The Ralph Saltzman Prize 2023

Co-Founder and President of Designtex, Saltzman's curiosity and collaborative spirit are evident in the legacy of innovation he leaves behind and in the company he founded 60 years ago. Designtex's development of sustainable textiles and the partnership that emerged between William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart won First Prize in the International Design Sense competition at the Design Museum in 2000.

Wood has run a multidisciplinary studio since 2009 characterised by materials investigation, artisan collaboration and a passion for colour and detail. Residencies and location-based projects are an important factor in her design process, often working in collaboration with local manufacturers and reflecting into her designs the visual and material culture particular to each place. She is interested in critical approaches to achieving sustainability within mass consumption and the production-driven context of the industry.

Designers Barber and Osgerby founded their London studio in 1996. Their diverse body of work spans industrial design, furniture, lighting and site-specific installations as well as gallery and public commissions such as the London 2012 Olympic Torch. Having worked with leading manufacturers including Vitra, Knoll, B&B Italia, Flos, Venini and Hermès, their designs are held in museum collections including the V&A and the Design Museum. Their monograph ‘Barber Osgerby, Projects’ was published by Phaidon in 2017.

Crawford is a British designer and founder of the design practice Studioilse, in London. She has decades of experience as a journalist, editor, designer and educator, and her work is known for its holistic approach and the idea of design as a frame for life. From residences to hotels and community projects, she focuses on how design can make better realities by integrating the measurable and the unmeasurable, creating spaces that bring people together, are healthy and responsible, and built in adaptability and longevity.

Marshall is an industrial designer whose work fuses product design with strategy, branding, packaging and digital experiences. His interest lies in working with abstract and emerging technologies, creating accessible user experiences and sustainability. In 2012, together with Barber & Osgerby, he co-founded and directed industrial design consultancy Map, where he created products and user experiences for some of the most innovative companies in the world. In 2018, he joined Pentagram’s London office as a partner.

Ilori is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer whose bold visual language draws on his British-Nigerian heritage to convey new narratives of joy and hope through contemporary design and site-specific installations. Drawing on Nigerian parables and verbal traditions, he touches on a multitude of themes that resonate with a global audience.

Nominated by Yinka Ilori: Ewusie’s designs draw inspiration from his British-Ghanian heritage, which honours community celebration. Colours of JoYE (a monogram for his name) reflects his background in product design and his interests stem from designing objects to tell stories.

Nominated by Barber Osgerby: Campardo is a London-based designer and maker designing objects, exhibitions and site-specific installations. He has an interest in manufacturing and material experimentation as a form of critical practice, using it to explore narratives about culture, materiality, identity and authenticity.

Nominated by Bethan Laura Wood: Kobayashi is an artist, designer and maker from Japan who trained as a cabinet maker in Austria. He approaches fine craftsmanship with a twist of humour exploring new narratives by blending traditional crafts and cultural heritages and experimenting with fabrication techniques based on solid knowledge in materials.

Nominated by Ilse Crawford: Botero is a Colombian product designer whose practice is built in close relation with anthropology and material culture. He collaborates with artisans, craftspeople and communities, using design as a tool for critical discourse and empowerment.

Nominated by Jon Marshall: Oyedeji is an Interaction Designer and Prototyper from London, specialising in innovative futures, using emerging technologies as a vehicle to reinvent the way that we approach human-computer interactions.

Product and furniture designer Mac Collins was selected as last year's inaugural prize winner. Nominated designers included Alexandra Fruhstorfer, Francisco Norris, Marion Pinaffo & Raphaël Pluvinage, and Sky Lucy Young.