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 the UK’s highest design accolade and is awarded to people who have achieved “sustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and significant benefit to society”. 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 Session to inspire new generations of thinkers to design a better world.

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. 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 Tom Lloyd, Mark Major, 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 Charlie Paton.

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