2007 London Design Festival

London was booming. Opening a Festival which featured 221 public projects and events, London Mayor Ken Livingstone said, "I would rather London be second in financial services and first in creative industries. No one comes to look at a city for its bankers. If the creative industries are successful, it's good for everyone: for Londoners, for visitors to the city, and for the financial services industry."

This was a real lynchpin year; it saw the appearance of what would become known as the Landmark Projects. The Festival commissioned two original pieces of work that were installed at the Southbank Centre. Urban Nebula by Zaha Hadid and Prototile by Amanda Levete matched two leading British-based architects with materials and allowed them to experiment with form in a very public space. They would become the blueprints to an ongoing series of commissions, the London Design Festival Landmark Projects.

It was also the year when the London Design Festival gave its first London Design Medal. The London Design Medal, given to a figure who has made a signficant contribution to design in the capital, remains one of the most significant honours awarded to designers in the UK.

This year also saw the emergence of distinct design "hubs". As the number of participants increased, it became clear that there were certain areas that were rich in activities, often with their own take on design. Alongside the Southbank Centre and the already established Earls Court and Old Truman Brewery hubs, the Festival began to provide support for the Brompton Design Districtand the Covent Garden design hub.