Projecting British Design: The Design Council Slide Collection
Last updated: 5 October 2026
Projecting British Design is a 116-page square book of 100 colour slides from the Design Council's archive, published by the modernist in Manchester. The Council used the slides to teach and promote British design, projecting them in classrooms and lecture halls. It costs £16 from the modernist, which had it in stock on 5 October 2026.
What is Projecting British Design?
The book is 100 photographs picked from an archive of more than 22,000 slides. The Council of Industrial Design made them. It was set up in 1944 to promote British design and boost post-war exports, and later became the Design Council.
The Council used 35mm colour slides to teach and to sell. Projectors carried British products into classrooms, lecture halls and living rooms.
Inside the Design Council Slide Collection
The slides follow the Council's priorities as they changed, from everyday consumer products to engineering and new technology. Many show award-winning designs from the Design Centre in London, and others show examples of "good design" from abroad.
The Design Centre closed in 1994, and the archive moved to Manchester Metropolitan University. The university has since digitised more than 13,000 of the images. You can browse them through the Design Council Slide Collection at the university's Special Collections Museum.
Who made the book
John Davis wrote the introduction, and Minnie Moll, Chief Executive of the Design Council, wrote the foreword. Thomas Steeles designed it. The images appear courtesy of the Design Council and Manchester Metropolitan University.
In her foreword, Moll describes looking through the slides as "like peering into a luminous time capsule". She remembers the click of a Kodak carousel and the hum of a projector, and slides of Sony Walkmans and Ford Fiestas. For younger readers, she writes, the book gives "a glimpse into an analogue world where design's impact was already profound".
Key facts
- Price: £16 from the modernist
- Pages: 116, full colour
- Size: 160 x 160mm, a square a little bigger than a CD case
- Images: 100, drawn from more than 22,000 slides
- Publisher: the modernist (The Modernist Society CIC), Manchester
- ISBN: 978-1-0682995-2-0
- Contributors: John Davis (introduction), Minnie Moll (foreword), Thomas Steeles (design)
Who it suits
- Design fans: 100 slides of British design from the Council's own archive.
- Analogue photography fans: every image started life as a 35mm colour slide.
- Design history students: the introduction sets out how and why the Council made the slides.
At £16 it is an easy present for anyone who likes design history. Our gift guide for designers has more ideas at every price.
The limits
At 160mm square, the photographs print small, about the size of a CD cover. If you want large reproductions, browse the full archive online instead.
It is a picture book with a short introduction and foreword, not a full history of the Design Council.
Where to buy Projecting British Design
The modernist sells it for £16 from its Manchester shop and website. It's Nice That covered the release, with a look at how the book catalogues both grand and inconspicuous icons of British design.
Projecting British Design at the modernist
Projecting British Design FAQs
How much does Projecting British Design cost?
£16 from the modernist, in stock on 5 October 2026.
How many images does the book include?
100, chosen from an archive of more than 22,000 slides. More than 13,000 of those have now been digitised.
Who published Projecting British Design?
The modernist, run by The Modernist Society CIC in Manchester. The ISBN is 978-1-0682995-2-0.
What size is the book?
160 x 160mm, with 116 pages in full colour.
Where can I see more of the slides?
Manchester Metropolitan University has digitised more than 13,000 of them, and you can browse them through its Special Collections Museum.
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Prices and stock can change, so check the modernist's website before you buy.
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