Saturday, 11 February 2012
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Design Week
Hot 50 Supplement

  • Hot 50 2010

    Hot 50 Supplement

  • Hot 50: ABU DHABI

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Abu Dhabi sits on an estimated one-tenth of the world’s oil reserves. Compared to its more cosmopolitan neighbour within the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, which has seen staggering economic growth over the past ten years, but suffered severely from the slump, Abu Dhabi has grown slowly and built on its cultural heritage, a strategy that is paying off now that it is emerging from the recession.

  • Hot 50: ALTERNATIVE FESTIVALS

    Hot 50 Supplement

    For those joining the festival throng, donning the gaudy-looking wellington boots, finding a suitable tent and looking hippy chic is a must. This is, of course, if you are going to the famous old stalwarts such as Glastonbury and Reading.

  • Hot 50: ANDREW RITCHIE

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Andrew Ritchie, designer of the iconic Brompton folding bicycle, has made this year’s Hot 50 after a triumphant 2009.

  • Hot 50: ANISH KAPOOR

    Hot 50 Supplement

    A prolific 2009 peppered with exhibitions and festivals makes influential artist, pioneering sculptor and winner of the 1991 Turner Prize Anish Kapoor hard to ignore. In March, he collaborated with engineer Cecil Balmond to design five giant outdoor sculptures, as part of the Tees Valley regeneration.

  • Hot 50: ANTHROPOLOGIE

    Hot 50 Supplement

    A fashion house and household goods shop is nothing new, with House of Fraser stores and Liberty already on London’s main shopping streets. US retailer Anthropologie came to London’s Regent Street last year, opening its first store in October.

  • Hot 50: ANTONY GORMLEY

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Over the past 25 years the artist Antony Gormley has transformed the human image through sculpture, often using his own body as the subject.

  • Hot 50: APPS

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Apple has been a regular in the Hot 50 listings since they began, and once again we recognise its work. This time, though, it is for its apps. Created originally for the iPhone, ‘app’ - short for application - is essentially a software program familiar to Mac users.

  • Hot 50: BBC

    Hot 50 Supplement

    As a corporate body, the BBC is an exemplar of using design well through cross-platform technology. The launch of the iPlayer, in particular, has been shortlisted for the Brit Insurance Design Awards 2010 and was cited by the Hot 50 selectors as an original idea.

  • Hot 50: BOOKMARKING SITES

    Hot 50 Supplement

    If you spoke about ‘tweeting’ and ‘twittering’ a couple of years ago, most people would think you were imitating a bird. ‘Twitter’ was, however, the mostused word of 2009, according to researchers from the Texas-based group Global Language Monitor.

  • Hot 50: BRISTOL MEDIA

    Hot 50 Supplement

    The shift towards local representation for design has been gaining momentum.

  • Hot 50: CULTURE LABEL

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Culture Label, the large online museum shop, is not a new concept - the US www.museumnetwork.com was forced to close when the dotcom bubble burst. However, www.culturelabel.com, launched last July, aims to do something different by expanding digital strategy beyond e-commerce.

  • Hot 50: D&AD

    Hot 50 Supplement

    In the past we have celebrated the work of D&AD’s education team in the Hot 50, such is the importance of its contribution to students and practitioners in the creative industries and the tireless commitment team members have shown over time.

  • Hot 50: DESIGN COUNCIL

    Hot 50 Supplement

    For years the Design Council has been passed over by Hot 50 selectors. While they agreed it was doing its job with business and Government, it wasn’t engaging enough with the creative community, they felt, or extending much beyond its remit.

  • Hot 50: DESIGN MUSEUM

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Deyan Sudjic’s directorship of the Design Museum is bearing rich and exotic fruit. The London museum staged an exemplary events programme in 2009, with outstanding shows on fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, Spanish star Patricia Urquiola, graphics genius Javier Mariscal, architect David Chipperfield and German industrial designer Dieter Rams, among others.

  • Hot 50: DIETER RAMS

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Ask designers as diverse as Sir Terence Conran and the graphics trio at Bibliothèque which designers inspire them most and you will find German legend Dieter Rams towards the top of the list. His strippeddown minimalism appeals to many, and his prolific career has created domestic products that have touched the lives of lots of people - in Europe at least.

  • Hot 50: ELMWOOD

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Branding group Elmwood demonstrated last year how good things can come out of adversity. Like many of its peers it suffered the rigours of recession, but a blend of resilience and creative management thinking looks set to arm it for a bigger role on the international stage, with its sights set on offices in North and South America, and Asia.

  • Hot 50: FILM

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Independent documentary-maker Gary Hustwit has put design in a starring role in two films over the past few years. First was Helvetica, an appraisal of the Swiss typeface through the eyes of design greats; then there was Objectified, released in the UK last year, which did the same for the design of objects.

  • Hot 50: FLOS AND MOROSO

    Hot 50 Supplement

    When the property world is suffering serious cutbacks, you expect the contract furniture industry to follow suit. Fewer architectural projects mean fewer commissions by architects, and with most businesses tightening their belts in recession, refitting existing offices isn’t high on the agenda.

  • Hot 50: FREECYCLING

    Hot 50 Supplement

    A virtual ‘council tip’ whereby things are recycled for free evolved in 2003. Freecycle is a non-profit movement that works under the motto ‘One person’s trash can truly be another’s treasure’ and helps its 1.8 million members across the UK offload unwanted goods. Following an ecological mission, it aims to reduce waste, save resources and ease the burden of landfills.

  • Hot 50: FUNNELLY ENOUGH

    Hot 50 Supplement

    It is important to recognise in-house design products that go beyond an idea. While the Apples of the world dominate this sector, Dragon’s Den-type products should not go unnoticed. In 2009 the niche company Funnelly Enough came into the spotlight for its product, the Peezy.

  • Hot 50: HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH

    Hot 50 Supplement

    The Duke of Edinburgh has long been a stalwart in design - and this is by no means his first appearance in the Hot 50. His main claim to fame has been the annual Prince Philip Designers Prize, bestowed on a designer who has excelled in their particular discipline, but he is also the Royal Patron of the Chartered Society of Designers.

  • Hot 50: HYPER ISLAND

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Swedish college Hyper Island is hugely respected in interaction design circles as an educational force that takes its students beyond academic studies.

  • Hot 50: I-DESIGN

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Celebrating its third incarnation last September, London’s i-Design has gone from strength to strength. The organisers have taken the concept of a conference and networking event to extremes, involving a diverse array of international participants and collaborating with the likes of Onedotzero, Cybersonica and the Future of Sound to present a full programme of debate, interactive installations and short films.

  • Hot 50: JAMIE OLIVER

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    TV chef Jamie Oliver leapt on to TV screens in 1999 and published The Naked Chef book.

  • Hot 50: KEVIN LAVERY

    Hot 50 Supplement

    It is hard to attribute design activities in Cornwall to one person. The Design Councilsupported Designs of the Time initiative (which is currently running in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly), University College Falmouth and the Cornwall Design Forum - one of the first and most active regional bodies representing the local design community - all involve great design activists who put quality first.

  • Hot 50: LONDON

    Hot 50 Supplement

    In anticipation of the 2012 Olympic Games, a burst of activity is making its way across the capital. London has always had a confident list of attractions with its cultural heritage, iconic landmarks, vintage transport and fashion, but with a less clear sense of identity to hold all these aspects together, especially with the Olympics coming, it highlights a need for a defining brand.

  • Hot 50: MATT DENT

    Hot 50 Supplement

    The familiar symbols of Britannia, the lion and the thistle, have been replaced by graphic designer Matt Dent’s segmented image of the royal heraldic shield.

  • Hot 50: PENGUIN BOOKS

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Penguin Books is not one for resting on its design laurels. From its conception in 1935 it has consistently produced progressive and innovative design, creating iconic covers and eschewing complacency. With its place in the design pantheon firmly cemented, it nonetheless continues to design, supported by an understanding upper management that is keen to nurture creativity.

  • Hot 50: PETER FINK

    Hot 50 Supplement

    As you drive along the A40 leading into Ealing, west London, four grass mounds dominate the horizon. The Northala Fields project is Europe’s largest example of land art, created by artist Peter Fink and architect Igor Marko, both partners at Form Associates, formerly Art to Architects.

  • Hot 50: PHIL JONES

    Hot 50 Supplement

    It is apt that Phil Jones divides the website for his company Real Time Consultancy into ‘work’ and ‘play’. While he is nonexecutive director and mentor of various design groups, including branding consultancy Navyblue and digital group Naked Penguin Boy, both of which employ him as chairman, he is the king of networking in design.

  • Hot 50: PROFESSOR CATHERINE MCDERMOTT

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Design historian Professor Catherine McDermott is one of design’s most prominent academics. As Professor of Design at Kingston University in Surrey she has forged links with UK organisations such as the Design Museum and the Museum of London, and is now working with Kingston students to support design in Africa.

  • Hot 50: RAPHA

    Hot 50 Supplement

    While Rapha is not a 2009 phenomenon, the Hot 50 selectors felt that each year its story keeps getting better. The name may be unfamiliar to some, but for bike fanatics this niche brand is the Prada of the cycling world.

  • Hot 50: ROBIN LEVIEN

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Robin Levien is included in the Hot 50 for two reasons. We pay tribute to him as a worldclass product designer dealing with industrial ceramics; and we offer him encouragement in his new role as Master of the Faculty of Royal Designers, taken up in November.

  • Hot 50: RODNEY FITCH

    Hot 50 Supplement

    The industry was once frequented by larger-than-life characters with the resilience common to all creative people to push on regardless of the odds. One such is Rodney Fitch, arguably one of the founding fathers of the design business as we know it. He makes it into the Hot 50 this year on the strength of a lifetime’s commitment, though ventures he has in the pipeline might well merit a reappearance in the future.

  • Hot 50: ROSS BRAWN

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Who would have thought that creating a Formula One World Championship-winning car from nothing in eight months would be possible. In 2009 Ross Brawn proved it is. The first Brawn F1 car was unveiled at Silverstone in March, and last November it was crowned Constructor’s Champions Car. Brawn also delivered a new world champion racing driver in Jenson Button.

  • Hot 50: SELF-PUBLISHING

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Self-publishing came into vogue in 2009 with authors motivated by their own creativity.

  • Hot 50: SELFRIDGES

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Last year was fortuitous for the iconic 109 Pantone yellow, as Selfridges celebrated its centenary year on the 15 March. Throughout the year collaborations took place with an array of designers, including Giles Deacon’s made-to-order striking dress and Marc Jacobs’ yellow makeover of the Stam bag.

  • Hot 50: SHEPARD FAIREY

    Hot 50 Supplement

    One of the most iconic images from the 2008 US presidential election is Barack Obama’s Hope portrait. Street artist Shepard Fairey shot into the media spotlight after he appropriated images and created a series of posters supporting Barack Obama’s campaign.

  • Hot 50: SOMERSET HOUSE

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Since she took over as director in 2005 Gwyn Miles has achieved great things at Somerset House, without Government support, which has put her and the central London venue in the Hot 50 before.

  • Hot 50: SUNAND PRASAD

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Architecture doesn’t feature much in Design Week, served as it is by two weekly magazines. But there are some architects - and architectural institutions - that transcend disciplines, developing ideas that impact on the world of design.

  • Hot 50: SUSTAIN OUR NATION

    Hot 50 Supplement

    News of the impending closure of the Audi Design Foundation came as a shock to many in the design community. The UK-based charitable trust set up by the car company in 1997 has granted more than £1m in its 12- year life to support design innovation, focusing particularly on schools and colleges on the one hand, and sustainability issues, notably in developing countries, on the other.

  • Hot 50: THE HOUSE OF ST BARNABAS

    Hot 50 Supplement

    It is rare for a homelessness charity to engage design to an outstanding extent, but the Quintessentially Foundation has done just this for the House of St Barnabas. It established a pop-up club in the heart of London’s Soho last year to attract London’s glitterati, has staged events like a ball and had a book published to raise funds for homeless people.

  • Hot 50: THE PARTNERS

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Corks popped and champagne flowed at The Partners last year. Awards burst the seams of its portfolio and it attained the top spot for creativity in the Design Week annual Creative Survey, based on creative award wins.

  • Hot 50: THE SORRELL FOUNDATION

    Hot 50 Supplement

    The charity set up by Sir John and Lady Frances Sorrell (pictured) has made it into the Hot 50 before. Its work with schools and colleges through the Joined Up Design for Schools initiative is exemplary and it has engaged schools in crime-related issues, staging a presentation by students at the Home Office to the then Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith.

  • Hot 50: TIM MOLLOY

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Major projects take some time in the hatching in the world of museums and can therefore easily test the patience of creative folk.

  • Hot 50: TWENTY-SIX

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Writers group 26 - named to represent the 26 letters of the alphabet - has long been active in design. It has been a regular contributor to the London Design Festival, with collaborations between its writer members and designers, and has produced a couple of books.

  • Hot 50: VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM

    Hot 50 Supplement

    The Victoria & Albert Museum and the London Design Festival forged a valuable partnership to celebrate design in the museum that is perceived to be the cradle of creativity past and present. The 2009 festival, held last September, was hailed as a success, proving that creativity can transcend tough economic times.

  • Hot 50: WIRED SUSSEX

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Regional networks have grown in stature in the creative industries in recent years. Most, such as the Cornwall Design Forum, the South Coast Design Forum and Bristol Media are fairly broad-based, reflecting the interests of the local creative community.

  • Hot 50: YOUNG CREATIVE NETWORK

    Hot 50 Supplement

    The Young Creative Network may not be well known, but there is no denying the work it has done in promoting and encouraging new design talent.

  • Hot 50: YVES BÉHAR

    Hot 50 Supplement

    Swiss-born industrial designer Yves Béhar enters the Hot 50 this year on the strength of more than one year’s innovative work.