The Society of Architectural Illustrators (SAI) was founded in the United Kingdom by Eric Monk in 1975 to encourage the use of the architectural perspective or model as a valuable part of the communication process between architect and the general public.

[1] It changed its name to the Society of Architectural and Industrial Illustrators in the 1980s in a bid to increase membership.

This did not work and the name was finally changed, after a protracted debate, to the Society of Architectural Illustration in the 1990s.

This last name change was at the behest of the Charity Commission which insisted that the Society exists for the benefit of the art and not the artist.

SAI members work in several disciplines including illustration, animation, model making and photography.