| Industry: | Design |
| Founded: | 2003 |
| Hq Location City: | London, United Kingdom |
| Products: | Festival |
| Parent: | IDEA Operations Ltd. |
| Website: | londondesignfestival.com |
London Design Festival is a citywide design event that takes place over nine days every September across London.[1] It was conceived by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans CBE in 2003 and celebrated its 20th edition in September 2022.[2]
In an article by Wallpaper, the festive chairman [3] 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.".[4]
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.[5] The Festival also commissions and curates its own program of Landmark Projects, Projects at the Victoria and Albert Museum and Special Commissions throughout the city.[6]
The Festival annually attracts a direct audience of over 600,000 visitors from over 75 countries.[7] On average over 2,000 design businesses participate each year including brands and universities.
The Festival also has events including its though-leadership programme the Global Design Forum,[8] talks, keynotes, daily tours, and workshops. In 2019 it had 50 speakers[9] 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),[10] The Smile by Alison Brooks Architects (2016),[11] Medusa by Tin Drum and Sou Foujimoto (2021),[12] and INTO SIGHT by Sony Design (2022).[13]
Since 2009, the Victoria and Albert Museum has been the central hub for the London Design Festival, celebrating fourteen years of partnership in 2022.
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.[14]
The London Design Medal categories include:
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.”[15]
The London Design Medal is designed each year by jewellery designer Hannah Martin. The Medals feature a London bird, the Cockney Sparrow, in flight.
Previous medal winners include: