National Design Atlas

Part of the culture series of articles

The National Design Atlas is a book of illustrated examples of Vekllei design published annually and distributed for free to all Vekllei people. It is produced by the Design Atlas Programme of the Commonwealth Art Commission and employs a team of 700 artists and writers. About 10 million Atlases are printed and distributed each year, and each contains about 4,000-6,000 watercolour drawings.

The primary aim of the Atlas is to compile a pictorial survey of Commonwealth design, products, art objects and folk decorations and celebrate and advertise them to Vekllei people. Subjects include gadgets, domestic appliances, machinery, clothing, uniforms, tools, cutlery and cookware, novelties, patterns and other objects that surround Vekllei people. It serves as an index of the designed objects of Vekllei life, as well as its handicrafts and folk items that supplement it. In doing so, it indexes to a common design heritage of the country, and contributes to its visual identity.

The Atlases are well-liked and are a strong example of Vekllei “nonmaterial values,” since they provide no material returns for the Ministry of Culture but have a tremendous impact on the character and cultural literacy of their society. Their distribution has become something of a national event – widely anticipated, sometimes controversial, and often talked about.