Today design is both an area of expertise and a production factor of substantial and increasing importance for all parts of society. This importance is not reflected in any institutional infrastructure that supports scientific development in this area. Design currently lacks a national archive in which the work of designers, companies and organizations can be preserved and studied with a focus on both process and context. As a consequence, developments in design do not spread to other parts of society, and synergies between universities, companies and society are rare. The project's profile will entail a cross-sector approach similar to the Centre's other work. Industry's user perspective will be emphasized, as will society's. Design processes will be documented and preserved without regard for the physical format of the material. Our objective is to secure and make accessible historical design materials for research and, in collaboration with the project's stakeholders, to develop methods for documenting contemporary design processes. The project has two goals. It will establish a design archive within the Center for Business History as a historical archive for individual designers and companies that currently have no natural archiving institution at their disposal. The project will also create an infrastructure for research and development through both its selection methods and presentation, while providing access to source materials via digital media.