Dezeen Wire: critic Stephen Bayley is to chair the London Design Museum's Brit Insurance Designs of the Year awards this year. See press release below

Stephen Bayley to chair the Brit Insurance Design Awards in 2011

Stephen Bayley returns to the Design Museum to chair annual design awards.

Prominent design commentator and one of the founders of the Design Museum, Stephen Bayley, has been announced as Chair of Jury for the Brit Insurance Design Awards 2011.

Celebrating design from the past 12 months, the Brit Insurance Design Awards has established itself as one of the most comprehensive design awards in the world. Experts have nominated designs across a range of disciplines including: architecture, fashion, transport, product, graphic, furniture and interactive to reflect a year of design ingenuity.

Stephen Bayley will chair the 2011 jury and will be joined by art and design curator Janice Blackburn, graphic designer Mark Farrow, novelist Will Self, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Kingston University Penny Sparke and Simon Waterfall co-founder of digital agency Poke.

Over thirty years Stephen Bayley's books, articles and exhibitions have helped frame the contemporary idea of "design". Together with Terence Conran he created The Boilerhouse Project in the V&A. He then went on to become the first Director of the Design Museum and is now a celebrated, outspoken broadcaster and critic.

Stephen Bayley, Chair of Judges, comments, ‘In about 1978 Terence Conran and I had a slightly mad vision that the future Design Museum was going to be a high-tech factory in Milton Keynes with robots picking mid-century modern masterpieces off Dexion shelving for the edification of students. I'm delighted it's evolved into something more sophisticated. And I'm equally delighted to chair the influential Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2011. In '78 design was for a freak minority, wonderful that, thanks to the Design Museum, it's now part of national life’.

Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum said, ‘Stephen Bayley’s sharp eye and sharper pen make him a natural chair for Brit Insurance Awards 2011, a jury that is looking for design that matters’.

Brit Insurance Chief Executive Dane Douetil added, ‘2011 promises to be another strong year in design and we are delighted that Stephen Bayley is our Chair of Judges. His historic connection with the Design Museum and profile as a cultural commentator makes him the ideal chair. We await the shortlist and category winners with great anticipation’.

The awards shortlist will be announced on 17th January 2011 with the exhibition of all shortlisted entries taking place from 16 February – 7 August 2011. The winner will be announced at the awards dinner on 15 March 2011.

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