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Or, could the real purpose (if there be one) of such independent professional institutions (such as the Chartered society of Designers) be to steer our notions of and our social-semiotic stamp on designers towards meanings approaching the central case, and that latter is to be contrasted with designers in the periphery whose thinking is a-critical because the profession has been so fully marketized, and perhaps this is also true of design educational institutes, and hence design schools and universities (if Clive Dilnot is to be believed). In other words, one would not think of a kind of seamless path, where design schooling and design professional practice support the ultimate professionalization of designers as Chartered Designers. In fact, and perhaps very ironically, such professionalization is akin to a kind of monitoring system, provocatively auditing, challenging and re-shaping (even perhaps correcting) the products of deisgn schools and design professions, which would seem to be agencies of corruption from their point of view (again, very ironically!) You could think for instance, as analogy, the College of Teachers in London (which will soon, I think become the Royal College of Teaching). Such an autonomous, professional institution could well, or at least, seems to me, to have its guns pointed both at public schools as well as teacher training institutes - both of which are always at risk, especially if too tightly coupled with the state's economic agendas, of being subject to what is generally described as (but in my view, too imprecisely!) "neoliberalism". In other words professionalization is not merely a business-relevant enterprise, but in fact could be a kind of pedagogical enterprise, steering designers at times away from what precisely people in business are looking for (e.g., whatever earns good money for the company), and injecting what at times seems a hurdle for money making (e.g., ethical and critical consciousness) J -----Original Message----- From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of George Torrens Sent: Friday, 23 August, 2013 2:37 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Must a designer be trained as a designer? 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 National Institute of Education (Singapore) http://www.nie.edu.sg DISCLAIMER : The information contained in this email, including any attachments, may contain confidential information. This email is intended only for the use of the addressee(s) listed above. 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