It was a close-run thing for the top spot between Oki Sato of Nendo (number one) and Thomas Heatherwick (number two). But the prolific Japanese industrial-design studio eventually pipped the almost-as-prolific Londoner, whose work has dramatically scaled up and who we may have to shift over to the Architects Hot List next year. More about Oki Sato of Nendo pips Thomas Heatherwick to top our Designers Hot List
It's a surprise to find only one designer in the top 20 of our Hot List. We always knew that architecture was more popular with readers than design, but we didn't realise by quite how much. It's less of a surprise to find Nendo, the Japanese studio headed by Oki Sato, at the top of the design pile. More about Oki Sato/Nendo
Thomas Heatherwick divides opinion. There are those who love his ambitious proposals that defy architectural convention. And there are those who seem incensed that the 46-year-old Englishman continues to go near buildings at all. More about Thomas Heatherwick
Brothers from Brittany Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec were on a roll at the end of 2015. Dezeen readers could not get enough of their striking and thoughtful designs for companies like Hay and Mutina, including outdoor furniture and porcelain tiles. More about Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
British designer Tom Dixon has long had a following, but in the last year he's drawn particular attention for a number of large-scale installations that showcased his products in unusual settings. More about Tom Dixon
Widely considered one of the world's best industrial designers, Jasper Morrison has the Midas touch, attracting attention for any and every product he gets his hands on, from his "super normal" furniture to customisable kitchens. More about Jasper Morrison
This year Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa teamed up with Muji to create a range of hugely popular minimal kitchen appliances and homeware products. He also ventured into architecture to design a prefabricated cabin for the Japanese brand, alongside designers Konstantin Grcic and Jasper Morrison. More about Naoto Fukasawa
It's been a big 12 months for young British designer Benjamin Hubert, who caused a stir when he declared that furniture was a "saturated" market at Design Indaba in February 2016. More about Benjamin Hubert/Layer
In the year they won the London Design Medal, British design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby piqued our readers' interest as much for their contributions to industry debate as for their projects. More about Barber and Osgerby
It might be the diversity of Marc Newson's output that has the Dezeen audience hooked. The prolific Australian designer is known for creating the most expensive design object sold at auction – his Lockhead Lounge for £2 million. But he's worked on everything from aircraft cabins to shoes and from concept cars to dish-drying racks. More about Marc Newson
Patricia Urquiola is one of few high-profile female designers. She has a whirlwind energy and prolific output, and her influence grows by the year. More about Patricia Urquiola
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. More about Jonathan Ive
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 and site searches to his tag page, which rounds up all the stories about him. More about Philippe Starck
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. More about Max Lamb
German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic completes our overall top 100 and comes in at 14 in our design list. A total of 48 different stories about the Munich-based designer were visited by our readers over the year, but the most popular by far was the one featuring the minimal hut he designed for Muji. More about Konstantin Grcic
