Who else thinks IDSA is a big waste of money?

“IDSA talks big but as far as Ive been able to see its just a giant circle jerk where the same group of designers pat each other on the back for another great year of status quo.” (MMJOHNS) from another thead.

This quote was great!
I’m not sending $339 to renew. 4 magazines and some emails aren’t worth the price.

Yeah I agree. that is why I don’t join. I’d rather read the news here on Core77 for free and jerk myself off here…that’s what the net is for…free ID news and pornos

Here’s the deal with IDSA- It’s membership organized and suprisingly unentrenched for an organization. So if you don’t like it you can change it. If you don’t participate in a meaningful way, what can I say.

Kinda the citizen vs. consumer thing.

I think it is a scam

I actually really enjoy the mags and emails I get. I am not sure it is a “value” as far as money goes, but like someone said above, if you don’t like it you can change it. I will continue to be a member… even though I am not the best at showing up for meetings…

like lots of things: ‘you get out what you put in’
$399 for 4 mags and some emails is absolutely a ripoff, but if you participate on a larger scale you might think different…

I think it is great if you live somewhere that there is a strong chapter… i.e. Chicago, Boston, NYC, LA. As a past chapter vice chair I can tell you that the local chapter gets pannies, well actually about $25 a year, from your membership dues. The rest goes to National. So if you have a small chapter, there is really nothing you can do but get together at Starbucks.

I too was a big IDSA griper, and my old boss challenged me to shut up and do something about it, so I got involved. How did the whole if you don’t like it, change it thing work out for me? Let’s just say I am no longer a member.

…who needs it when you have core77, designboom, productdesignforums, dexigner.com, cardesignnews.com, …

loves it!

I love it! I think you got it just right by describing it as “a big circle jerk”, and yeah, it’s the same group of designers, and they usually talk B.S. about how great their business is doing. Membership dues are totally not worth it, unless you value adding “IDSA” after your name on your business cards.

I recently “joined” my local IDSA chapter and I find it very helpful; especially since my “membership dues” have been just to show up at local chapter events and donate my time and cash to local events only. I get a lot more out of it that way.

why put IDSA after your name anyway? I had a deisgn director who put that after his. Funny I now have his job,…

My local chapter used to be OK at best in 2004.
5 months into this year and haven’t had an event or meeting.
The National Conference is in DC this year for $800. What a deal!
My company pays our dues and I still won’t renew mine.

Ah, yes. The classic “Let’s bash the IDSA” discussion. Like other posters have said, I think it’s what you make of it. If you just sit around and wait for your 4 mags each year, then yes, it is a waste. If you make an effort to get out and get involved in the local chapter, goto some regional events, then, IMO you might see some benefit. Granted, the IDSA is by no means great, but it’s all we got, and we should try to help it along the best we can.

I personally have been chapter chair and treasurer of a couple different chapters and have found the experience to be rewarding. And I’m still a member.

IDSA is a collective voice. The voice is achieved through elected leadership that represent everyone who belongs to IDSA . Every profession needs collective representation. It provides the strength and gravitas reqired to comunicate and facilitate events and publications and scholarships and interactions with the news and media on National and Global levels. These important things help to grow and create opportunity for all of us.

IDSA is a collective voice. The voice is achieved through elected leadership that represent everyone who belongs to IDSA . Every profession needs collective representation. It provides the strength and gravitas reqired to comunicate and facilitate events and publications and scholarships and interactions with the news and media on National and Global levels. These important things help to grow and create opportunity for all of us.

Agreed. It’s just that other “collective voices” for other professions do the same thing for much lower membership fees. I think IDSA provides IDers a great service, but I think the cost for what it does it rather high.

I agree with phoomp. The fees are pretty steep, even for those who are recent grads.

Overall, I’m in the “necessary evil” camp. While the prices seem to be exorbitant, it’s our only national pro org, and they lobby for the field and make connections outside our realm we may not normally make. There’s the international organization, if you’re interested in that, as well (http://www.icsid.org).

I currently belong to IDSA, and the latest Innovation (if you’re not in IDSA) has an article by Carroll Gantz who mentions that back in the day to get in you had to have proof of designs in three different product categories and props from three current members (I bet the first three guys had a tough time getting in!). I like that model, for the most part.

So, you pay to be part of IDSA, but they leave out academic ID programs that aren’t NASAD certified. I’d like to entreat IDSA to get local chapters to help get involved with the schools that aren’t certified to get them up to snuff or support the ID program if the school can’t do it for misc reasons. It only helps the field overall, and in turn their organization. So, I’m renewing my membership this year.

i’m waiting for the day idsa will give designers political asylum.

or religious santuary.

i alone know 5-6 people who put “IDSA” after their names.

Who cares.


IDSA is a joke.

The Mag is great, but it’s only $30 of the 339. You may want to just subscribe to that. If you are interested in joining an organization. APDF or the American Marketing Association might do you better.
Best.
The Prof.