Jacques, 



If we go through the points you've made, it may help clarify the discussion:



1) Should a designer who is doing commercial design work (getting paid to do it) have some form of qualification/standard(s) of practice (knowledge, skills, values) to which they should be able to demonstrate they can achieve? 

2) Should such a qualifications/standard(s) be regulated by a professional body or Government?

3) Why are qualifications/standards needed and who do they help/save guard?

4) What are appropriate qualifications/standards to be used as metrics for designers?



Before we can respond to these questions, we do have to provide a point of reference from which to construct a framework of answers.



I can only provide a viewpoint from industrial design. A different framework would be needed for other defined commercial design professions, but this version may contain a number of generic points.  The point of reference is a definition of a specific commercial designer. In my case, an industrial designer. 



 An industrial designer provides social and cultural functionality within the constraints of physical function,  manufacture and cost.  

How do industrial designers do this? They do it through the manipulation of physical stimuli, (heat, light, sound, touch, movement, taste and smell), to deliver meaning (semantics) to a product or service.  



Money is the baseline for all commercial work and so is the common metric for design work produced.  Repeatable success, shown through reduced risk on an investment and optimised profits are the goal. 



Now we have a point of reference, the questions may be answered.



1) Standards are already in existence for design management (BS 7000 series, linked to ISO9001).  This provides an audit trail of design decision-making for both client and designer if there are any disputes or future issues linked to liability arising from the design outcome.  If designers don’t follow some form of accountable decision-making they leave themselves open to financial ruin. I'm sure colleagues have experienced clients who deliberately question issues with a delivered design outcome to avoid paying the full fee or any fee at all. Whilst the design students, with whom I am involved, understand the consequences of not following these guidelines each UK Institution is variable in what they teach relating to design business and management.



2) The Chartered Society of Designers in the UK, along with other bodies such as the Institute of Design Engineering already provide some check/regulation of Industrial designers. This is in part because industrial designers may be involved in safety critical aspects of a product's function (engineering).  In the UK industrial designers do or should have product liability insurance in practice, often provided through their employer (such as the example given of automotive manufacturers).  The Government currently only regulates industrial designers through the standards mentioned, but all Government contracts use an ISO90001-based framework for working and so those consultancies having some form of accreditation are more likely to make it to the second round of a bid review.



The portfolio and outcomes are still the first point of choice for most organisations or investors. However, I would suggest it is assumed by a client or employer that someone who says they are an industrial designer will have skills, knowledge and values aligned with good working practices to deliver the specified outcomes. At the very least, non-payment of fees would be the outcome of an unsatisfactory outcome, linking back to the audit trail within design management.



An additional hidden value that a designer brings to every design outcome is ethics. An industrial designer trained in the UK is likely to have discussed the ethics of their professional practice. Victor Papaneck, was fully aware of the influence an industrial designer could have on society.  All designers trained within the School in which I lecture are fully aware of the consequences of their design decisions.



 Industrial design qualifications should provide an employer or client with an initial assurance of competency when choosing a new employee or sub-contractor.  



3) As mentioned in answer 2) qualifications provide an initial assurance of competency and a standard of practice to clients and investors. The training provides a framework of transparent decision-making that reduces risk of litigation for the designer. 



4) Metrics for accreditation and standards for an industrial designer are specific to the profession. In the UK they are a mix of Government regulatory standards, (BS7000) , industry standards (relating to mainly the physical function of a product) and academic qualifications. 



The competencies outline above are base-line requirements to  which creativity, ability to synthesise available market research and realise an artefact or service may be added.



There is a need for metrics to evaluate the efficacy of the social and cultural function, (a core deliverable), embodied within a product or service. Such metrics would inform and benefit both clients and designers, hopefully resulting in the profession being valued more highly within industry.  The posting by Carma provides some indication of the value of design in the US, but also the issues facing commercial designers.  As far as I'm aware no design-related Institution in the UK teaches research methods until Masters degree level. However, my own Institution is moving towards including this knowledge and skillset to enable undergraduate industrial designers to validate their designs. 



I hope this provides some focus to progress this discussion. I'm sure there's much more detail I've missed.



Best wishes



George









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