The Beazley Designs of the Year 2017 shortlist

(Image credit: Luke Hayes)

last updated 26 October 2022

Architectural practice Carmody Groarke has designed the exhibition environment for Beazley Designs of the Year.

London’s Design Museum has announced the shortlist for the Beazley Designs of the Year, its annual celebration of the most notable design ideas from the past 12 months. On view at the museum from 18 October in an exhibition designed by London architects Carmody Groarke, the annual award is now in its tenth year, and has previously honoured designs such as David Bowie’s Black Star album by Jonathan Barnbrook and Thomas Heatherwick’s Olympic Cauldron. Find out who won in each category and who the overall winner was here.

The 62 nominations span a wide spectrum of disciplines, including architecture, graphics, product design, fashion, transport and digital. The museum tapped an international panel of creative luminaries to select the nominees, with the final shortlist offering a broad view of contemporary design today.

The projects paint a clear picture of the current state of the world, with several entries concerned with refugees and with the political turmoil of the past year. Case in point, Wolfgang Tillmans’ pro-EU, anti-Brexit poster campaign, or the Olympic refugee flag by Yara Said, representing the very first refugee team taking part to an Olympic competition.

A strong focus on socially-driven designs is also evident in nominations such as the Calais Builds Project or Francis Kerè’s project for a secondary school in Burkina Faso, as well, the Pussyhat, which has become an iconic symbol of protest spurred by US President Donald Trump’s controversially sexist remarks.

Of course, more recreational initiatives are included, such as last year’s augmented reality Pokémon Go game, or a new interface for the Premier League’s TV branding experience, by DixonBaxi. New technologies are also featured in the list, as is an innovative use of materials, such as Max Lamb and Really’s recycled textile benches, or Chilean studio gt2P’s lava furniture. As in previous years, the selection bolsters the museum’s position as a global observatory for creative disciplines, and demonstrates the all-encompassing power of design. The winners will be announced in January next year – watch this space.

'Nimuno Loops' tape project by Anine Kirsten, Max Basler and Jaco Kruger on view at the Design Museum.

The set is made up of sculptural cave-like forms.

The angled and curved spaces are covered entirely in the recycled newspaper material, to create display areas for the works.

The sculptures are made from a sprayed paper pulp called Soundcel.

Installation view of the shortlist at the Design Museum.

Architecture nominee: Port House, Antwerp, Belgium, by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Architecture nominee: Il Fondaco Tedeschi, Venice, Italy, by OMA.

Architecture nominee: Sala Beckett Theatre and International Drama Centre, Barcelona, Spain, by Flores Prats.

Architecture nominee: The environmental enhancement of the Five Dragons Temple, Ruicheng, China, by Urbanus.

**Architecture nominee:** Wind and Rain Bridge, Peitian, China, by Donn Holohan. *Courtesy of Donn Holohan and The University of Hong Kong*

**Architecture nominee:** Hegnhuset memorial and learning centre, Utøya, Norway, by Blakstad Haffner Architects.

**Architecture nominee:** The Calais Builds, France, by Grainne Hassett with architecture students from University of Limerick

**Architecture nominee:** ‘Refugees’ Memories and Futures as Models’ exhibition, by Schlesische27 International Youth, Arts and Culture Center in collaboration with Raumlaborberlin and the SRH Hochschule der Populären Künste.

Schorge Exploded Axonometry — **Architecture nominee:** Lycée Schorge Secondary School, Koudougou, Burkina Faso, by Kéré Architecture

Warka Water By Arturo Vittori — **Architecture nominee:** Warka Water, a structure that harvests portable water from the atmosphere, by Arturo Vittori

**Architecture nominee:** Mrs Fan’s Plug-In House, Beijing, China, by People’s Architecture Office

**Architecture nominee:** Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture by Adjaye Associates in Washington DC, USA

**Architecture nominee:** Croft Lodge Studio, Herefordshire, UK, by Kate Darby Architects and David Connor Design.

**Digital nominee:** ‘Saydnaya: Inside a Syrian Torture Prison’, by Forensic Architecture and Amnesty International

Beazley Designs of the Year — **Digital nominee:** Refugee Text, a service providing refugees with live updates on policy changes and practical information, by Kåre MS Solvåg, Caroline Arvidsson, and Ciarán Duffy

Screen Shot — **Digital nominee:** Google Noto typeface project, by Google and Monotype

**Digital nominee:** Professional Women Emoji, by Agustin Fonts, Rachel Been, Mark Davis, Nicole Bleuel and Chang Yang

Stadium with chairs — **Digital nominee:** Premier League on-air branding experience, by DixonBaxi

**Digital nominee:** ‘Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design’ exhibition, at The Jewish Museum, by Esther da Costa and Diller Scofidio + Renfro (exhibition design)

Mobile design — **Digital nominee:** Pokémon GO, by Niantic Inc

**Digital nominee:** OTHR, a 3D printing company creating functional products for the home, by Joe Doucet, Dean DiSimone and Evan Clabots.

Sculpture demonstrating vulnerability and bodily features — **Digital nominee:** ‘Meet Graham: the only person designed to survive on our roads’, an interactive sculpture demonstrating vulnerability and bodily features that would be needed to withstand a car crash, by Patricia Piccinini, for Transport Accident Authority (TAC)

**Fashion nominee:** Pussyhat Project in support of women’s rights, by Krista SuhJayna Zweiman, Kat Coyle and Aurora Lady. *Courtesy of Getty*

**Fashion nominee:** Nike Pro hijab, by Nike

**Fashion nominee:** New Object Research project, ‘The Rite of Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter’ (life-sized sculptures), by Aitor Throup

**Fashion nominee:** Life of Pablo merchandise and pop-up stores, by Kanye West and Mat Vlasic, for Bravado. *Courtesy Donda*

**Fashion nominee:** Levi’s Commuter Trucker jacket with Jacquard, by Google with Levi’s

**Fashion nominee:** The Upcycling the Oceans project, by Ecoalf, aims to remove marine waste from the Mediterranean Sea and create a 100 per cent recycled material

**Graphics nominee:** Wales Nation Brand, by Smörgåsbord Studio

**Graphics nominee:** *Fractured Lands* in *The New York Times Magazine*, a one-off, ad-free issue of the title devoted to the last ten years in the Middle East, August 14, 2016

**Graphics nominee:** Finding Her, by IC4 Design, for UN Women Egypt, is a campaign designed to draw attention to the lack of women in Egyptian male-dominated industries

**Graphics nominee:** New logo and identity for Reykjavik Art Museum, by Karlssonwilker

**Graphics nominee:** Unit Editions publishers, by Tony Brook, Adrian Shaughnessy and Patricia Finegan.

**Graphics nominee:** The Refugee Nation flag (designed to mark the participation of the first ever refugee team in the 2016 Olympics), by Yara Said with The Refugee Nation, for Amnesty International.

**Graphics nominee:** Sufferhead Original Stout craft beer, by Emeka Ogboh.

Magazine — **Graphics nominee:** *Real Review* magazine, by REAL with OK-RM

**Graphics nominee:** Protest Banner Lending Library, by Aram Han Sifuentes in collaboration with Verónica Casado.

**Graphics nominee:** Pro-EU anti-Brexit Poster Campaign (Vote Remain 23 June), by Wolfgang Tillmans, Between Bridges

**Graphics nominee:** Me & EU postcards, by Nathan Smith and Sam T Smith, designed post-EU referendum as a means to remain connected

Political posters — **Graphics nominee:** *Ibiza Mykonos Jeremy Corbyn* (political posters), by Michael Oswell

**Product nominee:** ‘Wedge Dowel’ joint, by IKEA, requires no glue or tools

Earpiece — **Product nominee:** ‘The Pilot’, translating earpiece, by Waverly Labs

**Product nominee:** ‘Solid Textile Board’ benches, by Max Lamb, for Really ApS and Kvadrat.

**Product nominee:** ‘SNOO’, smart baby sleeper, by Yves Béhar, Fuseproject

**Product nominee: ‘**Scewo’ stairclimbing device, by Thomas Gemperle, Adrien Weber, Naomi Stieger, Stella Mühlhaus, Bernhard Winter, Pascal Buholzer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

**Product nominee:** Rapid Liquid Printing by Self-Assembly Lab, MIT in collaboration with Steelcase

**Product nominee: ‘**Remolten’, by gt2P (Great Things 2 People) with Friedman Benda is a series of products made from Chilean volcanic lava.

Flax bentwood chair — **Product nominee: ‘**Flax’ bentwood chair, by Christien Meindertsma, for Label/Reed.

**Product nominee:** ‘Dansbana! Vårby gård’ is a public place for dance by Dansbana, Anna Fridolin, Anna Pang and Teres Selberg.

**Product nominee:** ‘Connecting the Next Billion’, by BuffaloGrid, provides mobile power, internet and services to those who are typically unable to receive these services

Gita robotic — **Product nominee:** ‘Gita’ robotic personal helper, by Piaggio Fast Forward

Avy search and rescue drone — **Product nominee:** ‘Avy’, search and rescue drone by Paul Vastert, David Wielemaker, Christian McCabe and Patrique Zaman. *Courtesy of Paul Vastert*

**Product nominee:** ‘Alphabet of Light’, by Bjarke Ingels Group, for Artemide. *Courtesy of BIG*

**Product nominee:** ‘Air Ink’, by Graviky Labs, is the first commercial ink made from air pollution.

**Transport nominee:** Seabubbles by Ailain Thebault is a zero-noise, zero-CO2 emission water taxi

**Transport nominee:** The Mahjouba Initiative moped, by Eric van Hove, is made using local craft techniques and materials.

Electric bus — **Transport nominee:** Olli, by Local Motors, is the world’s first self-driving, 3D-printed electric bus

**Transport nominee: ‘**Light Traffic’, by Carlo Ratti, at Senseable City, Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reduces queues and delays

**Transport nominee:** Moto Riding Assist by Honda significantly reduces the possibilities of falling over on a Moto Riding

**Transport nominee:** Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) by CRRC Zhuzhou Institute is a self-driving tram

INFORMATION

The shortlisted Beazley Designs of the Year will is on view until 28 January 2018. For more information, visit the Design Museum website

ADDRESS

Design Museum
224-238 Kensington High Street
London
W8 6AG

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Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.

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