The Design Museum aims to be at the forefront of innovation by not only celebrating where we’ve come from but also where we’re headed and this is epitomised through the Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition. Deemed as a show that “celebrates design that promotes or delivers change, enables access, extends design practice or captures the spirit of the year”, it selects a young graphic design company each time to create the identity for the show. This year it was Hato, the design branch of the multi-faceted organisation that also include Hato Press.

“To an extent were given a very open brief and the freedom to explore what we could do with the exhibition and space,” explains Ken Kirton, founder of Hato. “At the core of the brief was a need to engage with a wide audience.” The team considered space and materials of the “new-old building”, and what this particular show is about. “Unlike most exhibitions, this one is about exhibiting objects of the future and expressing an opinion on them,” says Ken. “We were also interested in exploring the exhibition’s notion of an award… When it comes to design, the answers are all highly subjective.”

The identity considers how people share and express opinions in 2016, and big themes like emojis and the idea of “liking” informed this year’s design. “Our emojis went through various iterations and a lot of criticism (!) before we reached an approach we were happy with,” says Ken. One of the highlights for Ken and the Hato team was creating the digital interactive voting system for the show. “It weaves in every design element and has some really fun animations which change in real-time as votes are cast by people online and the gallery,” explains Ken. “It’ll be great to see how people use it – anyone can have their say and the results will determine both a Social and People’s Award.”

This sense of community and encouraging involvement from visitors, is something that seems to be a part of the Design Museum’s wider move to a new premises. “The Shad Thames site will always be an iconic building, and although there was something charming about its isolation, this is a really great opportunity for the field of design to be appreciated by a bigger audience,” says Ken. “British design is so important to cherish and nurture, and that to us is exactly what the Museum represents.”