London Design Festival has announced its winners for 2017, recognising the individuals for their outstanding contributions to London and the design industry. This year, the Panerai London Design Medal went to set designer Es Devlin, presented as the most prestigious prize of the British Land Celebration of Design Awards in its third year.

Every year, London Design Festival presents the London Design Medals; paying special tribute to designers who are making, or have made, a significant difference to our lives through their innovation, originality and imagination.

Paul Priestman was announced as the winner of "The Design Innovation Medal", while Julian Melchiorri was named as the winner of "The Emerging Talent Medal". 

The fourth medal "The Lifetime Achievement Medal", the most esteemed prize of the awards, went to Margaret Calvert, a British typographer and graphic designer - she designed an entirely new signage system for the UK's roads.

These have become highly coveted accolades in the world of design. The four winners will receive their medals at a ceremony, which will be held at the end of week-long festival and each winners' works will be presented at a special exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

Es Devlin is widely considered to be one of the world's foremost set designers. Her first works were for fringe theatres in London, but her canvas has expanded to the National Theatre, Sadlers Wells, Royal Opera House, La Scala, and Wembley Stadium. She has created stage sets in collaboration with Beyonce, Adele, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, U2 and Jay Z, as well as designing the London Olympic closing ceremony and the Rio Olympic opening ceremony.

 The Design Innovation Medal winner Paul Priestman

The Design Innovation Medal, supported by Tanqueray, celebrates entrepreneurship in all its forms, both locally and internationally. It honours an individual for whom design lies at the core of their development and success.

Paul Priestman is the Founding Director and Chairman of industrial design and transportation consultancy, PriestmanGoode. From the new Tube for London to airplanes and hotels, his visionary thinking has shaped daily life for millions of people around the world. Priestman has been named one of Britain's 500 most influencial individuals by The Sunday Times Progress 1000.

The Emerging Talent Medal winner Julian Melchiorri

The Emerging Talent Medal, supported by Storey, recognizes an individual who has made an impact on the design scene within five or so years of graduation.

Julian Melchiorri is an innovator, design-engineer, and entrepreneur. Internationally known for his 'artificial leaf' projects, he exploits biological micro-organisms and materials to convert waste and pollution into valuable resources. 

He was the V&A Exhibition Road Engineering resident from April 2016 to July 2017, a TEDx speaker, and Forbes 30 under 30 best social entrepreneur 2017. Earlier this year, he won the Arts Foundation award for Materials Innovation supported by the Clothworkers' Founders.

The Lifetime Achievement Medal winner Margaret Calvert

The Lifetime Achievement Medal honours an individual who has made significant and fundamental contributions to the design industry over their career.

South-African born Margaret Calvert's first job - at the invitation of Jock Kinnear - was to assist on the signage of Gatwick Airport, a collaboration that would eventually lead to the design partnership Kinneir Calvert Tunhill. Calvert went on to take a leading role in one of the biggest and most well recognised public design projects in the UK: the road signing system that remains in place to this day. 

She also created lettering and signing systems for NHS hospitals, British Rail and the British Airports Authority. More recently, she was heavily involved in the design of the government's new website, Gov.uk, and has worked on the design of lettering and pictograms for the Moscow Metro.

Last year, world-renowned British architect David Adjaye was awarded with the 2016 London Design Medal and industrial designer Kenneth Grange was named as the winner of The Johnson Tiles Lifetime Achievement Medal. 

London Design Festival starts on September 16 and will continue until September 24, 2017 in multiple venues and institutions across the city. 

All images courtesy of LDF

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