not trying to offend…just clarify the role of a ‘governing body’. So your freind was not sued for doing poor ID but bad manufacturing.
lots of industrial designers make plastic parts, rarely are they ‘critical to quality’ and ususally an ME will do revisions.
I’d bet any ID ‘governing body’ would not support the liberties your freind took, precisely to avoid his legal issues.
no_spec you are not, in any way, being offensive. But neither are you convincing me of the merits of your position in favor of governing bodies.
… just clarify the role of a ‘governing body’.
Not my job … it’s your ‘argument’*. I have no idea what the roles of the governing body that you are referring to might be. But if it is to limit, in any manner, a designer’s ability to practice his art, his liberties if you will, it is in my view, completely inappropriate.
The term ‘practice’ is widely used in many professions; following formal education, we acquire advanced technical skill through actual job performance; we practice. The more we practice, the more we learn. In this case, my friend learned to be more attentive to the details of his work. Skills, and technical ability, are not guaranteed by association with any group, and I feel that you are attempting to convince us that they are. If this is the case, we are flogging a dead horse, because I simply do not buy it.
lots of industrial designers make plastic parts, rarely are they ‘critical to quality’ and ususally an ME will do revisions.
When proper molding temps were observed, the parts were fine…
Again, with all due respect; contrary to popular opinion, ‘engineers’ are not the sole purveyors of technical expertise.
when you suggested that ID could be accountable/liable I thought you were supporting the idea of governance/certification.
There’s no way the diversity of the proffession could ever be regulated let alone enforced. (This is not a problem for the BAR, or the AMA or licenced Architects and Engineers. Some designers envy their status and income and wish to emulate thier systems.)
There is no point in membership in an organizition promising to evaluate you and give you further credentails that your college degree. YO speaks the truth, in that the portfolio serves the professions needs for self-monitoring and improvement.
when you suggested that ID could be accountable/liable I > thought > you were supporting the idea of governance/certification.
Then we are in agreement.
Too bad, I found a totally cool image of “flogging a dead horse” that I was going to throw at you. 
What the hell, here it is anyway…
I haven’t looked up the ISDA, but digging on the CSD site, you can’t just pay your membership fees and join the Chartered Sociey of Designers. As far as I can tell, they have to accept you.
http://www.csd.org.uk/membership/join_csd.jsp
CSD provides a membership category to suit every stage of a designer’s career.
Applicants are required to submit evidence, during an Assessment, showing that they are suitably qualified to be awarded a particular class of membership.
This means that anyone selecting a CSD member is assured that they will be practicing to the highest professional standards.
Regular assessments are held around the country throughout the year at a cost of £45.
Forthcoming Assessment Dates
When I joined IDSA, sponsorship by three, active members was required.
I do not know if that is still the case.
They replaced the 3 sponsoring designers with 315 dollars… down from $365 a few years ago…
details and online app here:
http://www.idsa.org/webmodules/articles/anmviewer.asp?a=85&z=35
Well, just the fact that the first words you see when you click through are “To Purchase membership” implies it is an association with a different set of criteria than something like the CSD. I guess that means that one should evaluate choice of membership by looking at your own professional goals and how they match what the association offers.
Congrats first of all to Yo who found his way through the jungle known as the IDSA website to find that article.
The seemingly financially-driven motives of the IDSA ($=membership) maybe a little misleading. The IDSA is a not-for-profit organization and suffers that typical charitable n-f-p syndrome; a lack of self esteem between the balance sheets.
If it were truly a financially-driven organization its membership would certainly cost much more and we’d also get begged for donations every quarter like NPR. On the other side though, I think we’d also get a lot more back.
The CSD is doing an excellent job at creating accreditation, which underlines their mission to strengthen the profession as a whole. This is achieved better than the IDSA, but that’s where it ends. For me the biggest achievement of the IDSA is the social network they have created (and they don’t have lmo and no_spec arguing over whether they are arguing). The CSD, ICSID, VDID and most of the others rarely get anywhere near the one-to-one networking the IDSA puts together. This networking is sometimes just a pub crawl, but it creates the connections that make careers.
you mean like the post party crawl to the african restaurant in the mission, paulH?
Yeah that one too. But I was referring more generally to IDSA local chapter events throughout the year that tend to be social events.
But the example you bring up also underlines what I had mentioned where designers from across the world find themselves around a table discussing the future of ID, i-pod accessories, the price of fish, etc. You get to know some design VIPs at occasions like that in a more casual context, which is a unique experience and also not listed in the IDSA membership benefits.
There is also a CSD Chapter here in Hong Kong but I have been told it is very, very silent.
I host a Designers Night Out Dinner every month here and though I do not do it under the banner of IDSA (until Dec 31 I was on the IDSA Board) if I had not gone through the process of being a Chapter Chair, District VP and Chapter Vice President I would have had no idea how to set this up. The Designers Night Out Dinners are getting rave reviews by the Hong Kong designers (they say this was a long time in coming) as well as the visitors from the US and Europe who join us. Ultimately it is using the skills learned in a Design Organization that helps the profession. if you just sit around and wait to be spoon fed, then your aren’t getting it.
The difference between the membership requirements of CSD (and others) and IDSA (and others) is a philosophical one. The CSD like membership is based on the idea that you must be professional first and then you are admitted. The IDSA like membership is based on the idea that by joining (and being involved) you can become a professional. just two different choices, kind of like Coke or Pepsi 