Barber Osgerby to design London Olympic torch

The torch will be used to carry the Olympic flame around the UK for a 70-day relay after it arrives in the UK from Olympia, Greece in May.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games appointed London-based designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby following an international tender, which was launched by Locog and the Design Council in August last year.

As well as the torch, Barber Osgerby will also design the celebration cauldrons, which will hold the torch during the lunchtime and evening stops. Thomas Heatherwick has been appointed to design the Olympic cauldron that will house the torch on the Olympic stadium site.

Design Council chief executive David Kester says, ‘Arguably this is one of the most visible design briefs in the world – literally billions of eyes will be on the Olympic flame in 2012. I am delighted that Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby have won this commission and wish them well as standard-bearers for UK design.’