Royal honours for designers

THREE leading figures in the design world have been rewarded for services to their respective industries, with awards in the 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Sir Norman Foster is now a life peer and Professor Will Alsop has been made an OBE. Wally Olins of Wolff Olins becomes a CBE for services to design in business.

Olins says: “I’m very pleased about the award, both for myself and particularly on behalf of the company. It reflects my work and education in trying to make people aware of the power of design.”