I was talking to some other student designers the other night at the Fraser Muggeridge talk about the D&AD awards and what categories they were entering. They were also discussing some other organisations that they had looked at to join as a professional artist and designer either now or in the future. The general consensus was that whatever the organisation was, it had to either give some credibility to your own work or give you something back in return.
The ones that were mentioned and a few others I have discovered are:
DESIGN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Their vision is to promote partnerships between commerce and the design industry to improve the quality of people’s lives with effective design.
Their three main directives are:
Bringing Business To Design
Bringing Design to Business
Bringing Design To Government
They have a core vision to invest in the future of the design industry and to enforce the notion that design is an investment and not just an expense. They believe that the DBA raises the profile of design businesses and gives them the strength and impact to make a difference.
On first glance they seem a good professional organisation to be a part of or even just to keep as a reference as there is a lot of information on their website as well as links to all of its members, which will prove useful for contacts in the industry. It is quite expensive to join with fees starting at £350 + vat for 1 employee right up to £5200 + vat for companies with over 100 employees.
D&AD
Basically the role of D&AD is to inspire, educate and inform those who work in or around the creative industries.
The most recognised part is through their design competitions, which run every year and attract the leading designers in the industry. Their student awards are probably one of the most popular competitions to enter, because as a winner, you get well earned recognition within the industry.
I have been a student member for the last few years and the benefit to me has been the fantastic lecture series that they organize throughout the year and have been fortunate to meet some great designers like Paula Scher, Angus Hyland, Wayne Hemmingway etc, so for that alone it has been worth it.
They also produce education days where you can sharpen your skills and also portfolio surgeries where you can get the best advice for presenting your work.
In short, a worthwhile organisation to join and to keep in touch with the industry.
CHARTERED SOCIETY OF DESIGNERS
The Society is a professional body for designers and an authority on professional design practice. Their unique selling point is that they claim to be the only Society that represents designers in all of the disciplines with members in over thirty countries.
They are a registered charity, which works for the community with accreditation to individual designers, design agencies and also through training. Their existence is explained as promoting the sound principles of design in all areas and to encourage further study of design techniques for the benefit of the community.
Their three stakeholder groups comprise of, design providers, design users and design education.
An interesting date from their history is that the first regional group to be formed was in Stafford, Staffordshire in 1932.
With regards to joining, it might be worth further investigation as the fees are not excessive and to have the recognition of the CSD would also give credibility to you as a professional designer.
Other useful factors are the training they provide, use of recruitment spaces, libraries and again, firm links with the design community.
CREATIVE CHOICES
Creative Choices is aimed at developing your career in the creative and cultural industries. I have included this not as an organisation to join but as a useful resource for information.
There is nearly every sector covered and provides some great information. One section I have been reading was about how much to charge for your work. So it tackles subjects such as raising and managing money, keeping your customers loyal and understanding your customers.
For me personally there are topics covered such as:
Tips For Design Students
Being A Freelance Designer
What Employers Are Looking For
Turning Values Into Profit
Making An Internship Work
Growing Your Creative Business
The list seems endless and seems a fantastic resource to keep an eye on especially with news and views from industry and even a jobs board.
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Their purpose is to establish, maintain and promote the standards of typography through debate and design practice.
It seems you have to be granted acceptance through demonstrating the quality of your work and the highest commitment to achieving excellent quality in your visual work.
There is also the possibility of entering their student design competition every year which if you are chosen; you then automatically become a member of the society.
Education seems their main goal and has been that way since 1928 when they were known as the British Typographers Guild. Again, using the annual student assessments, they continue to expand their membership, continually expanding on new ideas for their future.
Having read the brief for 2012, the proposition sounds very interesting but would take more time than I can commit with everything else I have at the moment. An interesting organisation to keep a note of though, for further reference if needed.
DESIGN COUNCIL
Founded in 1944 by Hugh Dalton who was then President of the Board of Trade in Government. Its objective then and now still remains to promote the improvement of design in British Industry.
The latest change has been to join forces with CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) who advise on well designed buildings, places and spaces. Now enforcing the importance of design and architecture, they are working to put design at the heart of Britain’s social and economic renewal.
Not so much an association to join but worthwhile including as another excellent resource for insight and networking into the design industry. There is also good information on starting a design business and how to manage clients as just a couple of resources to investigate.
There is also a list of all the design competitions and links to the TED talks, which are another great source of information along with a huge list of Design Blogs.
THE TYPOGRAPHIC CIRCLE
Formed in 1976 to bring together anyone interested in typography. A non-for profit organisation, which is run as well by volunteers.
They organise some great events with speakers ranging from Stefan Sagmeister, Anthony Burrill, Trevor Beatie to some of the major design agencies in the UK today.
The membership entitles you to discounts off their events and also access to some of the member only events. From first hand experience, their events are always well managed and professionally staged plus the organisers themselves are very friendly and approachable.
ALLIANCE GRAPHIQUE INTERNATIONAL
In the 1940’s, different artists of all disciplines started to realise a common thread between their work and the modern profession of Graphic Design began to be defined. The founder’s relationship naturally formed into an association, which shared common interests across national and cultural borders.
In 1952, the AGI was formed with 65 members from 10 countries, originally in Paris and then moved to Zurich in 1969. Then in 1979, student seminars were introduced with the first Young Professional AGI Congress held in London in 1994.
The aims of the AGI are to educate and promote graphic design through publications and lectures with connections to companies and educational institutions.
They seem a very influential organisation and to be asked to become a member seems an honour in your design profession. Again, not one that can be actively joined but another great resource for information as well as the various lecture series produced around the world.
A few others to mention briefly are:
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF GRAPHIC DESIGN ASSOCIATIONS
ACID (Anti Copying In Design)
BRITISH DESIGN INNOVATION
CRAFTS COUNCIL
No comments:
Post a Comment