Society of Industrial Artists and Designers

Founded in 1930 as the British Society of Industrial Artists following an inaugural meeting at the Ye Olde Cock Tavern in London’s Fleet Street, the society was set up to look after the interest of designers and it was particularly keen to develop design as a legitimate vocation. It required members to hold professional qualifications, such as those awarded to architects by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Designers were also asked to adhere to strict codes of conduct such as a ban on advertising and cold calling, set scales of charges, and bans on free quotations with the aim of a commission. Regrettably, for the Society, these early efforts at parameters were foiled by the nature of the profession. It proved to be impossible to prevent individuals with little or no formal training from practising as designers, and even more difficult to persuade them to join the SIA. The total multiplicity of a profession in which design can encompass everything from the creation of a letter heading to the enlargement of a city centre made regulation impossible.

Although the Society had little or no powers of sanction to stop non-members from practising in any way they pleased, the most noteworthy early design consultancies did uphold their activities. In 1951, the Society and its members took a leading role in the redesign of Britain after World War II. And, in 1969, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh became Patron of the Society until his death in April 2021. In 1963 the Society changed its name to the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers and in 1976 it was granted a Royal Charter. A decade late it again re-invented itself as the Chartered Society of Designers and in 2001 the Design Association was established as a trading and corporate entity known as CSD. The Minerva Medal is the highest honour the Society can bestow and it is awarded for lifetime achievement in the field of design. Recipients include Milner Gray, furniture designer Gordon Russell, Abraham Games, Edward Bawden, Mischa Black, fashion designer Mary Quant, photographer Bill Brandt and architects Norman Foster and Richard Rogers. In addition to this award, the Society manages the Prince Philip Designers Prize which was set up by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1959

Today the Chartered Society of Designers is an internationally recognised body for the design profession, providing support and guidance for designers at every stage of their career. CSD holds a Royal Charter granted in 1976 by HM Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty also gave the Society the sole power to set up and maintain the only Register of Chartered Designers and to award the title of Chartered Designer. In 2000, the Society became a founding member of the Federation of Hong Kong Design Associations and the Hong Kong Design Centre. Shortly after in 2007, the Society developed CPSK™, which underpins all its initiatives and provides the profession with a framework for professional design practice.