London Design Festival Celebrates Creativity & Innovation This September

The Festival is proud to announce the Mayor of London as Principal Supporter for 2024.

Since its inception, the London Design Festival has stood at the forefront of design excellence, championing emerging and established talent alike. With a mission to foster collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas, the Festival serves as a vital platform for dialogue and discovery and as a compass for the latest developments within the international design community.

Every year, the Festival and its wider programme highlight topical issues and ideas that are shaping the industry at large. With sustainability, AI and inclusivity continuing to take centre stage, the notion of play has also emerged as a growing global trend within the creative sector. The multifaceted nature of play has led designers to examine its integrity as a concept and celebrate its manifestations across different areas of our lives. From enhancing wellbeing and fostering creative exchange to reimagining technology and enhancing everyday experiences.

Whether exploring play as an activity, experimenting with materials, or integrating playfulness into cutting-edge technologies, designers are highlighting how we can creatively engage with new concepts that enrich our lives and environments.

The 2024 programme will feature major installations across the city, museum exhibits, Design Districts that highlight creative clusters spanning London, the Design Fair Material Matters, and the Global Design Forum, a thought leadership programme that brings together creative leaders to explore and propose solutions for pressing global issues.

Additionally, the annual London Design Medals will recognise the contribution made by leading design figures and emerging talent to London and the industry, with four London Design Medals awarded each year. The Festival is delighted to announce Bentley Motors as Sponsor of the Design Innovation Medal, Johnnie Walker Blue Label as Sponsor of the London Design Medal, and to continue the Festival’s long-standing partnership with Fortnum & Mason as the Supporting Partner of the London Design Medals 2024. Further details of this year’s winners will be announced in September.

The 2024 Festival is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, with Bloomberg.

Connects is the Festival’s official digital guide. The free mobile guide will feature content exclusive to Connects: expert commentary, video highlights, behind-the-scenes footage and exhibition maps.

Bloomberg Connects is a free digital guide to cultural organisations around the world that makes it easy to access and engage with arts and culture from mobile devices.

The Festival’s partnership scheme continues to play a central role, enabling a range of design businesses including emerging designers, recent graduates, NGOs and smaller businesses to participate in the programme, ensuring that a broad range of talent have an opportunity to showcase their work and connect with new audiences.

Ben Evans, London Design Festival Director, said: !The 2024 Festival promises to be another strong year. The lineup is set to offer fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that will captivate and inspire our audiences. Equally important, the Festival continues to champion inclusivity and provides crucial opportunities for emerging talent to shine. We take great pride in the Festival’s role in expanding the reach of designers and creative businesses, reaffirming design’s profound impact on our society.”

LANDMARK PROJECTS – JOHNNIE WALKER

Major Partner Johnnie Walker will be launching a Landmark Project with a future- facing designer, as well as a new, groundbreaking design innovation at this year’s London Design Festival.

As a brand rooted in progress, Johnnie Walker – the world’s number one Scotch whisky brand* – will be unveiling a first-of-its-kind design innovation that focuses on craft and luxury. The incredible, never-before-seen design will be brought to life even further by the Landmark Project and an immersive consumer experience.

First-time London Design Festival partner Johnnie Walker will also be speaking at the Global Design Forum, sharing more around the inspiration and significance of its design innovation.

Studio image of sculpture, grown from root and inspired by coral.

VERT  

London Design Festival in association with American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) will present Vert at the Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art, designed by leading industrial design practice Diez Office in partnership with climate farming experts OMC°C. A sustainable structure in red-oak glulam poised to revolutionise the cityscape, this Landmark Project proposes an innovative architectural solution for cooling cities, providing serene green spaces and enhancing urban biodiversity, while seamlessly integrating with existing infrastructure.

Crafted predominantly from red oak, an abundant and highly sustainable wood species from the naturally regenerating forests of North America, the project will challenge the status quo of timber construction by advocating for greater diversity in timber sourcing, fostering forest resilience, and promoting sustainable practices within the construction industry.

The structural frame will hold a biodegradable net with a curated selection of around 20 plant species. The living ecosystem will support local biodiversity, serve as a habitat for essential insect populations, enrich the urban environment, and provide a sheltered space where visitors to the Festival can gather and relax.

The installation will exemplify the potential of sustainable timber construction to redefine urban landscapes worldwide. It stands as a beacon for cities seeking considered solutions to environmental challenges, offering a blueprint for future urban development, prioritising resilience, biodiversity, and community engagement.

DUO BY MELEK ZEYNEP BULUT

Duo by Turkish designer and artist Melek Zeynep Bulut at the Royal Naval College’s Painted Hall will be an innovative suspended installation that serves as an exploration of duality and interaction. Conceived as a rectangular prism with a minimalist design reminiscent of ancient forms, the installation embodies simplicity to evoke a sense of psychological closeness. At its core, Duo encapsulates the essence of ‘two’: a dialogue, a duality, an agreement, and the dynamic interplay between the centre and periphery.

Central to Duo’s concept is its interconnected mechanical system, meticulously crafted to induce a delicate balance and rhythmic harmony. Magnets and sensors, strategically placed to repel each other, create an interactive experience where human presence alters spatial motion and rhythm. This dynamic relationship between viewer and installation not only transforms the space but also amplifies the sensory experience, blurring the boundaries between observer and observed.

Duo transcends traditional boundaries of design and space, inviting visitors to contemplate their primitive relationship with the environment. As a site of encounter and performance, this installation challenges perceptions and offers a multi-sensory journey that unfolds in real-time, resulting in a narrative that may only fully reveal itself at the culmination of the viewer’s interaction.


FESTIVAL COMMISSIONS

Power Out of Restriction (POoR Collective) will partner with Battersea Power Station to create a community inspired installation for the exciting new riverside neighbourhood. The project will see last year’s winners of the Emerging Design Medal and Battersea Power Station host a series of workshops for Wandsworth based school children and youth groups to design an exciting piece of public art, which will be displayed in the Grade II* listed building’s Turbine Hall A during the London Design Festival in September.

Launched in 2019, by architects Larry Botchway, Shawn Adams, and Ben Spry, and accountant Matt Harvey-Agyemang, POoR seeks to elevate young people and give them access to the design industry. The London-based studio sees the power of the next generation and aims to get emerging voices heard through design, programmes, and engagement.

POoR has previously worked with students from Mayesbrook Park School to create a colourful temporary pavilion in Regents Park, and with young people from Bexleyheath to create installations in South East London.

Further details on the partnership between POoR and Battersea Power Station will be shared in the coming weeks.

Craft x Tech will be an exhibition at the V&A’s Prince Consort Gallery. The initiative bridges the gap between traditional Japanese craft and contemporary technology. The goal of the project is to create a novel and unique body of artworks that express both the history and future potential of these beautiful materials and techniques. With this in mind, a group of respected designers and artists will bring new and meaningful insights to these centuries-old master crafts traditions.

The craft-producing districts for the inaugural edition of Craft x Tech are from the six prefectures of the Tohoku (north-east) region of Japan. The participating craftspeople are producers of Tsugaru-Nuri lacquerware (from Aomori prefecture), Kawatsura- Shikki lacquerware (from Akita prefecture), Nambu-Tekki ironware (from Iwate prefecture), Sendai-Tansu cabinet making (from Miyagi prefecture), Oitama-Tsumugi textile (from Yamagata prefecture) and Aizu-Hongo-Yaki pottery (from Fukushima prefecture).

The designers who are collaborating with these master crafts producers are Sabine Marcelis, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves (Studio SWINE), Ini Archibong, Yoichi Ochiai, Hideki Yoshimoto, and Michael Young. The programme is an initiative led by the Craft x Tech Association and Tangent, with curatorial direction of Maria Cristina Didero.


LDF AT THE V&A

Experience a series of thought-provoking contemporary installations in galleries across the museum exploring global cultures, and material investigations through

craft and origins. Discover how design shapes space to bring people together and commune through rituals.

British-Ghanaian designer Giles Tettey Nartey is exploring culture, culinary tradition, and the rituals of domestic life in Ghana through ‘Communion’. Designed as a reimagination of the practice of making ‘fufu’ – a West African staple food, the communal pounding table aims to reframe the act of pounding cassava and plantain, one person pounding, another turning the mixture in an almost choreographed fusion of movement and sound that is akin to dance. The design centers the process of collectively making and sharing a meal as a point for exchange and discussion.

The V&A Emerging Designer Commission features Arjun Singh Assa, Liang-Jung Chen, and Angela Ford, who delve into the concept of ‘origin’ through their contemporary design practices. Arjun Singh Assa, born in Kenya, explores generational knowledge and spiritual themes inspired by Sikh architecture, translating them into conceptual furniture pieces. Taiwanese designer Liang-Jung Chen examines physical and metaphorical borders, focusing on museum barriers as design elements. Angela Ford, a British-Jamaican multidisciplinary designer also known as Studio Raw Origins, investigates raw materials from a decolonial perspective, using her family’s DNA to craft artefacts that reflect untold histories and movements.

Un-Hide: Reframing Luxury is an interactive seating series by Modular by Mensah redefining leather’s evolving role in contemporary design. Drawing parallels between human skin’s memory and leather’s natural features, the project explores leather’s lifecycle and its potential as a sustainable luxury material. Challenging traditional perceptions, leather is reimagined as a medium for fostering social connections and promoting sustainability. Modular by Mensah is founded by British Ghanaian designer Kusheda Mensah, the project is supported by Bridge of Weir Leather and Muirhead.

Barricade and Beacon explores the intersection between architecture and activism and focuses attention on the role architects, designers and citizens can play in lobbying for change. The display features two structures: Barricade, made from U- Build units, and Beacon, fabricated from bamboo. Presented by the V&A+RIBA Architecture Partnership, the installation is a collaboration with London-based architects Studio Bark and coincides with the publication of Protest Architecture (RIBA Publishing, 2024) by founding member of Studio Bark, Nick Newman.

The SIM Project examines the deep relationship between smartphones, belonging and migration. It was born out of collaboration with Syrian refugees on a resettlement programme in Coventry, with SIM card-size artworks added to the city’s museum collection. It combines the histories of photography, communication and jewellery to give material meaning to people’s virtual networks and create new ways to archive stories of migration. ‘Stained glass’ SIM sculptures will feature hundreds of unique SIM-scale glass prints of personal screenshots, made in workshops across seven countries.

In addition, the design focussed Friday Late will feature emerging artists and designers after hours for performances, workshops, installations, music and more, including a preview of Digital Design Weekend in the Learning Centre which takes place on 23rd and 24th September.

DESIGN DISTRICTS

From North to South, East to West, the Design Districts are a key component of the Festival makeup. Each District has its own unique personality that reflects the local community and enables visitors to explore events a short walking distance from each other. 


There will be 11 Design Districts as part of this year“s Festival: Bankside Design District, Battersea Design District, Brompton Design District, Chelsea Design District, Dalston to Stokey Design District, Fitzrovia Design District, Greenwich Peninsula Design District, Mayfair Design District, Park Royal Design District, Shoreditch Design Triangle and William Morris Design Line.

DESIGN FAIR

As part of the programme, the commercial pillars of the Festival are key meeting places for designers, manufacturers, buyers, specifiers, the media and design enthusiasts to discover new product releases and identify current trends.

Material Matters will return to Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 18-21 September and promises to be one of the highlights of the London Design Festival 2024. The fair, launched in 2022, has rapidly established itself as a fixture in the international design calendar and has attracted an array of talent for this year’s third edition. Visitors can expect fifty exhibitors drawn from London, the UK and around the world – from globally recognised brands to emerging talent – the thread running through it all is an innate sense of material intelligence and the desire to make the world a slightly better place. Visitor registration is now live and the full line-up of exhibitors is available via materialmatters.design


GLOBAL DESIGN FORUM
 


Global Design Forum is London Design Festival’s curated thought leadership programme, celebrating design and the minds shaping its future. Global Design Forum will be back at the V&A this year celebrating 10 years since it first took place at the Museum.


The programme for 2024 will focus on some of the most pressing and crucial challenges that designers currently face. Daily themes will include Please Design Responsibly; The Healthy City; Resilience and Repair and More than Human. Within these headers there will be a focus on: responses to conflict and disaster; communication of cultural heritage; what it means to be human; designing through a non-human lens; design for connection; creating resilient, healthy, green cities; redefining the role of the designer; designing a regenerative society and opening up collaboration to move towards critical shared goals.

Over 60 speakers from across the global design and creative community will share new perspectives on how design can be more accessible, inclusive and sustainable and at the forefront of change.

This year GDF is excited to be partnering with Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Velux.

Biodesigned grass root sculptures and lamps take the form of coral and marine life at Zena Holloway’s studio, London, UK

GRAPHIC IDENTITY 2024 BY PENTAGRAM

Since 2007, world-renowned creative agency Pentagram, have produced an annual graphic identity for each iteration of the Festival – responding to, and anticipating trends in design and typography.

Certain elements of the identity remain constant – the Festival“s colour palette of white on red has been proved to be one of the Festival’s most recognisable elements. This has allowed Pentagram to adapt the brief each year to produce distinctive visual identities ensuring that each year the Festival remains dynamic and interesting. This year’s identity explores the concept of ‘duality’.


Domenic Lippa, Partner at Pentagram, has led the creative direction of the branding and visual design for the Festival since its inception.

Domenic Lippa, Partner at Pentagram, said: “The aim of any of the campaigns we have designed for the London Design Festival is to create at its centre a powerful shorthand for anyone to immediately see and connect with the festival.

“I’ve always believed duality to be an interesting recurring theme within design. It can allow any design to have a tension within it, thus ensuring a level of surprise and engagement. We started exploring this through contrasting elements – imagery, words and colours eventually settling on using 2 quite different typefaces to express the natural diversity that exists within design.
“This design process created a layering and interaction between the typefaces that created a visual solution we felt best reflected this theme.” Further information for this year“s programme as well as details of the Global Design Forum, London Design Festival“s curated thought leadership programme, and this year“s London Design Medal winners will be announced over the summer.