Royal Designers for Industry

Royal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts (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 a diverse range of design disciplines including 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.

New RDIs are awarded Diplomas each year at the annual RDI Dinner. Every two years a new Master of the Faculty is elected by the past Masters, who include Dinah Casson, Mike Dempsey, Sir Kenneth Grange, Geoffrey Harcourt, Martin Hunt, Timothy O’Brien, Chris Wise, Malcolm Garrett and Tristram Carfrae. The current Master is Mark Major.

Current members

The list identifies current RDIs, the date of their award, and the category of design for which they were honoured.

RDIs

Name^[1]	Category	Year
Ron Arad	Furniture design	2002
Dennis Bailey	Illustration and design	1980
Edward Barber OBE	Furniture design	2007
John Barnard	Engineering design	1995
Jenny Beavan	Costume design	2022
Patrick Bellew	Environmental design	2010
Sir Tim Berners-Lee	Interaction design	2009
Derek Birdsall	Graphic design	1983
Peter Blake CBE	Graphic design	1981
Sir Quentin Blake CBE	Illustration	1987
Sue Blane MBE	Costume and set design	2005
Neville Brody	Graphic design	2011
Alison Brooks	Architectural design	2017
Peter Brookes	Graphic design	2002
Julian Brown	Product design	1998
Paul Brown	Set & costume design	2013
Margaret Calvert OBE	Graphic design	2011
Nicholas Butler	Product design	1981
Ian Callum	Engineering design	2006
Donald Cameron	Engineering design	2004
Tristram Carfrae	Engineering design	2006
David Carter CBE	Product design	1974
Matthew Carter	Type design	1981
Ian Cartlidge	Graphic design	2013
Ron Carter	Furniture design	1971
Dinah Casson	Interior design	2005
Hussein Chalayan	Fashion Design	2013
Sir David Chipperfield CBE	Interior design	2006
Alison Chitty	Production design	2009
Jim Clay	Production design	2009
Peter Clegg	Architecture	2010
Kim Colin	Product/Furniture Design	2018
Stuart Craig OBE	Film production design	2004
Neisha Crosland	Textile design	2006
Bob Crowley	Theatre and film design	1997
Mike Dempsey	Graphic design	1994
Marion Deuchars	Illustration	2018
Es Devlin OBE	Theatre design	2018
Eileen Diss	TV and theatre design	1975
William Dudley	Theatre design	1988
Sir James Dyson CBE	Engineering design	2005
Eileen Ellis	Textile design	1984
Brian Eno	Designing with sound	2012
Simon Esterson	Graphic design	2001
Mark Farrow	Graphic design	2009
Colin Forbes	Graphic design	1974
Michael Foreman	Illustration	1985
Nick Foster	Futures Design	2021
Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank	Interior design	1988
Jenny Frean	Textile design	1998
John Galliano CBE	Fashion design	2002
Malcolm Garrett MBE	New media	2000
Nigel Gee	Engineering design	2007
David Gentleman	Stamps	1970
Sir Kenneth Grange CBE	General design	1969
Andrew Grant	Landscape design	2012
Fernando Gutiérrez	Graphic Design	2014
Margaret Hall OBE	Exhibitions	1974
Geoffrey Harcourt	Furniture design	1978
George Hardie	Graphic design	2005
Tim Harvey	TV Production design	1990
Patrick Head	Engineering design	1993
Thomas Heatherwick	General design	2004
Sam Hecht	Production design	2008
Peter Higgins	Interior design	2009
David Hillman	Graphic design	1997
Matthew Hilton	Furniture design	2004
Richard Hollis	Graphic design	2005
Margaret Howell	Fashion design	2007
Richard Hudson	Theatre design	1999
Barbara Hulanicki	Fashion design	2009
Martin Hunt	Ceramics and glass	1981
Nigel Irens	Engineering design	2005
Alan Irvine	Exhibitions & museum design	1964
Sir Jonathan Ive KBE	Product design	2003
Betty Jackson	Fashion design	1988
Eva Jiřičná	Interior design	1991
William Neill Johnstone	Textile design	1989
Stephen Jones OBE	Millinery	2009
Ben Kelly	Interior design	2007
Perry King	Product design	1990
Sarah King	Textile design	2008
Rodney Kinsman	Furniture design	1990
Geoffrey Kirk	Engineering design	2001
Alan Kitching	Graphic design/typography	1994
Martin Lambie-Nairn	TV graphics	1987
Roger Law	Graphic design and caricature	1999
Stefanos Lazaridis	Theatre design	2003
Sonny Levi	Boat design	1987
Robin Levien	Ceramics & glass	1995
David Lewis	Product design	1995
Tom Lloyd	Production design	2008
Bernard Lodge	Film and TV graphics	1982
Ross Lovegrove	Product design	2003
George Mackie	Book design	1973
Tim Macfarlane	Structural engineering design	2004
Mark Major	Designing with light	2012
Roger Mann	Interior design	2005
Pearce Marchbank	Graphic design	2004
John McConnell	Graphic design	1987
Antony McDonald	Theatre design	2004
Alex McDowell	Production design	2006
Sir David McMurtry CBE	Engineering design	1989
Marshall Meek	Naval architecture	1986
Tony Meeuwissen	Illustration	2013
Jasper Morrison CBE	Furniture design	2001
Colin Mudie	Small craft naval	1995
Morag Myerscough	Communication design	2017
John Napier	Theatre & film design	1996
Marc Newson CBE	General design	2006
Timothy O'Brien	Theatre design	1991
Jay Osgerby OBE	Furniture design	2007
Nick Park CBE	Animation	2006
Charlie Paton	Engineering design	2012
John Pawson	Interior design	2005
Stephen Payne OBE	Engineering design	2006
Dan Pearson	Landscape design	2012
Luke Pearson	Product design	2008
Anthony Powell	Costume design	1999
Sandy Powell	Costume design	2013
Mary Quant OBE	Dress design	1969
Wendy Ramshaw CBE	Jewellery design	1999
James Randle	Engineering design	1994
Mary Restieaux	Textile design	2011
Mike Rawlinson	Information design	2017
Dame Zandra Rhodes DBE	Fashion and textiles	1976
Philip Ruffles	Engineering design	1997
Patrick Rylands	Product design	1999
Ron Sandford	Illustration	1989
Peter Saville CBE	Graphic design	2011
Gerald Scarfe CBE	Illustration	1989
Arnold Schwartzman OBE	Graphic design	2006
Sir Paul Smith CBE	Fashion design	1978
Alan Stanton	Interior design	2005
Ben Terrett	Service design	2018
Alan Tye RIBA	Product design	1986
Georgina von Etzdorf	Textile design	1995
Stuart Walker	Film and TV design	1998
Simon Waterfall	Interaction design	2007
David Watkins	Jewellery design	2010
Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE	Fashion design	2001
Raymond Wheeler	Engineering design	1995
Sarah Wigglesworth	Architecture	2012
Kim Wilkie	Landscape design	2009
Paul Williams	Interior design	2009
Chris Wise	Structural engineering	1998
Michael Wolff	Graphic design	2011
Terence Woodgate	Furniture design	2003
Patrick Woodroffe	Designing with light	2013
Saeed Zahedi OBE	Engineering design	2013

HonRDIs

Name^[2]	Category	Year
Junichi Arai	Textile design	1987
Fabien Baron	Graphic design	2000
Mario Bellini	General design	1991
Manolo Blahnik	Shoe design	2001
Andrea Branzi	General design	2008
James Carpenter	Glass design	2008
Ivan Chermayeff	Graphic design	1991
Seymour Chwast	Graphic design	2005
Antonio Citterio	General design	2007
Kyle Cooper	Film and TV graphics	2001
Wim Crouwel	Graphic design	1998
Lidewij Edelkoort	Design forecasting	2013
Hartmut Esslinger	Product design	2013
Niels Diffrient	Furniture design	1987
Sara Fanelli	Illustration	2006
Dionysis Fotopoulos	Theatre and film design	1992
Naoto Fukasawa	Product design	2007
Karl Gerstner	Graphic design	2006
Konstantin Grcic	Furniture design	2009
Bob Greenberg	Interaction design	2012
Kathryn Gustafson	Landscape and gardens	2001
Armin Hofmann	Illustration	1968
Knud Holscher	Product design	2004
Toshio Iwai	Interaction design	2012
Hella Jongerius	Product design	2023
Rei Kawakubo	Fashion design	2001
Friso Kramer	Furniture	1979
Yrjö Kukkapuro	Furniture design	2002
Jack Lenor Larsen	Textile design	1983
Italo Lupi	Graphic design	2002
Erik Magnussen	Furniture & product	2001
Enzo Mari	Product design	2000
Javier Mariscal	General design	2006
Bruce Mau	Graphic design	2011
Ingo Maurer	Lighting design	2005
Alberto Meda	Product design	2005
Ottavio Missoni	Textile design	1997
Rosita Missoni	Textile design	1997
Issey Miyake	Fashion design	1988
Bruno Monguzzi	Graphic design	2003
Marcello Morandini	Ceramic design	2004
Ulf Moritz	Textile design	2004
Christoph Niemann	Illustration	2023
Vuokko Nurmesniemi	Fashion and textiles	1988
Kate Orff	Landscape design	2023
Piet Oudolf	Landscape design	2021
Neri Oxman	Bio design	2021
Sergio Pininfarina	Automotive design	1983
Mark Pollack	Textile design	2007
Dieter Rams	Electrical appliances and furniture	1968
Tomas Roope	Interaction design	2012
Paula Scher	Graphic design	2021
Martha Schwartz	Landscape design	2009
Jean-Jacques Sempé	Illustration	1989
Maurice Sendak	Illustration	1986
Erik Spiekermann	Type design	2007
Marina Tabassum	Architecture	2021
Roger Tallon	General design	1973
Piero Tosi	Costume design	2007
Dries van Noten	Fashion design	2008
Massimo Vignelli	General design	1996
Michel Virlogeux	Engineering design	2006
Yohji Yamamoto	Fashion design	2006
Sori Yanagi	General design	2008
Peter Zumthor	Architecture	2012

Former members

Past RDIs

Past Royal Designers for Industry^[3]

Tony Abbott, Television & theatre design, 1972
Ken Adam, Film production design, 2009
Edward Ardizzone, Illustration, 1974
Hardy Amies, Dress design, 1964
Edward Abbott, Illustration, 1974
Jon Bannenberg, Motor yachts, 1978
Christian Barnard, Transport equipment, 1948
Edward Bawden, Graphics, 1949
Gerald Benney, Silversmithing, 1971
Misha Black, Exhibitions & interiors, 1957
John Box, Film production design, 1992
Bill Brandt, Photography, 1978
William Brown, Bridge design, 1977
Stefan Buzas, Exhibitions & interiors, 1961
Reco Capey, General design, 1937
Andy Cameron, Interactive design, 2011
Hugh Casson, Exhibitions, 1961
Achille Castiglioni, General design, 1986
Hulme Chadwick, Product design, 1974
Colin Chapman, Automotive design, 1979
Wells Coates, General design, 1944
Christopher Cockerell, Engineering design, 1987
Douglas Cockerell, Bookbinding, 1936
Susie Cooper, Pottery, 1940
Kay Cosserat, Textile design, 1986
Edward Gordon Craig, Stage design, 1937
Gordon Cullen, Illustration & townscape design, 1975
Robin Day, Furniture & exhibitions, 1959
Lucienne Day, Textiles, 1962
Richard Eckersley, Book design, 1999
Tom Eckersley, Posters, 1963
Alan Fletcher, Graphics & publicity design, 1972
Uffa Fox, Small boats, 1955
Barnett Freedman, Graphics, 1949
Roger Furse, Stage & film design, 1949
Abram Games, Posters, 1959
James Gardner, Exhibitions, 1947
J Laurent Giles, Yachts, 1951
Eric Gill, Typography & wood engraving, 1936
Robert Goodden, General design, 1947
Duncan Grant, Printed textiles, 1941
Eileen Gray, Furniture & interiors, 1972
Milner Gray, Packaging, 1937
E W Grieve, Shop window display, 1940
Jacqueline Groag, Textile design, 1964
Edmund Happold, Engineering design, 1983
Geoffrey de Havilland, Aircraft, 1944
Ashley Havinden, Graphics, 1947
Lionel Haworth, Engineering design, 1976
Ambrose Heal, Furniture, 1939
F H K Henrion, Packaging & graphics, 1959
Jocelyn Herbert, Theatre & cinema design, 1971
Robert Heritage, Furniture, 1963
George Him, Graphic design, 1977
James Hogan, Glass & stained glass, 1936
Paul Hogarth, Illustration, 1979
Charles Holden, Transport equipment, 1943
Jack Howe, Products and industrial equipment, 1961
Allen Hutt, Typographic & Newspaper design, 1970
James Irvine, Product design, 2004
Laurence Irving, date tbc
Alec Issigonis, Motor cars, 1964
Ralph Koltai, Theatre design, 1984
Natasha Kroll, Shop display and television design, 1966
Lynton Lamb, Book design & illustration, 1974
Osbert Lancaster, Illustration, 1979
Margaret Leischner, Textiles, 1969
Richard Levin, Television design, 1971
Noel London, Engineering product design, 1973
William Lyons, Motor cars, 1964
Ethel Mairet, Woven textiles, 1937 (first woman)^[4]
Eric de Maré, Photography, 1997
Enid Marx, Pattern design, 1944
J H Mason, 1936
James McNeill, Ships, 1950
David Mellor, Silver, cutlery & lighting, 1962
Percy Metcalfe, Medals & coinage, 1937
Francis Meynell, Typography, 1940
Bill Moggridge, Product design, 1988
Edward Molyneux, Dress, 1950
Stanley Morison, Type design & typography, 1960
Alastair Morton, textiles, 1960
Alex Moulton, Engineering Products, 1968
Jean Muir, Dress design, 1972
H G Murphy, Goldsmithing, 1936
Keith Murray, Glass, pottery & silver, 1936
Charles Nicholson, Yachts, 1944
Julia Trevelyan Oman, Theatre & film design, 1977
Brian O'Rorke, Interiors, 1939
Eric Carlton Ottaway, Road passenger vehicles, 1949
Derek Prime, Engineering design, 1982
Ian Proctor, Boats & small craft, 1969
Tom Purvis, Commercial art, 1936
Ernest Race, Furniture, 1953
A B Read, Light fittings, 1940
A A Rubbra, Engineering design, 1977
Gordon Russell, Furniture, 1940
R D Russell, Furniture, 1944
Hans Schleger, Exhibition display & packaging, 1959
Hans Schmoller, Typography, 1976
Douglas Scott, Industrial designer, 1974
Ronald Searle, Illustration, 1991
George Sheringham, Interior decoration & textiles, 1936
Peter Simpson, Woven Textile design, 1974
Percy Delf Smith, Lettering, 1940
Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, Photography, 1986
Basil Spence, Exhibitions & interiors, 1960
Herbert Spencer, Typography, 1965
Harold Stabler, Pottery, Enamelling & silversmithing, 1936
Richard Stevens, Product design, 1973
Reynolds Stone, Lettering, 1956
Marianne Straub, Woven textiles, 1972
Derek Sugden, Engineering design, 2009
Fred Taylor, Graphics, 1936
Philip Thompson, Graphics & illustration, 1997
Walter Tracy, Type design, 1973
Howard Upjohn, Engineering product design, 1973
C F A Voysey, Interior decoration, furniture & fabrics, 1936
Barnes Wallis, Aircraft, 1943
Allan Walton, Printed textiles, 1940
Neville Ward, Interior design & ship interiors, 1971
John Waterer, Leather Goods, 1953
Hans Wegner, Furniture, 1969
Robert Welch, Product design & silversmithing, 1965
Frank Whittle, Engineering design, 1985
Berthold Wolpe, Typefaces & lettering, 1959
Anna Zinkeisen, Graphics & mural painting, 1940

Past Honorary RDIs

Past Honorary Royal Designers for Industry^[3]

Edward McKnight Kauffer, Commercial art, 1936
Alvar Aalto, General design, 1947
Franco Albini, Interiors, exhibitions & furniture, 1971
Gordon Andrews, General design, 1987
Saul Bass, Film & TV graphics, 1964
Herbert Bayer, Graphic design, 1984
Richard Buckminster Fuller, Architecture & design, 1980
Nanna Ditzel, Product design, 1996
Charles Eames, Furniture, exhibitions & interiors, 1960
Jean-Michel Folon, Illustration, 1981
André François, Graphics 1974
Shigeo Fukada, Graphic design, 1986
Alexander Girard, Interiors, exhibitions & furnishing textiles, 1965
Walter Gropius, General design, 1947
Edward Hald, Glass, 1939
Walter Herdeg, Graphic design, 1976
Christian Joachim, Pottery, 1939
CL 'Kelly' Johnson, Aircraft design, 1984
Finn Juhl, Furniture & interiors, 1978
Dora Jung, Woven textiles, 1979
Kaare Klint, Furniture, 1949
Takashi Kono, Graphics, 1983
Raymond Loewy, General design, 1939
Vico Magistretti, General design, 1992
Pierre Mendell, Graphic design, 1999
Bruno Mathsson, Furniture, 1978
Herbert Matter, Graphics & photography, 1982
Norman McLaren, Film Animation, 1986
Børge Mogensen, Furniture, 1972
Josef Muller-Brockmann, Graphic design, 1988
George Nelson, General design, 1973
Marcello Nizzoli, Typewriters & calculating machines, 1961
Antti Nurmesniemi, General design, 1986
Sigurd Persson, General design, 1987
Battista Farina, Motor cars, 1954
Paul Rand, Graphics, 1973
Steen Eiler Rasmussen, General design, 1947
Astrid Sampe, Textile design, 1949
WHJB Sandberg, Exhibition & museum display, typography, 1971
Timo Sarpaneva, Pottery & textiles, 1963
Carlo Scarpa, Exhibitions, interiors & museum design, 1969
Saul Steinberg, Illustration, 1980
Olin Stephens, Yacht design, 1975
Josef Svoboda, Theatre design, 1989
Ilmari Tapiovaara, Furniture, 1969
Walter Dorwin Teague, General design, 1951
Henryk Tomaszewski, Graphics, 1975
Roland Topor, Illustration, 1988
Jan Tschichold, Typography & book design, 1965
Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE, Fashion design, 2001
Tapio Wirkkala, Glass, wood & silver, 1964
Henry Wolf, Graphic design, 1990
Hermann Zapf, Type Design, 1985
Piet Zwart, Typography, 1966

References

^ "Current Royal designers". RSA. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
^ "Current Honorary Royal Designers". RSA. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Past Royal Designers for Industry". RSA. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
^ Margot Coatts, ‘Mairet , Ethel Mary (1872–1952)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2007 accessed 19 Oct 2015