The document has many features including a Lexicon of terms and detailed explanations of concepts relating to design, new technologies, intellectual property and professional practice.

Founded by John Halas, and edited and designed by Patrick Wallis Burke, Icographic was a review of international visual communication published by Pergamon Press.

In its inaugural issue it was stated that the new magazine "intends to study this field [newsprint and publishing industries as well as television, cinema and computers] as well as examine the designer's role in it.

The initiative was led by Editor-in-chief Teal Triggs of the Royal College of Art and supported by an editorial team, including authors on design.

Initially based in London (United Kingdom), the Secretariat of the International Council of Design was in Brussels (Belgium) from 1999 to 2005, at which time it moved to Montréal (Canada), where it still resides.

[21] The Congress opened with the reading of a message by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who wrote: "Every day designers of all kinds are becoming responsible for a greater proportion of man's environment.

"[25] At the General Assembly, delegates discussed Icograda's aims and objectives, and it was further agreed to establish an audio-visual archive and library, to publish a news bulletin and to award student scholarships.

The theme was 'Public information signs' and the jury included Abram Games, Josef Müller-Brockmann, Paul Rand, Masaru Katzumie and Ivan Picelj.

[32] Whilst the SIAD had facilitated the inaugural meeting in London five years before, it must be remembered that most of the founders of Icograda were central Europeans, an assortment of Yugoslav, Austrian, German, Polish and Hungarian political émigrés who had made their home in the UK to escape persecution.

Presentations from Teunissen van Manen, Richard Gregory, Benno Wissing, Jerome Gould, and Massimo Vignelli, were thus overshadowed by political events.

Despite a raft of excellent speakers, there was considerable dissatisfaction with the way in which the event had been organised, in particular the commercial nature of the exhibition, and the congress effectively turned on itself for half a day with an open discussion about how matters should be arranged in the future.

Memorably Herb Rohn from Carbondale, Illinois, standing on a table, demanded metaphorically that "the windows of the Hofburg be thrown open to let some fresh air into this place where there has been none this week."

The congress was followed by a seminar in Lausanne − 'A Town and its Image' − and the General Assembly at which Flemming Ljorring was elected president and Peter Kneebone Secretary-General.

The first Joint Congress of the "three sisters" Icograda, Icsid and the International Federation of Interior Architects/ Designers (IFI) took place in Helsinki from 1–8 August 1981, an event that had been under discussion since 1977.

[38] Setting out a powerful argument for the potential of creating "rapid economic and social development through a major effort in endogenously researched and programmed use of the visual media leading to – but in that order – literacy"[38] he called on the delegates to "offer and apply your centuries-evolved skills and sensitivities to help humanity see – literally see – both its marvelous capacity for progress and its primeval capacity for error, inhumanity, social neglect, even apocalyptic destruction".

[38] Admitting that he was presenting the delegates with challenges that were 'especially heavy' Childers said "I never knew a good graphic designer who did not explode with creativity and blossom when faced with an ostensibly impossible task... History will once again make its awesome judgement of you – but from now on with greater respect because you cannot any longer be underestimated.

In addition Icograda presented the Branding and Innovalue seminar and an Asian Regional Meeting in Taipei, followed by a Design Education Symposium and Student Workshop in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

At the 20th Icograda General Assembly which followed the Congress (the first GA to be held in Asia), representatives from 57 members attended in addition to observers from 16 related organisations, with official membership increasing to 80 associations from 57 countries.

The GA agenda included the ratification of the Icograda/Icsid Hornbaek Joint Resolution to establish the International Design Alliance (IDA), and the election of the 2003−2005 Icograda Board, the first in history to represent six continents.

In February, Thierry Van Kerm resigned and Brenda Sanderson was appointed as Icograda Director, officially moving into the new shared Secretariat in May.

During the same time, ICSID and Icograda collaborate on the first international Women in Design exploratory study as well as on the Interdesign on Sustainable Rural Transport – Technology for Developing Countries, which was hosted in April in Rustenburg, South Africa.

In January, So Tiny, So Many: Icograda Design Week in Hong Kong took place in China and consisted of a student workshop, an evening lecture series and a Regional Meeting.

[80] The Mousharaka: Icograda Design Week in Doha, Qatar, was held from 28 February – 5 March 2009, and included an international conference, student exhibitions and a Regional Meeting.

The 25th General Assembly (25GA) was held in Montréal, Canada, on 16-18 November where Members considered important proposals to make the Council better able to serve the international design community.

Members of the ICoD Executive Board gathered informally with the South African design community to better understand challenges, expectations and opportunities in the region.

That year, feedback from Members from the South American design community revealed that they shared a lot more than just a common language: these design entities faced common challenges from developing education curricula for their regional job market, to working in the context of emerging economies with various levels of government support, to the challenges of smaller institutions to fund, collaborate and publish design-related research, and that collaboration could be fostered within the Council framework.

Discussions revolved around the broad question: What if Design—perceptive in its understanding of the past, and prescient in its talent at re-imagining a better future—is in a unique position to offer a clear path through this shift?

The Council held a Regional Meeting of European Members (RM Europe 2019) on 20-21 June 2019 in Matosinhos (Portugal), hosted by the Porto Design Biennale organisation and the research arm of Portuguese University ESAD (esad-idea).

The Council's 28th General Assembly (28GA) was held on 29 November 2019 in tandem with the ICoD Platform Meeting on 01 December 2019, at the Emily Carr University campus in Vancouver (Canada).

In February of 2020, Member The African Institute of the Interior Design Professions (IID) invited the Council to participate in an event entitled Our Time is Now, held in Johannesburg (South Africa).