1 Editors’ Introduction Harriet Atkinson and Verity Clarkson Author Biographies: Harriet Atkinson lectures in History of Art and Design at University of Brighton, UK. Her research centers on how design has been used by governments as the focus for diplomatic exchange and identity formation. Her monograph The Festival of Britain: A Land and Its People was published by I.B. Tauris (2012); she was section editor of the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Design (2015), co-editor of The Banham Lectures (Berg, 2009) and has written for many journals and national newspapers. h.atkinson2@brighton.ac.uk Verity Clarkson lectures in History of Art and Design at University of Brighton, UK. Her research explores the roles of post-1945 exhibitions, trade fairs, art historiography and other cultural contacts in the context of the Cold War, focusing on the reception of the Eastern Bloc in the West. Following her AHRC-funded collaborative PhD (Victoria and Albert Museum / University of Brighton, 2010) she has published and spoken internationally on the transnational connections between arts organizations, government bodies and audiences at these sites of contest and collaboration. vecc1@brighton.ac.uk Abstract: This introduction argues for an expanded understanding of design’s role in diplomacy since 1945, looking beyond “soft power” or “cultural diplomacy” to designers’ potential to shape government systems and provision and to play a wider role in transnational diplomatic exchanges. The papers gathered in this volume explore diplomacy through the work of philanthropic foundations, design networks, sites of art and design education, as well as manufacturers and retailers of furniture and product design and craft producers. Keywords: design; diplomacy; democracy; transnational; exchange; soft power The impetus for this special issue of Design and Culture was a one-day symposium the editors co-convened at University of Brighton in November 2015, entitled “‘Soft’ to ‘Hard’ Power? Changing Visions of Diplomacy by Design From 1945 Onwards,” exploring the ways that design has enabled transnational diplomatic exchanges over seventy years. Its aim was to generate a more nuanced discussion about the contribution of design in the diplomatic arena. With its speculative title, the symposium’s proposition drew upon Joseph Nye’s familiar concept of “soft” or co- optive power, the ability to shape others’ preferences in international politics via