All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics, 1962–91 [VNIITE]

Established in 1962 and headed by Yuri Soloviev, VNIITE was the chief research institute for the Soviet Union’s design efforts, overseen by the State Committee for Science and Technology. The activities of VNIITE and its branches spanned a number of areas. It studied the theory and history of design, further developed design methodologies, and offered advanced training for designers and researchers. It also implemented industrial, graphic, and environmental design projects commissioned by factories and manufacturers, produced prototypes, and conducted expert assessments of manufactured products. Furthermore, it did research in ergonomics, elaborated standards for decorative and finishing materials, and promoted Soviet design both domestically and abroad (this was the responsibility of its exhibition and publishing departments, the latter releasing both theory books and a monthly magazine). Its theory and history department conducted extensive research, including on the Soviet avant-garde. VNIITE also had a showroom in Moscow, the Centre for Technical Aesthetics.
Mirroring the Soviet government’s centralized, hierarchical approach to management, the VNIITE head office in Moscow siphoned resources from its regional branches while preventing them from collaborating directly with one another. It also controlled an extensive network of special art and design bureaus and other design organizations across the country. Between 1962 and 1978, VNIITE opened ten regional branches in the Soviet Union: in Leningrad, Baku, Yerevan, Minsk, Khabarovsk, Tbilisi, Vilnius, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Sverdlovsk. Each regional branch had its own specialization, depending on local industry and traditions.