Dear Don,
I would agree, it is about delivery of an appropriate end result. However those who invest in design, particularly in industrial or product design, are looking to have the least financial risk associated with their choice of designer to do or lead the sponsored work.
As you highlighted, accreditation only really matters for the first job or brief. Whilst some designers may have a clear track record of success. A new qualified industrial designer has only their qualifications and a limited portfolio on which to reply to get their first few jobs. In my experience, many investors and organisations are looking for more than previous success before trusting a designer with their investment.
In the UK, the BS7000 series is an example of how systems and audit trials are being put in place to reduce risk. The risk is the success or failure of the social and cultural function, as well as the physical function of the product or service. These systems and audit trails enable contracts to be more clearly defined and sign-off points agreed.
An investor or organisation want financial gain. Social function may for example, be the increase in perceived Brand value; physical function is usually associated with safe effective working of a product.
I would also agree with Gunnar's earlier comment that there is no clear definition what defines a designer. Design and designing covers the whole spectrum of human activity. We need narrow definitions to enable design professionals to define their capabilities to other professions, such as engineering and business management. This enables everyone concerned to quickly understand what each team member can do effectively.
Within my own discipline of Industrial design, I deliver social and cultural functionality within the context and constraints of physical function and financial viability.
Accreditation and qualifications are not to restrict people designing, more to enable those who wish to employ designers to make informed decisions about their capability in delivering repeated success for their future products. As stated earlier, there are clear characteristics the Chartered Society of Designers provide to the external community about what capabilities each designer should have within each discipline they represent.
Best wishes
George
P.S. I can't comment on my colleague Mark's state of mind, as I'm not a psychologist; however, he does enjoy being provocative!
Mr George Edward Torrens
Lecturer
Year one tutor
Loughborough Design School
East Park Design School
Loughborough University
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 3TU
Tel. +1509 222 664 Mob. +780 196 1673
Fax. +1509 223 999
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/george-torrens/7/3b/524
________________________________________
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Don Norman [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 23 August 2013 00:10
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Must a designer be trained as a designer?
> “…I didn't spend 6 years at design school for a sociologist or historian
> to come along and call themselves a designer.”
>
I can't resist.
What a weird statement, obviously from an insecure person.
I always thought education was for the person. It educates the person. How
well one person is educated -- and how well one person performs at their
job -- says nothing at all about how well another person is educated and
how well they do at their jobs.
I decide whether or not someone is a designer by the quality of their work.
The only reason I might care about their education is if I am hiring a
person for their first job, where I have nothing else to judge them by.
In the world of ideas and professions, some of the best people in any
discipline were not trained in that discipline. When
Design training is very narrow (actually, all disciplinary training is very
narrow). Having people with other training and other experiences engter
design adds to our breadth and depth. After all, if we design cities and
organizations, transportation systems and complex technologies, we need
sociologists and historians.
Let us judge people by their contributions, not by their credentials.
Don
(Am I a designer? I was trained in engineering and psychology. My goal in
life is to have fun and to make a difference. Who cares what label is
assigned to my activities. Certainly not me.)
--
Don Norman
[log in to unmask] www.jnd.org
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