dame Vivienne Westwood (2019) Hussein Chalayan (2018) Grace Wales Bonner (2018) Neri Oxman (2018) Eva Jiricna (2018) Es Devlin Margaret Calvert Sir David Adjaye (2016) Kenneth Grange (2016) Bethan Laura Wood (2016) Daan Roosegaard (2016) Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby (2015) Marjan Van Aubel (2015) Peter Brewin and Will Crawford (2015) Sir Ken Adam (2015) Nicolas Roope Dieter Rams David Constantine Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh Vidal Sassoon Peter Saville Marc Newson Sir Paul Smith Dame Zaha Hadid Thomas Heatherwick Sir Terence Conran Mac Collins Ron Arad British Council Crafts Council Cultural diplomacy Official website London Design Biennale (related, similar event)