Sports vs Design will explore the design innovations that have helped athletes to break records, and also look at cases where sports bodies have tried to limit the effects of new equipment.

The exhibition will celebrate both the function and beauty of sports design, featuring the work of designers, artists and photographers.

Sports vs Design is at the Design Museum from 18 July to 18 November 2012

You might not have heard of veteran product designer Kenneth Grange but you’ll almost certainly be familiar with his designs.

These include Intercity 125 trains, rural post boxes, London black taxis, Wilkinson Protector razors, Parker pens and Kenwood food mixers.

A new retrospective at London’s Design Museum gives an insight into the development of Grange’s products over the past 50 years.

The exhibition includes drawings, photos, prototypes and finished products. Some of the most fascinating designs were never produced, including a proposed Channel Tunnel train.

I was amazed by the scope of Grange’s work, and the number of items designed by him that have become part of my daily life.

Once you’ve visited the show, you’ll never use a razor, jump into a taxi or pick up a pen again without thinking about all the work that’s gone into designing it.

Kenneth Grange: Making Britain Modern is at the Design Museum until 30 October 2011

This amazing installation will be on show from tomorrow at the Design Museum, as part of the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2011 exhibition.

The digital wall takes a photo of your face, which then appears when you “throw” virtual paint at the wall. Originally designed for Nokia, the concept could be used anywhere from conferences to schools, according to designers Greyworld.

The Design Museum exhibition features some of the most interesting designs from the past year, including fashion, cars, architecture, furniture and even London’s “Boris bikes“.

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year is at the Design Museum from 16 February to 7 August 2011

From floating teabags to sparkling sculptures, the weird and wonderful world of kinetic art arrived in London today with the opening of the Kinetica Art Fair.

The only fair dedicated to moving, robotic, sound, light and time-based art in the UK, Kinetica is a fascinating place to visit. I had a look around some of the amazing exhibits.

Near the entrance was the Hungarian Cultural Centre stand, with an elegant moving sculpture by István Haraszy, a 75-year-old former locksmith turned artist. Apparently, generations of Hungarian artists have been fascinated by the possibility of fusing art and technology.

Next I bumped into Alex Eisenberg of body›data›space, who enthused about the collective’s research into robots and avatars. They’re currently exploring how young people will work and play with virtual life in 10 to 15 years time.

(There’s a panel discussion on 6 February at 11am if you want to find out more.)

At a nearby stand was a group of students from Thames Valley University, with their light and water projection inspired by the 2012 Olympics. Five coloured circles of light pulsated to the sound of a heart beat. Student Sally Potterfield told me the work “represents everything that goes into the Olympic performance”.

Passing Kathy Taylor’s teabag suspended in mid-air, circling around a silver teapot, I stepped into a room containing two amazing light sculptures: Ocean of Light by Squidsoup and Homos Luminosos by Roseline De Thélin. The glittering lights and holographic figures made me feel as though I’d stepped into another world.

Finally, I met Robin McGinley from Interactive Agents, who was encouraging visitors to play with his Hydro-Acoustic Big Bang Filter, an instrument made from glowing, liquid-filled tubes. Activated by people’s hands, the liquid in the tubes moved up and down and the machine emitted a strange sound.

McGinley explained that it was the noise of the big bang moulded into a sound stream. “You’re playing the sound of the big bang. That’s not bad, is it, for a Thursday?”

Kinetica Art Fair is at Ambika P3 until 7 February 2010.

The Design Museum today announced a wide-ranging schedule of exhibitions for 2010, covering all aspects of design, from architecture and products to photography and fashion.

The first new show, Sustainable Futures – Can Design Save the World?, opens on 31 March, showcasing designs that could help us live more sustainable lives in the future.

(If you’re interested in sustainable design, don’t miss the Royal College of Art’s current exhibition, Sunny Memories, where you can see prototypes of new solar powered products - from a glowing bench to a mobile charger for homeless people.)

Back at the Design Museum, an exhibition of photos by David Adjaye also opens on 31 March, documenting the architect’s journey through Africa, and celebrating the continent’s rich diversity of culture, buildings and urban landscape.

Next up is Illustrated Fashion, opening on 23 June, which features some of the world’s most recognised fashion drawings, including work by Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garcons and Victor & Rolf. The original drawings will be displayed alongside key garments from couture houses.

Then on 22 September, British architect John Pawson  - whose commissions include the Cistercian Monastery of Novy Dvur in Bohemia, Calvin Klein’s flagship store in Manhattan, and the Sackler Crossing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – gets a chance to show his work.

Although the contents of Pawson’s exhibition are still to be confirmed, you can expect touchable exhibits, walk-in buildings, large-scale photos of architecture, and a biographical account of how Pawson lives in his own home.

Finally, two of the Design Museum’s regular shows return next year.

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year opens on 17 February. Around 100 designs shortlisted for the prestigious prize will be on display at the museum, arranged in seven categories: architecture, transport, graphics, interactive, product, furniture and fashion.

And from now until March 2010, the Designers in Residence scheme continues, with emerging designers invited to take over an area of the museum.

With a possible move to a new location at London’s Commonwealth Institute in 2013, and a packed year ahead, these are exciting times for the Design Museum.