Designs of the Year

London 2012 Olympic Torch Wins Designs of the Year

British design studio Barber Osgerby have won the Design of the Year 2012 for their stunning design of the London 2012 Olympic Torch. The overall winner was chosen from 89 entries to claim the winning title. The award, designed by Swarovski was presented by Anya Hindmarch at the awards ceremony held at the Design Museum last night.

The overall winner was chosen from 89 entries across seven design disciplines. Deyan Sudjic Director of the Design Museum said of the winning entry ‘Nothing is harder to get right than designing for the Olympics. The lightness and simplicity of Barber Osgerby’s London 2012 Olympic Torch does just that. The torch not only captures the spirit of London as Olympic host city but also demonstrates how design can celebrate traditional ideas in a modern way’.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, added: ‘The Torch is one of the most recognisable symbols of the Olympic Games and we are thrilled that our design has won this prestigious title. I am delighted we have such a brilliantly designed, engineered and crafted Torch that will help to celebrate the amazing personal achievements of each of our 8,000 Torchbearers and give them their moment to shine. It is also fantastic news that the stunning architecture of the London 2012 Velodrome has won an award and welcome recognition of the landmark new buildings the Games are bringing to London.’

The Category winners in each discipline were also awarded on the night:

Architecture Award
London 2012 Velodrome, UK
Hopkins Architects

Digital Award
Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 and Kinect SDK
Microsoft Games

Fashion Award
132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE
Issey Miyake Design Studio Tokyo, Japan

Furniture Award
1.3 Chair
Kihyun Kim

Graphics Award
Nokia Pure
Dalton Maag

Product Award
London 2012 Olympic Torch
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
Commissioned by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG)

Transport Award
Redesign for the Emergency Ambulance
Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and Vehicle Design Department Royal College of Art

Watch Designs of the Year 2012 winners on Vimeo