Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen Wire: design journalists are divided by the announcement that the Olympic Torch by British designers BarberOsgerby has won the overall prize at the Design of the Year awards, presented by the Design Museum in London.

Edwin Heathcote, design critic at The Financial Times is a fan of the torch, claiming: “The design impressively melds functional and symbolic roles.” Heathcote also worries that the credibility of the overall selections are debatable, adding, “There is, perhaps, a sense that these awards reward the obvious.”

The Telegraph has previously compared the torch to a “cheese grater or an ice cream cone” and a commentor on their announcement of the winner added: “Wouldn’t it be far more symbolic of the modern Olympic spirit if the Torch were made in the shape of a huge syringe?”

Angus Montgomery, editor of Design Week, feels there were more worthy candidates on the shortlist and suggests that the selectors have gone for the “most impactful, rather than necessarily the best design of the year.”

Fashion journalists were disappointed to see the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen miss out to an origami-inspired collection by Issey Miyake.

You can see our previous story about the torch here and our round up of all the category winners here.