Brit Insurance Design Award 2009

The Brit Insurance Design Awards honour the best in international design from across the creative spectrum.
Last night Shepard Fairey’s sedately caricatured Obama campaign poster (pictured below) was announced overall winner by Alan Yentob at a gala dinner hosted by London’s Design Museum.
2009’s other winners were Condé Nast’s ‘black issue’ of Vogue in the Fashion category, Konstantin Grcic’s MYTO chair won best Furniture, Snøhetta’s New Oslo Operahouse won best Architecture, best Interactive venture went to O'Reilly's Make Magazine, USA, best Transport went to Line-J Medelin Metro Cable in Colombia, while the under-publicised Magno Wooden Radio, designed by Singihh Susilo Kartono and manufactured by locals in Java incredibly beat stiff competition to win best Product.
See the winners of the Brit Insurance Design Awards
Even the awards trophies themselves were winners, beautifully designed by Anthony Burrill and Michael Marriott, made from laser-cut MDF with a cherry veneer, coloured acrylic panel on the back and a hand-cast brass base.
The esteemed panel of judges included culture pundit Alan Yentob, architect Peter Cook, MOMA's design curator Paola Antonelli and Industrial Designer Yves Behar, however it was the Award’s first-ever public ‘blog’ vote that cast the final say.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
An exhibition of work from the short-listed nominees will be on show at the Design Museum until 14th June.
ADDRESS
Design Museum
Shad Thames
London
SE1 2YD
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
Michael Rider’s joyful Celine debut: ‘I’ve always loved the idea of clothing that lives on’
Presented today in Celine’s Paris HQ, the designer’s astute debut balanced the house’s recent legacy with a fresh, contemporary vision which nodded to his American roots
-
The Richard Mille x Brough Superior RMB01 is a motorcycle with an exceptional aesthetic pedigree
The RMB01 is what happens when horological obsession meets two-wheeled excellence: a Franco-Swiss racing motorcycle that brings out the best in both brands
-
Six modern bathroom ideas for spaces big and small
Here are our best bathroom designs for 2026: colours, curves and a calming ambience are making a splash this season, with tactile and textured surfaces to elevate your shower room