Back in 1999 I worked on a project called Millennium Products based at the Design Council (page includes link to PDF with all submissions) which was launched by Tony Blair in 1997.

Great team to work with I should say first and foremost, as there’s no such recognition on the Design Council’s site. And a nice logo, now only really seen on some black cabs in London for a new cab design. I remember one top engineering product who’s concise prize submission admitted, “it ain’t beautiful but it works” which still makes me smile.

To attain Millennium Products status, products and services had to:

• Open up new opportunities
• Challenge existing conventions
• Be environmentally responsible
• Demonstrate the application of new or existing technology
• Solve a key problem
• Show clear user benefits.

It was some job to go through all the entries, edit to word length, consult, and produce to time. But it sounds like all the hard work was worth it:

“Millennium Products exhibitions toured the world, attracting 300,000 visitors at locations in four continents, and they formed the basis of custom-built showcases in more than 30 embassies, high commissions and Government buildings, while the Foreign Secretary’s office featured its own display for visiting dignitaries.

“The initiative attained a high level of awareness, securing media coverage worth the equivalent of £13million in advertising spend in the UK alone, where there were nearly 5,000 articles in national papers, regional papers and trade magazines.”