A GLASGOW firm will design the baton that will visit the 71 countries competing in next year's Commonwealth Games.

Glasgow School of Art graduate William Mitchell will lead the team at 4c Design to produce the baton.

The team of designers, based at Port Dundas Business Park, include managing director Robin Smith, who is also a graduate of the city's art school.

The Queen's Baton Relay is a tradition of the Games and seeks to unite the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace.

Glasgow 2014's relay will make history by being the first to visit Rwanda during an 118,000-mile trip over 288 days.

Weighing about 4lbs, the baton must be robust enough to withstand all weathers and various forms of transport during the 10 months of its massive journey.

It will be unveiled later this summer and will begin its journey on October 9 from Buckingham Palace, when the Queen will place her message to the Commonwealth inside the baton.

From there, the baton will travel to Glasgow to begin its worldwide journey. It will travel over land, sea and air, from the plains of Africa, to the skyscrapers of Singapore, the tiny tropical islands of St Lucia, and Canada's snow- capped mountains, before crossing the length and breadth of Scotland on its way to the Glasgow opening ceremony.

Games chief executive David Grevemberg said: "The Queen's Baton Relay is one of the greatest traditions of the Games.

"The baton is a powerful symbol of the unity and diversity of the 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth, which is home to a third of the world's population.

"The Glasgow 2014 Queen's Baton will be unique and inspiring and we want it to capture the imagination of the public in the city, Scotland, the Home Nations and beyond."

William Mitchell, director and owner of 4c Design, said: "Our team has a passion for product design and engineering excellence and truly believe there is no better home for what is potentially the most exciting design brief of the decade.

"Very few agencies can include Her Majesty in their client list and we intend to do her and this innovative and exciting city proud."

Commonwealth Games Minister Shona Robison said: "Every Games baton is unique and 4c Design now has the honour of designing a small piece of Glasgow to carry the Queen's message to two billion people around the Commonwealth."

Fiona McEwan, vice-chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said: "The Queen's Baton is the ultimate symbol of the Games and its arrival gives an important signal to the athletes that the Games are just around the corner.

"We urge the Scottish public to fully embrace the Queen's Baton Relay when it makes the final leg of its journey across the country to Glasgow next summer.

"This would be a fantastic sign of their support for Team Scotland as they embark on the quest for medal success at Glasgow 2014."

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk