Introducing Beazley Designs of the Year at the Design Museum

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The much-anticipated new Design Museum opened its doors in London this week and with it came the return of the institution's annual exhibition, Designs of the Year.

Celebrating the brightest, best and most innovative creations across six different disciplines – architecture, digital, fashion, graphics, product and transport – the awards highlight the breadth of the current design scene.

Now in its ninth year, this wide-reaching edition unites such diverse entries as David Bowie's last album cover, a robot surgeon and a drinkable book.

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Nominees in architecture include Herzog & de Meuron for the Tate Modern Switch House, Rem Koolhaas/OMA for its work on the Prada Foundation in Milan and MAD Architects for the Harbin Opera House in China.

Socially and environmentally conscious design is a key presence across all categories. The shortlist includes Children v Fashion, a project that asked eight-year-olds to describe what they see in commercial campaigns, with surprising and shocking results.

Perhaps the most dominant human rights issue of recent times, the refugee crisis has necessitated a practical and inventive response, with shortlisted products including a flat-pack shelter created by the Ikea Foundation and an icon-based communication design to illustrate first-aid kits, bypassing language barriers.

Other key works on display include, in the graphics category, the new typeface for Channel 4 by Neville Brody and the Shot on iPhone advertising campaign, while the product category features an eclectic mix of items such as the Space Cup, which enables astronauts to drink normally in zero-gravity environments, and the Adidas x Parley running shoe, which is 3D-printed using plastic recycled from fishing nets.

The top designs in each category, alongside an overall winner, will be announced on 26 January 2017. Visitors can continue to see the sketches, models, physical items and photography of the entries until 19 February 2017.

Beazley Designs of the Year is at the Design Museum until 19 February 2017, tickets £10; designmuseum.org