These flat-packed refugee shelters were one of the most popular projects by Sedish furniture giant IKEA, who comes in top of our Brands Hot List

Brands Hot List

Brands Hot List

IKEA beats Apple and Google to the Brands Hot List top spot

IKEA is the design brand that has the most influence on the most people. But beyond selling flat-pack furniture, it also is highly active in the design space, collaborating with leading figures and embarking on social projects including its refugee shelters programme (not to mention the odd court case).

All this activity is enough to propel the Swedish giant to the top spot in our Brands Hot List. It is also the only brand in our overall top 10.

More surprising perhaps is that IKEA comes ahead of brands you might expect to resonate better with our audience: notably Apple (number two), but also Adidas (number three) and Nike (number five), with the German sportswear brand this year edging ahead of its American rival.

Elsewhere the Brands Hot List is pretty eclectic, with the top 10 encompassing tech giant Google (number four), skincare chain Aesop (number six), toy-brick maker Lego (number eight) and weathering-steel brand Corten. The highest ranking design brand is Hay (number nine) – unless you count Muji (number seven).