The Design Museum claims to be the first modern design museum and examines product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. It was named the second best museum in Britain by the Times newspaper in 2007.

The museum is relatively small, with exhibition space laid out over two floors and another space called the "Design Museum Tank" by the edge of the River Thames. It is located in an old banana warehouse from the 1940's, but the modern design of the conversion by the Conran group means that the old building is barely recognisable and the architectural style is stark but balanced.

The giant sized head sculpture which sits outside the museum is by the Scottish artist and Royal Academy member Sir Eduardo Paolozzi and is entitled 'Head of Invention'.

The museum operates as a charity, and is not government funded, so entrance is not free. The ticket sales from the 200,000 visitors who come to the museum each year raise funds for new exhibitions.

In 2003 the museum began their annual Designer of the Year competition which boasts a £25,000 prize as well as considerable press coverage and prestige within the design industry. The competition focuses on innovation and it's goal is to "stimulate public debate about design and to raise awareness of its role enhancing the quality of daily life". The first winner of the competition was Jonathon Ive, who as the the senior vice president of Apple was responsible for the development of the iPod and the iPhone.

With only four nominees shortlisted for the prize each year, the competition is often controversial, as each candidate's contributions can vary wildly. This was seen in 2006 when the architect Cameron Sinclair was nominated for his humanitarian work which helped communities recover from disasters and was competing against the graphic designer Jamie Hewlett who worked on the animated pop band Gorillaz. Hewlett won the award.