View all images from the Design Council Archive
History and Context
The University of Brighton Design Archives comprise twelve collections that enhance understanding of the designed environment, the design profession and design practice. Their focus is on British design in the twentieth century although there is much of international significance, particularly in the areas of graphic and communication design.
The Design Council Archive, one of the most significant collections at Brighton, charts the extensive activities of the Council of Industrial Design, founded in 1944, through to its re-designation as the Design Council in 1972 and its restructuring in 1994. It includes material relating to all spheres of the Council's activities, particularly design promotion in industry, national and overseas exhibitions, publications, education and the administration of design competitions and awards.
In 2000 the Design Archives consolidated its coverage of post-war British design with the acquisition of the archives of F H K Henrion (1914-1990) and James Gardner (1907- 1995).
The JIDI Images
The material digitised as part of the JISC Image Digitisation Initiative programme comprises over three thousand images from the Design Council's Picture Library, The Library developed from the mid 1940s and became a comprehensive photographic survey of post-war British products and interiors, including a wide coverage of design from around the world. In its entirety, the collection numbers well over 100,000 prints.
As well as unique records of landmark exhibitions such as Britain Can Make It (1946) and the Festival of Britain (1951) this digital sample includes a wide range of British product and exhibition design from the 1940s and 1950s, from Coronation souvenirs to Alison and Peter Smithson's House of the Future. The digital images were made by scanning 35mm slides of the original glass half-plate negatives.
Copyright and Permitted Uses
The images and metadata presented in the Design Council Archive are copyright of the Design Council and the Design Archives, University of Brighton. They may be used for private research and study purposes only. Enquiries regarding reproduction should be sent to the address below.
| Address: | The Design Archives Faculty of Arts and Architecture University of Brighton Grand Parade Brighton B2 0JY |
| Tel: | + 44 (0) 1273 643219 |
| Fax: | + 44 (0) 1273 643217 |
| Email: | designarchives@brighton.ac.uk |
| URL | http://www.brighton.ac.uk/designarchives/ |
Image credits
- Photographic equipment, camera by Wray, Council of Industrial Design, 1954 © Design Council and the Design Archives, University of Brighton
- Glass vase, Swedish, Council of Industrial Design, 1954 © Design Council and the Design Archives, University of Brighton