In 1957 the UK Design Centre launched the first annual Designs of the Year Awards to identify and promote the very best of British design.

 For the next 30 years, the awards celebrated designed objects in all forms, from the domestic - cutlery, glassware, textiles and furniture - to the communal - street lights, signage and public seating - and everything in between, including fitted kitchens, schooners, bicycles and electronics. This beautifully designed book introduces and illustrates the quirky breadth of the awards. Iconic objects by Robin and Lucienne Day, Kenneth Grange and David Mellor sit alongside such retro classics as the Barbican basin, the ZX81 personal computer and Globoot wellies.