WHAT’S IN A CHARTER?

A royal charter is a wonderful thing. For centuries, charters have been awarded by the monarch as a way of creating monopolies – local fairs, guilds of skilled tradesmen, professional associations and universities. The founding principle is that they enable a body to act in the public interest by in effect reducing or denying competition. They’re not granted lightly, and their award or modification is always subject to the agreement of the Privy Council – a committee chaired by the Queen, which draws on the most distinguished of each generation of politicians, but leans heavily on the advice of ministers.

There are some that argue that the link to the monarchy is anachronistic. But in view of the blanket coverage of the recent royal engagement, there’s little doubt that the monarchy still exercises a powerful hold over our imagination and national pride.

Design can’t be a monopoly pursuit in the traditional sense, but the acknowledgement of design skills is certainly worth promoting in the 21st century.

We’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings at Ye Olde Cock Tavern in Fleet Street in 1930. Not long after this, the Ministry of Information showed considerable imagination in employing artists, writers and designers, among them our founders Milner Gray and Misha Black, to assist in the war effort. The value of design during this period was never in doubt, and for these designers and the many others whose design talents flourished during the war years, membership of a professional design society became an obvious progression – and SIAD was the obvious organisation of choice. The post-war period of rebuilding the UK economy saw design grow in stature and professional recognition – and our Society went from strength to strength.

In 1969 HRH the Duke of Edinburgh became our patron, and in April 1975 we applied for a Royal Charter. This was followed by the unanimous approval in January 1976 of our new code of professional conduct, and in May 1976 the charter application finally succeeded – the CSD had come of age. We’ve held our charter for almost 35 years, and while membership of CSD is a good way of demonstrating competence, many other professions are also deeply involved in design – hence efforts by your Council to develop a basis for a Register of Chartered Designers. Working with the Privy Council, we’re developing a model that can enable such professions to subscribe to a standard of competence, and enable their members to identify themselves with this. The December AGM is an opportunity to discuss progress and reaffirm the enthusiasm of our members. It is also an opportunity for members to get involved in the activities of the Society.

THE BIG RETHINK – COMPETING ON IDEAS

The Big Rethink held in March 2010 gave business leaders the chance to sample the fresh thinking needed to seize opportunities in today's volatile world. As powerful forces revolutionise business across the globe and influence customers’ needs and wants, business leaders are forced to think differently.

As Vijay Vaitheeswaran, senior editor of The Economist, said: “Companies can no longer rely on competing on productivity or cost. The companies that are dominating markets are the ones that come up with and execute the best new ideas. Original ideas are now one of the most valuable assets a business can have, and business leaders need to start building their strategies around this.”

The 2011 meeting will be held on 3 March 2011 in London. We’ve once again teamed up with The Economist to offer you the chance to gain insights into how new technologies, disruptive business models and today’s complex customers are shaking up business.

You can join The Big Rethink 2011 at specially negotiated rates by visiting the members’ area of the CSD website.

TOWARDS AN ATLAS OF THE DESIGN PROFESSION IN BRITAIN 1930-2010

Understanding our past as a Society and the role we’ve played in the history of the design profession is key to establishing and communicating our credentials as the professional body for designers across all disciplines. So what better way to celebrate our 80th anniversary than to embark on one of the most important and significant initiatives in the interest of the profession and the design sector?

We’ve started a major mapping exercise of the profession during the 80 years of our history and will ask three key questions:
1) How and why did the organisations that represent designers develop?
2) How has the definition of a designer changed, and how have the design disciplines been defined and configured over this period?
3) What can patterns of membership reveal?

We’ve undertaken this project, a fully-funded three-year studentship under the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award Scheme, together with the The Centre for Research & Development (Faculty of Arts) at the University of Brighton. It’s headed by Leah Armstrong, the second member of Team CSD to be featured in The Designer.

Leah has a Masters in Cultural History, and has developed a special interest in the history of design as well as architecture, photography and fashion. She’s conducted a case study on the development of London as a ‘design capital’ and has interviewed high-profile British designers for various publications.

“However, it is especially important to me that this is not just my PhD and I invite you, the CSD members, to be a part of the project too. Over the next two years, through the course of my research, I will be keen to hear from you about your individual experiences of the Society. Both anecdotal and physical archive material will be warmly welcomed.

I have been extremely encouraged by the enthusiasm of those members I have already met and very much look forward to meeting and talking to more of you over the coming years. If you feel you have anything to contribute, or would simply like to hear more about my project, please feel free to email me at designatlas@csd.org.uk. I should be delighted to hear from you all.”

ROYAL DESIGNERS FOR INDUSTRY 2010 ANNOUNCED BY RSA

Congratulations to David Watkins FCSD on being made a Royal Designer for Industry on 25 November. David received the award in recognition of his education work, his link with manufacturing and his innovative use of design and materials to make jewellery more accessible.

Jeweller and Emeritus Professor and Director for the Centre for Jewellery Research at the Royal College of Art, David has established a reputation for design excellence and an influential body of work over the past 47 years. In his search for a new aesthetic language and purist expression in jewellery, he devised new forms by utilising unconventional materials, pioneering the manipulation of steel, aluminium, acrylic and Colorcore melamine.

The V&A is showing a retrospective of David’s work until February 2011. This exhibition features 68 pieces of jewellery that show how his early jewellery as miniature sculptures developed to become large-scale wearable objects that also exist independently as art objects. The use of different techniques, materials and styles displayed across these pieces shows his versatility as an artist jeweller and heralds him as a contemporary force in international design.

Hinged Loop Neckpiece, 1974 © David Watkins FCSD

For more details on David Watkins – Artist in Jewellery a Retrospective View (1972 – 2010) please go to: www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/index.html

BOOK REVIEW

I WONDER by Marian Bantjes

Intended to inspire creatives of any persuasion, I Wonder is more than a collection of ideas – it’s an illustrated manuscript for the digital age. Quirky, poignant and funny, this beautiful book offers a colourful collection of observations on visual culture and design.

Whether intricately hand drawn or using computer illustration software, Marian’s work crosses the boundaries of time, style and technology.

Bantjes’ work has won praise from some of the world’s best-known graphic designers, including Stefan Sagmeister who wrote that her work is his ‘favourite example of beauty facilitating the communication of meaning.’

Marian started working as a book typesetter in Canada in the mid-80s, later opening her own successful firm. In 2003 she began to develop her own style of typography and her work has developed an international cult following.

I Wonder is published by Thames & Hudson (RRP £19.95). CSD members can buy the book for £16.95 including UK mainland delivery (overseas costs available on request) using the promotional code in the members’ area of the CSD website.

NOTE THIS

BRIGET RILEY – PAINTINGS AND RELATED WORK AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY 24 November 2010 – 22 May 2011

Bridget Riley (b.1931) is one of the most significant and original painters of our time. This Sunley Room exhibition focuses upon her most recent paintings and will enable visitors to investigate how Riley’s work relates to the National Gallery collection. Two of her works will be made directly onto the walls of the exhibition space. Composition with Circles 7 is a wall drawing that Riley and her studio will create especially for the longest wall of the Sunley Room.

Bridget Riley Saraband, 1985, © Bridget Riley, 2010. All rights reserved. Courtesy Karsten Schubert, London.

Read more:
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-onexhibitions

V&A ILLUSTRATION AWARDS

The V&A Illustration Awards are held annually to highlight the best book and editorial illustration published in the UK in the previous year. Their aim is to encourage, recognise and celebrate high standards of creativity in the industry. The awards are free to enter and offer some of the most substantial financial prizes for illustration in the UK.

Sam Weber The Lord of the Flies (Folio Society)

Read more:
www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/events

THE DESIGNER JOB

JAPANESE-SPEAKING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: LONDON

A graphic and product designer, you’ll be working as a manager of an exceptional project team. The team’s brief is to design new product development strategies aimed at expanding brand awareness and market share in the UK and overseas, especially Japan.

Deadline for applications
22 December 2010.

Details in the ‘recruitment space’ on the CSD website or Contact Ausra Burg at ausra@mycupoft.co.uk

MEMBER PROFILE
Jamie Ellul FCSD

Jamie graduated with an HND in Graphic Design from Somerset College in 2001. Shortly afterwards he joined Hat-trick Design, where he stayed until 2008 when he left to co-found and become a director of Magpie Studio with college friends David Azurdia and Ben Christie.

As Jamie says, theirs is a simple approach: “Listen to our clients; understand their audience; solve their problem.” This obviously works, to judge from the impressive list of clients which include Apple Inc, BAFTA, British Heart Foundation, D&AD, Knight Frank, Land Securities, Royal Mail, Samsung, The House of Commons and University of the Arts London.

“As a designer, the thought of designing Royal Mail stamps is usually filed in the 'dream jobs' folder (along with aircraft livery) and forgotten about. So, in 2008 when we got a call asking us to design a set of stamps to commemorate the children's classic book series Winnie-the-Pooh, we were literally dancing around the room like eight-year-olds. The final set of ten stamps look extremely simple but belie the months of research, hours of reading kids’ books on the Tube (and getting funny looks from fellow travellers), the biographies consumed and the heartache (the stamps nearly got canned due to copyright issues a year ago). And so two years later our stamps finally hit the streets – and finally my old grandma understands what it is I do for a living after ten years of trying to explain it. We're currently working on our third set of stamps, and it's no less thrilling now than it was then.”

Jamie joined the Society to ‘put something back into his profession, network and further his professional development.’ As he says, it has given him access to a network of designers from different disciplines and the chance to get involved in the assessment process as a regular assessor.