The Royal Society of Arts has announced that Mark Major and Jonathan Speirs are two of twelve top designers who have been made Royal Designers for Industry ‘for their innovative use of light to create public space’. Mark Major collected his award at a special ceremony at the Royal Society of Arts in London last night. Jonathan’s award, which was made posthumously following his death in June of this year, was collected by his wife Elizabeth Speirs on his behalf.
Mark and Jonathan will be the first architectural lighting practitioners to receive this honour, which is regarded as the highest honour a designer can achieve in the UK.
In accepting the award, Mark Major made reference to the benefit of this recognition to the lighting design profession as a whole, commenting:
“I am delighted and honoured to have been made a Royal Designer for Industry. Even more so that my late partner Jonathan Speirs has also been recognised in this way. Both of us strived hard over many years to improve the quality of light for people within the built environment. It is therefore a real achievement for our work to be recognised in this way. I am looking forward to working with the Royal Society of Arts to help promote the importance of good public lighting and in particular to improve general education about the need to develop a truly sustainable approach to lighting development.“
Other RDI’s being created this year include the musician Brian Eno, landscape designers Andrew Grant and Dan Pearson, production designer Mark Fisher OBE, TV and film lighting designer Charlie Paton and architect Sarah Wigglesworth. Honorary RDI’s are interaction designer Bob Greenberg, interaction designer Tom Roope, video games designer Toshio Iwai and architect Peter Zumthor.
From www.thersa.org:
Commenting on the RDI’s RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor said:
“The RSA has vigorously championed design excellence since its foundation when the design profession was in its infancy. We remain committed to encouraging and recognising outstanding designers who strive to make the world a better place. The work of these twelve fantastic practitioners has made a significant benefit to society and I’m delighted to welcome them into the faculty.”
The distinction Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) was established by the RSA in 1936 to enhance the status of designers in industry and to encourage a high standard of industrial design.
It is given to practising designers who have shown sustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and significant benefit to society. Only 200 designers are able to hold the distinction RDI at any one time, there are now 140 RDIs and 61 Honorary RDIs. Members of the Faculty include Terence Conran, Jonathan Ive, James Dyson, Vivienne Westwood, and Thomas Heatherwick.
The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry was formed in 1938 as the association of Royal Designers with the object of furthering the excellence of design and its application to industrial purposes. Many of the Royal Designers give their services to the RSA both individually and as a body, for example serving as jurors in the RSA’s Student Design Awards scheme, and contributing their design expertise to the RSA Academies.
For quotes from the new RDIs and additional background information about their work please see the attached documentation or contact melanie.andrews@rsa.org.uk”
