The title ‘Royal Designer for Industry’ (RDI) is awarded annually by the RSA to designers of all disciplines who have achieved ‘sustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and significant benefit to society’.
With only 200 designers holding the title at any one time, the RDI is the highest accolade for designers in the UK.
The Royal Designers are responsible for designing the world around us, enriching our cultural heritage, driving innovation, inspiring creativity in others and improving our quality of life.
Creations by Royal Designers include the jet engine, Routemaster bus, iPhone and Harry Potter film sets, among thousands of other iconic designs.
Since it was introduced in 1936, recipients of the honour have included designers as diverse as Barnes Wallis, Lucienne Day, Jonathan Ive, Richard Rogers, and Vivienne Westwood.
Nigel said: "It is a very great honour to be given this award, in recognition of my contribution towards planting design for urban public spaces. I always emphasise that planting design is an art-form, and for this discipline to be recognised by the RSA in the form of this award is really gratifying."
Find out more about the current Royal Designers for Industry