We've launched Dezeen Hot List, our comprehensive guide to the architects, designers, brands, schools, events and more that our audience most wanted to read about over the last year.

Dezeen Hot List is the most comprehensive data survey of architecture and design media ever conducted. Based entirely on audience data, the 400-strong list reveals the key players, the newsmakers and the emerging talents in the design world.

The list reveals key trends and news events that have shaped the sector. These include:

› The death of Zaha Hadid, which was the biggest news event of the year. The late architect tops our list.

› Bjarke Ingels is the most popular living architect or designer on the planet. He would have topped our list had it not been for the untimely death of Zaha Hadid.

› IKEA is the most popular design brand, ahead of Apple, whose appeal to the design world appears to be waning.

› Adidas is ahead of its old rival Nike this year.

› The Royal College of Art in London is the most popular design school in the world.

› The design world remains resolutely male, with just 15 females on the 400-strong list in their own right.

› London is home to the greatest number of entrants, with 83 of the 400 based in the city.

› Japan is the leading country for architects and designers, being home to five of the top 20.

Compiling Dezeen Hot List involved analysing hundreds of thousands of search returns and over 100 million page views, covering the period 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.

As well as the overall list of 400, we've broken Dezeen Hot List down into nine categories, each with their own list.

These are: Architects, Designers, Brands, Fashion, Institutions, Schools, Artists, Events and Personalities.

The result is, we believe, a fascinating insight into the design landscape and the people and organisations that make the news in our sector.

We hope the publication of the list will become a key moment in the design world's calendar, tracking changes in popularity and newsworthiness year by year.

Find out more on www.dezeen.com/hotlist