Samsung
Technology giant Samsung took the brave step last year of commissioning avant-garde designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec to design a television.
MINI
This was the year that car brand MINI relaunched its visual identity and made the leap into designing lifestyle concepts. It embraced the sharing economy with its Airbnb-style vehicle rent scheme and MINI Living installation in Milan, which explored the idea of shared accommodation as a solution to the
Issey Miyake
Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake turns 79 next spring but his brand is still a major player. This year the fashion house unveiled a new technique for pleating fabric that involved applying glue and baking garments in an oven. Our post about the resulting Spring Summer 2016 collection was one
BMW
Futuristic vehicles were all the rage this year, and German car brand BMW stayed ahead of the curve by embracing hybrid and electric technologies with innovations such as the i8 sports car. It also impressed readers by releasing a shape-shifting concept car that can predict your every move.
Iris van Herpen
Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen works with cutting-edge materials and techniques, in particular exploring how 3D printing can be harnessed to make clothing.
Lexus
We began writing about Lexus last year, when the Japanese car brand started to release unusual ideas for concept cars. We featured a fully drivable vehicle made entirely out of cardboard and the LF-FC concept model, which was explored further in Italian duo Formafantasma's installation for the brand in Milan this year.
COS
Swedish fashion house COS – a firm favourite with the creative set – has aligned itself closely with the design world over the last few years, presenting installations during Milan Design Week and hiring cutting-edge architects for popups and permanent stores. It even teamed up with Danish design brand
Santiago Calatrava
The past year has been a roller coaster of highs and lows for Santiago Calatrava, the architect Dezeen readers tend to either love or hate.
David Chipperfield
London architect David Chipperfield can do no wrong in the eyes of our readers. His quietly austere brand of modernism doesn't scream for attention, yet avoids being formulaic.
Kate Moss
British supermodel Kate Moss, 42, earned her place on the Hot List by becoming the latest celebrity to turn a hand to design.
Apple
It's a surprise to find Apple outside the top 10, and even more so to find the tech giant trailing IKEA in our brands ranking. Yet while a few years ago our readers couldn't get enough of Apple, we've detected a waning of interest recently.
Kanye West
It was another busy year for self-proclaimed genius and polymath Kanye West.
Snarkitecture
Jonathan Ive
Apple design head Jonathan Ive is one of the most famous and influential designers on the planet. His celebrity is great enough that in March this year, Sacha Baron Cohen spoofed his Apple presentation style to promote the movie Grimsby.
Max Lamb
A former protege of Tom Dixon, London designer Max Lamb has built a reputation for tactile products that focus on exploring the possibilities of the materials they're made from.
Louis Kahn
Marcio Kogan/Studio MK27
Studio MK27 is the Brazilian firm led by Marcio Kogan, an architect who started his career as a movie director.
Philippe Starck
The maker of the iconic Louis Ghost chair, Gnome stool and Juicy Salif citrus squeezer, Philippe Starck is one of the most famous and prolific designers in the world. As such, it makes sense that a lot of the interest in the Frenchman on Dezeen came from Google
MVRDV
Dutch studio MVRDV would have been placed highly in our Hot List under any circumstances – but its high ranking this year is due to the extraordinary popularity of its recent Chanel store facade in Amsterdam, which is made of glass bricks.
Herzog & de Meuron
Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron are perennial favourites among Dezeen readers, completing the trio of most admired practices alongside Zaha Hadid Architects and Bjarke Ingels Group.
Dior
Legendary French fashion house Dior has been busy over the past few years commissioning new stores around the world from a range of different architects. Our readers have noticed, and propelled the 70-year-old brand to number three in our fashion list.
Wes Anderson
American director Wes Anderson, 47, has developed a distinct visual style that makes movies including The Grand Budapest Hotel immediately identifiable.