An exhibition focusing on the Design Research Unit opens tonight at the Cubitt Gallery in London. Covering the period 1942-72, it documents the work of the pioneering design organisation and its key players, notably Misha Black who is represented extensively in the Design Archives collections. This exhibition is the first to explore the history of the DRU and its major role in post-war British design. After the Cubitt, the exhibition will tour to five other galleries in the UK. The Design Archives supported the exhibition and holds various documents and publications on Black such as the Design Council’s 1984 book on the designer. Our recently-appointed Honorary Faculty Fellow, Dr Harriet Atkinson, is also planning to develop scholarship on the DRU. For more information on the Design Research Unit and Misha Black, visit our online resource Designing Britain 1945-75: Exhibiting Britain by Dr Elizabeth Darling.

Image: Display explaining the role of Industrial Design featuring a figure asking ‘Who designs the eggcup?’ , at the Britain Can Make It Exhibition 1946. Section by Misha Black.