The object
Edward Barber co-designed the London 2012 Olympic Torch with Jay Osgerby. The lightweight double-skinned aluminium object used 8,000 perforations to mark the relay’s torchbearers and manage heat; the Design Museum named it Design of the Year and records both designers’ authorship.
01
What Edward did
co-designed the London 2012 Olympic Torch with Jay Osgerby through BarberOsgerby
02
Why it matters
Selected from 700 proposals, the torch travelled 8,000 miles ahead of the London Games and won the Design Museum’s 2012 award.
03
Living-status check
A May 2026 interview reports Barber beginning independent work after the Barber Osgerby studio’s closure.