Half a century of British design launched online

Four thousand images from the Design Council Slide Collection have been launched online today, providing a unique insight into the history of British design and its promotion by the UK government from the 1940s to the early 1990s.

The Design Council was established in 1944 and is the UK's national
strategic body for design.  The images relate closely to the changing
scope and policies of the Council over a period of almost fifty years,
providing valuable visual evidence of the ways in which design has been
evaluated and promoted throughout this period.

They show a wide variety of products such as tableware, furniture,
lighting, toys, domestic appliances, textiles, wallpapers, office
equipment, engineering components and machinery, as well as other areas
of design such as architecture, town planning, interior design, graphic
design and corporate identity.

'The collection is an incredibly rich resource for anyone interested in
design' says David Kester, Chief Executive of the Design Council.  'In
particular, it demonstrates the Design Council's long track record of
promoting the use of design to strengthen the UK's economy and improve
society.'