Royal Designers for Industry

Royal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts (or RSA) in 1936, to encourage a high standard of industrial design and enhance the status of designers. It is awarded to people who have achieved "sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for industry". Those who are British citizens take the letters RDI after their names, while those who are not become Honorary RDIs (HonRDI). Everyone who holds the distinction is a Member of The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry (founded in 1938).

Their work is diverse, ranging from fashion to engineering, theatre to product design, graphics to environmental design.

New RDIs are elected annually and the Faculty continues to support initiatives to further excellence in design, including an annual Summer School for innovative young designers.

Only 200 designers may hold the distinction RDI at any time and it is regarded as the highest honour to be obtained in the United Kingdom in the field of Industrial Design. In addition, the RSA may confer HonRDI titles up to a maximum of half the number of people who currently hold the distinction RDI.

Who are the RDIs and Hon RDIs?

There are currently 113 RDIs and 48 HonRDIs spanning every area of design. It is a lifetime award, but the lists below show current members (ie, those RDIs who are still alive), and former members (those who have died).

Click here for a current list of Royal Designers for Industry [http://www.thersa.org/rsa/rdi.asp]

Current members

The date of their award is shown after the name of the category for which they were honoured.

RDIs

HonRDIs

Former members

Past RDIs

* Mr Tony Abbott MC, Television & Theatre Design, 1972
* Sir Hardy Amies KCVO RDI, Dress Design, 1964
* Mr Edward Abbott CBE, Illustration, 1974
* Mr Jon Bannenberg, Motor Yachts, 1978
* Mr Christian Barnard OBE, Transport Equipment, 1948
* Mr Edward Bawden CBE, Graphics, 1949
* Sir Misha Black OBE, Exhibitions & Interiors, 1957
* Mr John Box OBE, Film Production Design, 1992
* Mr Bill Brandt, Photography, 1978
* Dr William Brown, Bridge Design, 1977
* Mr Reco Capey, General Design, 1937
* Sir Hugh Casson CH KCVO, Exhibitions, 1961
* Achille Castiglioni, General Design, 1986
* Mr Hulme Chadwick, Product Design, 1974
* Mr Colin Chapman CBE, Automotive Design, 1979
* Mr Wells Coates OBE, General Design, 1944
* Sir Christopher Cockerell OBE, Engineering Design, 1987
* Mr Douglas Cockerell MBE, Bookbinding, 1936
* Miss Susie Cooper OBE, Pottery, 1940
* Professor Kay Cosserat RDI, Textile Design, 1986
* Mr Edward Gordon Craig CH, Stage Design, 1937
* Mr Gordon Cullen CBE, Illustration & Townscape Design, 1975
* Mr Tom Eckersley OBE, Posters, 1963
* Mr Uffa Fox CBE, Small Boats, 1955
* Mr Barnett Freedman CBE, Graphics, 1949
* Mr Roger Furse, Stage & Film Design, 1949
* Mr Abram Games OBE, Posters, 1959
* Mr James Gardener CBE, Exhibitions, 1947
* Mr J Laurent Giles, Yachts, 1951
* Mr Eric Gill, Typography & Wood Engraving, 1936
* Mr Robert Goodden CBE, General Design, 1947
* Mr Duncan Grant, Printed Textiles, 1941
* Ms Eileen Gray, Furniture & Interiors, 1972
* Mr Milner Gray CBE, Packaging, 1937
* Mr E W Grieve, Shop Window Display, 1940
* Ms Jacqueline Groag, Textile Design, 1964
* Professor Sir Edmund Happold, Engineering Design, 1983
* Sir Geoffrey de Havilland OM CBE, Aircraft, 1944
* Mr Ashley Havinden OBE, Graphics, 1947
* Mr Lionel Haworth OBE, Engineering Design, 1976
* Sir Ambrose Heal, Furniture, 1939
* Mr F H K Henrion OBE, Packaging & Graphics, 1959
* Ms Jocelyn Herbert RDI, Theatre & Cinema Design, 1971
* Mr George Him, Graphic Design, 1977
* Mr James Hogan, Glass & Stained Glass, 1936
* Mr Paul Hogarth OBE, Illustration, 1979
* Mr Charles Holden, Transport Equipment, 1943
* Mr Jack Howe RDI, Products and Industrial Equipment, 1961
* Mr Alan Hutt, Typographic & Newspaper Design, 1970
* Mr Laurence Irving OBE, date tbc
* Sir Alec Issigonis CBE, Motor Cars, 1964
* Miss Natasha Kroll RDI, Shop Display and Television Design, 1966
* Mr Lynton Lamb, Book Design & Illustration, 1974
* Sir Osbert Lancaster, Illustration, 1979
* Ms Margaret Leischner, Textiles, 1969
* Mr Richard Levin OBE, Television Design, 1971
* Sir William Lyons, Motor Cars, 1964
* Miss Ethel Mairet, Woven Textiles, 1937
* Mr Eric de Mare, Photography, 1997
* Miss Enid Marx, Pattern Design, 1944
* Mr J H Mason, 1936
* Sir James McNeill KCVO CBE MC, Ships, 1950
* Mr Percy Metcalfe CVO, Medals & Coinage, 1937
* Sir Francis Meynell, Typography, 1940
* Mr Edward Molyneux, MC, Dress, 1950
* Mr Stanley Morison, Type Design & Typography, 1960
* Mr Alastair Morton, Textiles, 1960
* Miss Jean Muir CBE, Dress Design, 1972
* Mr H G Murphy, Goldsmithing & Goldsmithing, 1936
* Mr Keith Murray, MC, Glass, Pottery & Silver, 1936
* Mr Charles Nicholson OBE, Yachts, 1944
* Dr Julia Trevelyan Oman, CBE RDI, Theatre & Film Design, 1977
* Mr Brian O'Rorke, RA Interiors, 1939
* Mr Eric Carlton Ottaway, Road Passenger Vehicles, 1949
* Mr Derek Prime, Engineering Design, 1982
* Mr Ian Proctor, Boats & Small Craft, 1969
* Mr Tom Purvis, Commercial Art, 1936
* Mr Ernest Race, Furniture, 1953
* Mr A B Read, Light Fittings, 1940
* Mr A A Rubbra, Engineering Design, 1977
* Sir Gordon Russell MC CBE, Furniture, 1940
* Mr R D Russell, Furniture, 1944
* Mr Hans Schleger, Exhibition Display & Packaging, 1959
* Mr Hans Schmoller, Typography, 1976
* Mr Douglas Scott, Industrial Designer, 1974
* Mr George Sheringham, Interior Decoration & Textiles, 1936
* Mr Peter Simpson, Woven Textile Design, 1974
* Mr Percy Delf Smith, Lettering, 1940
* Sir Basil Spence OM OBE, Exhibitions & Interiors, 1960
* Mr Herbert Spencer, Typography, 1965
* Mr Harold Stabler, Pottery, Enamelling & Silversmithing, 1936
* Mr Richard Stevens, Product Design, 1973
* Mr Reynolds Stone CBE, Lettering, 1956
* Miss Marianne Straub OBE, Woven Textiles, 1972
* Mr Fred Taylor, Graphics, 1936
* Mr Walter Tracy, Type Design, 1973
* Mr Howard Upjohn, Engineering Product Design, 1973
* Mr C F A Voysey, Interior Decoration, Furniture & Fabrics, 1936
* Sir Barnes Wallis CBE, Aircraft, 1943
* Mr Allan Walton, Printed Textiles, 1940
* Mr Neville Ward, Interior Design & Ship Interiors, 1971
* Mr John Waterer, Leather Goods, 1953
* Mr Robert Welch MBE, Product Design & Silversmithing, 1965
* Sir Frank Whittle OM KBE CB, Engineering Design, 1985
* Mr Berthold Wolpe OBE, Type Faces & Lettering, 1959
* Ms Anna Zinkeisen, Graphics & Mural Painting, 1940

Past Honorary RDIs

* Mr Edward McKnight Kauffer, USA, Commercial Art, 1936
* Mr Alvar Aalto, Finland, General Design, 1947
* Mr Franco Albini, Italy, Interiors, Exhibitions & Furniture, 1971
* Mr Gordon Andrews, Australia, General Design, 1987
* Mr Saul Bass, USA, Film & TV Graphics, 1964
* Mr Herbert Bayer, USA, Graphic Design, 1984
* Mr Richard Buckminster Fuller, USA, Architecture & Design, 1980
* Nanna Ditzel, Product Design, 1996
* Mr Charles Eames, USA, Furniture, Exhibitions & Interiors, 1960
* Mr André François, Graphics 1974
* Mr Alexander Girard, USA, Interiors, Exhibitions & Furnishing Textiles, 1965
* Mr Walter Gropius, USA, General Design, 1947
* Mr Edward Hald, Sweden, Glass, 1939
* Mr Walter Herdeg, Switzerland, Graphic Design, 1976
* Mr Christian Joachim, Sweden, Pottery, 1939
* Mr CL 'Kelly' Johnson, USA, Aircraft Design, 1984
* Mr Finn Juhl, Denmark, Furniture & Interiors, 1978
* Ms Dora Jung, Finland, Woven Textiles, 1979
* Mr Kaare Klint, Denmark, Furniture, 1949
* Mr Takashi Kono, Japan, Graphics, 1983
* Mr Raymond Loewy, USA, General Design, 1939
* Mr Bruno Mathsson, Sweden, Furniture, 1978
* Mr Herbert Matter, Switzerland, Graphics & Photography, 1982
* Mr Norman McLaren, Canada, Film Animation, 1986
* Mr Borge Mogensen, Denmark, Furniture, 1972
* Mr Josef Muller-Brockmann, Switzerland, Graphic Design, 1988
* Mr George Nelson, USA, General Design, 1973
* Mr Marcello Nizzoli, Italy, Typewriters & Calculating Machines, 1961
* Professor Antti Nurmesniemi, Finland, General Design, 1986
* Professor Sigurd Persson, Sweden, General Design, 1987
* Mr Battista Farina, Italy, Motor Cars, 1954
* Mr Paul Rand, USA, Graphics, 1973
* Mr Steen Eiler Rasmussen, Denmark, General Design, 1947
* Professor Astrid Sampe, Sweden, Textile Design, 1949
* Mr WHJB Sandberg, Holland, Exhibition & Museum Display, Typography, 1971
* Mr Carlo Scarpa, Italy, Exhibitions, Interiors & Museum Design, 1969
* Mr Saul Steinberg, USA, Illustration, 1980
* Mr Josef Svoboda, Czechoslovakia, Theatre Design, 1989
* Mr Ilmari Tapiovaara, Finland, Furniture, 1969
* Mr Walter Dorwin Teague, USA, General Design, 1951
* Mr Roland Topor, France, Illustration, 1988
* Mr Jan Tschichold, Switzerland, Typography & Book Design, 1965
* Mr Tapio Wirkkala, Finland, Glass, Wood & Silver, 1964
* Me Henry Wolf, USA, Graphic Design, 1990
* Mr Piet Zwart, Holland, Typography, 1966

External links

* [http://www.thersa.org/rsa/rdi.asp The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry]