Olins award for RSA students

Wally Olins, who is to leave Wolff Olins at the end of the summer, is to be honoured with an award within the Royal Society of Arts Students Awards.

The annual £3500 Wally Olins Opportunity Award will go to the student who can best show how they would spend the cash.

Meanwhile, Olins is writing a book, continues to be visiting professor at Lancaster and Mexico universities and Copenhagen Business School and works with clients as an independent.

Olins is “very pleased” about the way Wolff Olins developed, but “regretful” that the group wasn’t able to manage its expansion on its own.

He tips the need for clients to demonstrate social responsibility as a major market for design and hopes Wolff Olins will keep ahead of the trend. He also highlights clients’ shift from product to service as a major issue for design.