Design Fair - a travelling exhibition; Guide : Council for Industrial Design, 1948
In 1948 the Council for Industrial Design (CoID) sponsored a travelling exhibition "Design Fair" that was designed, as was this guide, by James Gardner. The CoID had been set up by Government in 1944 to promote good design and, now under the name the Design Council, still exists. In 1948 Gordon Russell, the furniture designer and one of the people behind the successfully "Utility" or CC41 furniture, became Director.
Gardner (1907 - 1995) already had much design under his belt. Working at Carlton Studios in the 1930s, with Jack Beddington who is famously recalled for his role at Shell, he was in WW2 seconded to the Camouflage Training School as well as undertaking work for the Ministry of Information. In 1946 he was responsible for the CoID's highly successful exhibtion "Britain Can Make It" (although the wags at the time, due to rationing, seemingly developed the strapline that "but you can't buy it") and Gardner went on to play a role in the 1951 Festival of Britain as well as designing many of the decorations for the 1953 Coronation.
This small booklet really does have a contemporary feel and in many ways presages the 1951 Festival in terms of much of its look and feel.
Design Fair - a travelling exhibition; Guide : Council for Industrial Design, 1948
In 1948 the Council for Industrial Design (CoID) sponsored a travelling exhibition "Design Fair" that was designed, as was this guide, by James Gardner. The CoID had been set up by Government in 1944 to promote good design and, now under the name the Design Council, still exists. In 1948 Gordon Russell, the furniture designer and one of the people behind the successfully "Utility" or CC41 furniture, became Director.
Gardner (1907 - 1995) already had much design under his belt. Working at Carlton Studios in the 1930s, with Jack Beddington who is famously recalled for his role at Shell, he was in WW2 seconded to the Camouflage Training School as well as undertaking work for the Ministry of Information. In 1946 he was responsible for the CoID's highly successful exhibtion "Britain Can Make It" (although the wags at the time, due to rationing, seemingly developed the strapline that "but you can't buy it") and Gardner went on to play a role in the 1951 Festival of Britain as well as designing many of the decorations for the 1953 Coronation.
This small booklet really does have a contemporary feel and in many ways presages the 1951 Festival in terms of much of its look and feel.