Design for the London 2012 Olympic Torch by BarberOsgerby (Edward Barber OBE and Jay Osgerby OBE), pencil, black felt-tip, blue pencil crayon and gold pen on tracing paper, London, 2011

Design for the London 2012 Olympic Torch. The design shows

Given by Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock
Image © V&A/International Olympic Committee

The design of the torch has both symbolic and practical aspects. Triangular in cross section, the three sides represent symbolic values as well as having a practical function. Multiples of three are found across the vision and delivery of the Olympic Games:
•The three Olympic values of respect, excellence and friendship;
•The three words that make the Olympic motto – faster, higher, stronger;
•The fact that the UK has hosted the Olympic Games three times – in 1908, 1948 and in 2012;
•The vision for the 2012 Olympic Games to combine three strands of work – sport, education and culture.

The triangular cross section of the torch also facilitated the runner’s grip. The inner and outer skins have a total of 8,000 holes (3,600 and 4,400 respectively), each hole represents one of the 8,000 participants in the torch relay. Laser cut into the aluminium alloy, specially developed for the aerospace and car industry, the holes made the torch lighter to carry without any sacrifice to the metal’s tensile strength, helped disperse the heat, allowed the flame to escape from the sides of the torch as well as the top which made it easier to see and also helped to ensure a good grip. The gold coloured finish is achieved by the PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) process, an industrial process used to plate taps and shower heads, gave the alloy heat resistant qualities and the ability to withstand the intense flame.

Prototypes for the torch were worked up by Steve Ottewill and Robert Russell of Ottewill, designers and manufacturers of silverware and jewellery, a company, BarberOsgerby has worked with before. Other companies involved in the development of the torch were the London 2012 partner, BMW, which provided the use of their climatic testing facility and the Basildon based product engineers, Tecosim. It was Premier Sheet Metal of Coventry which manufactured the 8000 torches.

Edward Barber (born 1969) and Jay Osgerby's (born 1969) design partnership was founded in 1996 after graduating from the Royal College of Art with masters degrees in architecture. The V&A holds an example of their first piece, the Loop Table (W.2-2000), manufactured by Isokon. They have since become one of the leading design practices in Britain, winning the competition to design the chairs for the Bodleian Library Extension in 2014.

This design drawing for the London 2012 Olympic Torch illustrates the key design elements of the torch. These include its triangular shape, representing the three Olympic values of respect, excellence and friendship; the three words of the Olympic motto -faster, higher, stronger; and the three times the UK has hosted the Olympics in 1908, 1948 and in 2012. This design also shows the inner and outer skins of the torch, which are perforated with 8000 holes to represent the 8000 runners of the Olympic relay and the 8000 torches made for them. The visual interaction of the two layers of holes is shown in the drawing, and the gold colouring is suggested in places. The place of the gas cylinder and flame mechanism within the torch is shown.

The London 2012 Olympic Torch received one of the creative industry's highest accolades, winning the Design Museum's Design of the Year Award for 2012.

E.956-2014