of the
R Baker and N James, July 1998
Historical Manuscripts Commission
The Chartered Society of Designers has been the professional body for designers since its formation in 1930 as the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers (SIAD); it obtained chartered status in 1976 and adopted its current name in 1987. Originally its focus was more on graphic design and products, but this has widened over time, particularly following a merger with the British Institute of Interior Design in 1988, and it is now concerned with all aspects of design, including education and management and protection of the intellectual rights of its members.
The archives include the records of several of the Society's groups and committees and material (including photographs and slides) relating to the work of members, particularly in the form of exhibitions and of the Festival of Britain 1951, with which a number of SIAD members were involved.
The archives were examined on 23rd July 1998. The boxes were originally lacking numbers or (mostly) any other identifying feature, so these have been added for the purposes of this summary.
Box 1
Conduct committee: log book, with details of cases, 1969-85 (1 volume)
Correspondence and papers relating to promulgation of code of professional conduct 1973 (1 file)
Correspondence and papers relating to professional conduct 1980 onwards (5 files and loose papers)
Large packet containing:
Correspondence and papers relating to code of conduct 1970-72 (2 files)
Technical committee: correspondence and papers 1970s (1 file)
Salaried designers committee: minutes and agendas 1974 (1 file)
Salaried designers committee: correspondence and papers 1968-78 (1 file)
Committee on professionalism: papers 1968-70 (1 file)
Papers relating to conference on code of conduct 1974 (1 file)
Correspondence and papers relating to course for design lecturers 1973 (4 files within box file)
Fees committee: papers c1968-c1973 (1 large packet)
Professional practice board: papers c1977-1980s (loose)
Papers relating to professional designers code 1968 (loose)
Box 2
Trustee board and education and research foundation: correspondence and papers 1962 (2 files)
Papers relating to the foundation and development of SIAD 1956-66 (1 file)
Correspondence of Milner Gray, President of SIAD, nd (1 bundle)
Professional conduct papers 1973-74 (1 file)
Articles of association and related papers 1930 onwards (2 files)
Trust Fund board minutes 1963-68 (1 file, 1 plastic wallet)
Protection of designs committee: miscellaneous papers c1959-c1969 (loose)
Professional practice papers 1933-68 (1 file)
Trust reports and accounts (published) and related papers 1982 (loose)
Trustee board minutes c1979-c1983 (1 file)
Correspondence relating to history of SIAD c1980 (1 plastic wallet)
Papers relating to 50th anniversary of SIAD 1980 (1 plastic wallet)
Trust papers 1969-70 (1 file)
Papers relating to trade unions 1970s (loose)
Miscellaneous printed papers (1 envelope)
Charter working party minutes 1973-75 (1 file)
Charter petition and related papers 1974-75 (1 file)
Printed text of charter 1976 (1 envelope)
Trustee board correspondence 1969-77 (1 file)
Miscellaneous reports and accounts 1983 (loose)
Correspondence relating to Graham Sutherland, including some concerning his portrait of Churchill, nd (1 file)
Trustee board minutes, reports and papers 1960s-1980s (1 file)
Miscellaneous documents relating to fees 1985 (1 file)
SIAD and Design Council joint committee papers 1972-78 (1 file)
General correspondence 1970-83 (1 file)
General consultant designers' group papers 1970 (1 file)
Awards schemes correspondence and papers 1971-81 (1 file)
Trust appeal: letters 1960s (1 file)
Trust appeal: papers 1970s (1 file)
Charter and bye-laws of RIBA (printed) 1937 and papers relating to grant of charter to SIAD 1976 (1 plastic wallet)
Charter working party: correspondence 1959-76 (1 file)
Miscellaneous AGM papers 1970s-1980s (loose)
Awards scheme papers and appeal correspondence 1960s-1970s (1 file)
Box 3
Financial papers 1980s, survey of members c1991, strategy documents and related papers c1989, 'Pilditch report' (2 plastic wallets)
Forward plans 1990s (1 file)
Subscription file nd (1 plastic wallet)
Photographs of Bedford Square offices (1 box file)
Jubilee conferences: papers and slides 1990 (1 box file)
Printed prospectuses (1 box file)
Master copies of publications and slides 1980s (1 box file)
Papers relating to international relations 1992-94 (1 ring-binder)
International relations committee: correspondence and papers 1989-92 (1 ring-binder)
International relations board: papers 1981-89 (1 ring-binder)
Miscellaneous printed papers (loose)
Box 4
Photographs of Festival of Britain exhibition ship (1 album)
Copies of SIAD journal 1960s
Slides of SIAD members' work, with associated papers, 1970s-1980s (2 ring-binders)
Box 5
Professional practice board: minutes and associated papers, 1962-74 (1 large packet)
Copyright working party: minutes 1973-77 (1 file)
SIAD and Textile Institute joint liaison committee: minutes and correspondence 1972-75 (1 file)
Professional practice board conduct committee: correspondence 1966-74 (1 large packet)
Correspondence, papers and associated printed material relating to design protection 1977-79 (1 file)
Professional practice board: correspondence and papers relating to expert witnesses 1979-81 (1 file)
Professional practice board: terms of reference 1969-80 (1 file)
Professional practice: legal advice c1979 (1 file)
Fees committee: correspondence and papers 1980 (1 file)
Professional practice board: general correspondence 1978-81 (1 file)
Large packet containing:
Professional practice board: correspondence and papers relating to unions 1974-79
(1 file)
Conduct committee: miscellaneous papers 1969-71 (1 file)
Conduct committee: minutes 1969 (1 file)
Specialist panel: committee minutes 1968-78 (2 files)
Industrial questionnaire given to society members nd
Box 6
Slides
Box 7
Correspondence relating to the Bureau of European Designers' Associations (3 large packets, 1 file)
Box 8
Regional board: correspondence and papers 1989-90 (1 box file)
Group meetings, minutes, agendas, correspondence and related papers 1989-90 (1 box file)
Management and executive committee: minutes, agendas, correspondence and papers 1971-82 (1 large parcel)
Council minutes 1965-69 (1 ring binder)
Executive committee: minutes and associated papers 1969-71 (1 large parcel)
Executive committee: minutes and associated correspondence and papers 1961-69 (1 ring-binder)
Box 9
Illustrated London News: issues relating to design matters, 1851 and photographic negatives (1 package)
ICSIB Congress: photographs of personalities 1959 (1 small box)
Jubilee dinner: photographs 1980 (1 tube)
Miscellaneous reports, questionnaires and papers (loose)
SIAD award: correspondence and papers 1982 (1 file)
Correspondence relating to House of Lords debate on industrial design 1964 (1 file)
Speech on man-made ecology by S.Chermayeff 1980 (1 wallet)
Exhibition of SIAD members work: photographs and slides mainly 1977 (2 envelopes)
Speech given at SIAD dinner by the Prime Minister, James Callaghan, 1979 Exhibition photographs 1971 (1 envelope)
Paris exhibition and seminar: photographs and cuttings 1971 (1 file)
Correspondence and printed papers relating to conferences and exhibitions 1970s (1 file)
Box 10
Box file containing:
Lecture given by Sir Hugh Casson at Oxford, typescript, 1979
Lecture given by Milner Gray on the beginnings of SIAD 1970
Photographs of and correspondence relating to president's pictures, with other miscellaneous papers 1992-93
Photograph of portrait of Milner Gray by Graham Sutherland (1 envelope)
Letterheads, printed papers, menu cards and other miscellaneous memorabilia 1930s onwards (4 files)
Box file containing:
Press cuttings relating to design 1930s (1 file)
Notes and papers relating to design personalities (1 file)
Accounts of formation and development of SIAD, printed and manuscript (1 file)
Memorandum and articles of association and notes relating to their amendment 1930-31 (1 file)
Annual reports 1932-33 (1 file)
Printed documents and reports 1933-34 (1 file)
Report, chairman's agenda for AGM 1935 and public relations committee memorandum of 1937 (1 file)
Policy papers 1938-40, with related correspondence 1945 (1 file)
Memorabilia and papers including copies of bulletin, annual general reports, printed pamphlets, offprints 1945 onwards (1 box file)
Box file containing:
Guidance relating to fees c1970 (1 file)
Pamphlets and other publications (loose)
Medallions of past presidents (1 box)
Box 11
Council minutes 1969-70, trustee board minutes 1963-71 (1 large packet)
Council minutes 1970-76 (1 large packet)
Council minutes and agendas 1976-80 (1 large packet)
Council minutes and agendas 1980-84 (1 large packet)
Council minutes and agendas 1984-86 (1 large packet)
Council minutes 1981-86 (1 ring-binder)
Box 12
Photographs, mainly of construction work on the South Bank for the Festival of Britain (4 albums)
Box 13
Council minutes and agendas 1987-89 (1 box file)
Management committee minutes 1982-88 (1 ring-binder)
Council minutes 1984-88 (1 ring-binder)
Trustee board minutes 1976-88 (1 ring-binder)
Council minutes and agendas 1982-83 (1 file)
Council minutes and agendas 1990-91 (1 file)
Council minutes and papers 1987-89 (loose)
Box 14
Dublin group: committee correspondence and papers 1962-75 (1 file)
Scottish regional committee: minutes. correspondence and papers 1984-88 (1 file)
Regional planning committee: correspondence and papers 1968-73 (1 file)
Regional working party planning papers 1968-70 (1 file)
Engineering design group: minutes and associated papers 1984-86 (1 file)
Discussion meeting: correspondence and papers 1984 (1 file)
Commission on professionalism: draft report and members questionnaire c1969 (1 envelope)
Papers relating to development of SIAD c1980 (1 file)
Working party on SIAD entry system: papers 1977-78 (1 file)
Scholarship award scheme: papers 1971-76 (1 file)
Papers on relations between the Society and trust finances 1979 (1 file)
Gilbert Wetmore memorial service: correspondence and papers 1986 (1 file)
Ernest Hohch memorial: papers 1985 (1 file)
Peter Kneebone memorial evening meeting: papers 1990 (1 plastic wallet)
Burton Group design award: correspondence and papers 1974-80 (3 files)
Correspondence and papers relating to commercial activities in further education colleges in Scotland 1984-86 (1 file)
Correspondence and papers relating to recognition of SIAD qualifications 1972 (1 file)
Correspondence and papers relating to copyright 1981-83 (1 file)
CSD and Institute of Engineering Design: papers relating to merger 1987-89 (1 file)
Miscellaneous papers relating to education, with press cuttings, nd (loose papers)
Regional group working party: minutes and papers 1969 (1 file)
Works agreement correspondence and papers 1983-86 (1 file)
Correspondence and papers relating to Minerva at 50 1980-82 (1 file)
Scholarship award fund: correspondence and papers 1971-80 (1 file)
Alternative design group: correspondence and papers 1979-83 (1 file)
Inter-Design UK project: correspondence and papers 1971-80 (1 file)
CSD correspondence with British Standards Institution 1982-85 (1 file)
Box 15
Council and executive committee files 1970-79 (1 large packet)
Conduct committee files 1985-89 (1 large packet)
Correspondence and papers relating to grant of royal charter 1975-76 (1 large packet)
Files relating to honorary fellows nd (1 large packet)
Individual box files [not numbered]
Sir Misha Black: correspondence, photographs and miscellaneous papers, mainly concerning the Festival of Britain, 1949-51
Correspondence relating to social events 1987-88 (1 file) and correspondence and papers relating to trust appeal 1965-74 (1 file and loose papers)
Festival of Britain photographs with miscellaneous journals and printed papers
CSD conference papers and photographs 1984
Further boxes of printed reports and journals [not examined].