The Design Research Unit (DRU) first British Design Consultancy

The Design Research Unit (DRU) was one of the first design consultancies to provide various specialist design services to companies and individuals alike. In 1943, Herbert Read was established in Knightsbridge offices, London, following negotiations with Marcus Bramwell, managing director of Stuart’s Advertising Agency. Following the 2nd World War, it emerged as an increasingly important design consultancy. The DRU connected design to industry and obtained several prestigious commissions for designers.

Misha Black and Milner Gray were two earliest DRU members. They were active in the 1935 Industrial Design Collaboration as a reform of a former groundbreaking consultancy, the Bassett‐Gray Artists and Writers Party. The architects Norbert Dutton, Frederick Gibberd, Sadie Speight and structural technician Felix Samuely were other associates.

Influenced British Design Festivals

The DRU made significant contributions to the BCMI (1946) and the British Festival of 1951. It accommodated various professional commissions, such as engineering and product design, interior design and company identity. At BCMI, DRU designed the Quiz Machines that sought to gauge popular taste. They also created the highly didactic ‘What Industrial Design Means’ show (by Black, Bronek Katz, and R. Vaughan).

Key Commissions

Key DRU commissions included the 1954 Electricity Board Showrooms by Black, Gibson, and H. Diamond. From 1951 to 1955, Black, Kenneth Bayes, and BOAC staff designed the BOAC engineering hall at London Airport (Heathrow). They also worked on several interiors for the P&O Orient Line’s new liner Oriana in 1959. The sleek D2000 locomotive by Black and Beresfordi Evans was used by the DRU’s other firms, which included Ilford, Courage, Dunlop, London Transport, and British Railways.

Sources

Design Research Unit – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_Research_Unit

Woodham, J. Design Research Unit. In A Dictionary of Modern Design. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 1 Feb. 2021, from https://www-oxfordreference-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/view/10.1093/acref/9780191762963.001.0001/acref-9780191762963-e-239.