A design is a plan or specification for the construction of a product or system. A designer is the person who produces a design, which is a term generally used for people who work professionally in one of the various design areas like textile designer, fashion designer, product designer, concept designer, web designer or interior designer. This also includes architects, engineers and tattoo artists.
To design as a verb expresses the process of developing such a design. In some cases, the direct construction of an object without an explicit prior plan (such as in craftwork and some engineering, coding, and graphic design) may also be considered to be a design activity. A design usually has to satisfy certain goals and constraints, may take into account aesthetic, functional, economic, or socio-political considerations, and is expected to interact with a certain environment. Major examples of designs include architectural blueprints, engineering drawings, business processes, circuit diagrams, and sewing patterns.
Famous Designers from the UK
- Stella McCartney (OBE) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of ex Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, who is a well known American photographer, musician, animal rights activist and creator of Linda McCartney Foods who died in 1998.
- Alexander McQueen (CBE) was a British fashion designer and couturier. From 1996 to 2001 he worked as chief designer at Givenchy. In 1992, he founded his own fort Alexander McQueen label.
- Mary Quant (DBE, FCSD, RDI) is an English fashion designer and fashion icon, who is of Welsh heritage. She became an instrumental figure in the London-based Mod and youth fashion movements in the 1960s.
- Victoria Beckham (OBE) is an English businesswoman, fashion designer and singer. Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls in the late 1990s, and was nicknamed 'Posh Spice' by the July 1996 issue of the British music magazine Top of the Pops. She later married footballer David Beckham, and they had four children together.
- James Dyson (OM CBE FRS FREng) is a British industrial designer, inventor and founder and CEO of Dyson Ltd. He became famous as the inventor of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic separation.
- Christopher Bailey (CBE) is the president and former chief creative officer of Burberry. He took up the role of chief creative and president, following the departure of former CEO Angela Ahrendts in May 2014. He was succeeded as chief creative officer by Riccardo Tisci in February 2018.
- Katharine Hamnett (CBE) is an English fashion designer best known for her political t-shirts with oversized with large block lettering worn by Wham and many other pop bands from the 1980s. She is also known for her ethical business philosophy.
- Jony Ive (KBE, HonFREng, RDI) is a British industrial designer who was Chief Design Officer at Apple from 1992 until 2019. He is also the serving Chancellor of the Royal College of Art in London.
- Jonathan Saunders is a Scottish fashion designer, best known for his work with prints and use of traditional silk-screening techniques. Celebrities who have worn his designs include Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Sienna Miller and Michelle Obama (wife of ex US president Barack Obama)
- Zandra Rhodes (DBE, RDI), is an English fashion designer who was born in Chatham (Kent). She was introduced to the world of fashion by her mother, and her early textile fashion designs were considered outrageous by the traditional British manufacturers of the time.
- Amanda Wakeley (OBE) is a British fashion designer known for her evening and cocktail dresses and accessories. She is also known for her "clean glam" signature style and has also developed a presence in daywear, including day-dresses, tailoring and knitwear and a line of accessories and jewellery.
- Hussein Chalayan (MBE) is a Cypriot-born Turkish fashion designer. He has won the British Designer of the Year twice and in 2006 was awarded the MBE. Chalayan is currently teaching at University of Applied Arts Vienna.
- Nik Hilton is a British architect and designer. He was nominated for Young Architect of the Year, Finalist in The British Homes Awards and Finalist in The Design Awards.
- Jasper Conran (OBE) is an English designer. He has worked on collections of womenswear and for the home, as well as productions for the stage in ballet, opera and theatre.
- Jimmy Choo (PJN DIMP DSPN OBE) is a Malaysian fashion designer based in the United Kingdom. He is well known for co-founding Jimmy Choo Ltd, which is famous for its handmade women's shoes.
- Giles Deacon is an English fashion designer, Creative Director and Founder of Giles Deacon group, Couture Fashion House. In 2016 Giles joined the Paris Couture schedule. Giles has been known to challenge the traditional ideas of women swear and often uses wild prints and pop culture references in his designs. He is married to Gwendoline Christie (who is famous for playing Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.
- Matthew Williamson is a British fashion, lifestyle and interior designer known for his use of bold, colourful and carefully constructed designs. He lives in Manchester and has a label called Pucci.
- Thomas Heatherwick (CBE, RDI, HonFREng) is an English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio. Since the late 1990s Thomas has become one of Britain's most significant designers.
- Anish Mistry does graphic design and also creates men's designer jewellery and bracelets and also for women. He is based in Nottingham with his partner.
- Bella Freud was born in 1961 and is a London-based fashion designer. During the 1980s, Bella started working for Vivienne Westwood before setting up her own design company.
- Jenny Packham is a British fashion designer. She mostly makes ready-to-wear clothes and wedding dresses. She is the sister of Chris Packham, a naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work The Really Wild Show.