{"id":239,"date":"2010-03-26T21:57:27","date_gmt":"2010-03-26T21:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bend.myzen.co.uk\/?p=239"},"modified":"2010-03-30T17:36:44","modified_gmt":"2010-03-30T16:36:44","slug":"proposal-for-a-constitution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/?p=239","title":{"rendered":"Proposal for a Constitution"},"content":{"rendered":"

In light of what we dis\u00adcussed on Wednesday both in the group meet\u00ading and sem\u00adin\u00adar I wanted to col\u00adlect togeth\u00ader all the things I would like to see in a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal body for visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00adat\u00adors. This is very much what I per\u00adson\u00adally would like to see in a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal body so not every\u00adone will agree. It is also very much a draft, not exhaust\u00adive and as a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal body is quite a prag\u00admat\u00adic thing to pro\u00adpose I wanted to be ideal\u00adist\u00adic in what I think its remit and pur\u00adpose should be. I am refer\u00adring to it as a con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion (very American) for want of a bet\u00adter word and to avoid call\u00ading it a mani\u00adfesto. There are lots of grey edges to some of the state\u00adments as we dis\u00adcussed as a group but I wanted to make some state\u00adments based on gen\u00ader\u00adal prin\u00adciples initially.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting with the basics I would want the body to:<\/span><\/p>\n

Be Democratic \u2014 open to all visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00adat\u00adors who can demon\u00adstrate their status as a visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00adat\u00ador to a level of com\u00adpet\u00adency. I think by mak\u00ading it inclus\u00adive not an elit\u00adist club would help make it dif\u00adfer\u00adent from the some of the cur\u00adrent organ\u00adisa\u00adtions we have now. I think it should also be trans\u00adpar\u00adent in its beha\u00adviour and account\u00adable to its members.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be Not for profit \u2014 ideally mem\u00adber\u00adship would be free, and the body could either have char\u00adit\u00adable status or be fun\u00added pub\u00adlic\u00adally or by trusts or arts fund\u00ading. This may how\u00adever raise issues of priorities\/agendas and interests. Alternatively mem\u00adber\u00adship fees should be min\u00adim\u00adal and only cov\u00ader costs. (This would obvi\u00adously need look\u00ading at in more detail if it were to become a reality)<\/span><\/p>\n

Create and main\u00adtain stand\u00adards \u2013 through its mem\u00adber\u00adship selec\u00adtion via a peer review pan\u00adel (that are demo\u00adcrat\u00adic\u00adally elec\u00adted?) that demon\u00adstrates com\u00adpet\u00adency and tech\u00adnic\u00adal abil\u00adity through a num\u00adber of years of pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal prac\u00adtice or an accred\u00adited course plus pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal prac\u00adtice. I did also think that maybe there should be a \u2018juni\u00ador\u2019 mem\u00adber\u00adship for stu\u00addents, that is not cer\u00adti\u00adfied, as they would oth\u00ader\u00adwise miss out on the bene\u00adfits of membership.<\/span><\/p>\n

Promote the under\u00adstand\u00ading and appre\u00adci\u00adation of the industry and what we do as design\u00aders through:<\/span><\/p>\n

A reg\u00adu\u00adlar journ\u00adal, which would be not just for mem\u00adbers but avail\u00adable to buy pub\u00adlicly and be avail\u00adable in schools as well as uni\u00adver\u00adsit\u00adies and colleges. <\/span><\/p>\n

Becoming a con\u00adsult\u00adant to the gov\u00adern\u00adment for how visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00ada\u00adtion is taught in schools and what pro\u00advi\u00adsion is included in the nation\u00adal cur\u00adriculum for it. It could even run its own course for primary and sec\u00adond\u00adary teach\u00aders about how to teach design.<\/span><\/p>\n

An awards scheme, I\u2019m think\u00ading of a graph\u00adics equi\u00adval\u00adent of the Sterling prize. It would obvi\u00adously only be respec\u00adted as much as the body who was award\u00ading it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Support for stu\u00addents for instance, through a num\u00adber of bursar\u00adies, par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlarly at post\u00adgradu\u00adate level to replace the Arts and Humanities research coun\u00adcil ones. It could also offer talks, sem\u00adinars and work\u00adshops for stu\u00addents although a lot of places do this already.<\/span><\/p>\n

A per\u00adman\u00adent build\u00ading which could house and show\u00adcase a range of exhib\u00adi\u00adtions from small to high pro\u00adfile exhib\u00adi\u00adtions, this could also incor\u00adpor\u00adate space for stu\u00addents to use for their end of year shows. It could become the primary place in the coun\u00adtry to show\u00adcase visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00ada\u00adtion and house a per\u00adman\u00adent archive of visu\u00adal communication.<\/span><\/p>\n

To pro\u00adduce best prac\u00adtice guid\u00adance for a whole range of issues such as access\u00adib\u00adil\u00adity in print and on screen, legib\u00adil\u00adity and read\u00adab\u00adil\u00adity, sig\u00adnage sys\u00adtems, design\u00ading for chil\u00addren, adults and old people and par\u00adtially sighted, blind and dis\u00adabled people. These could exist as work\u00ading doc\u00adu\u00adments that could be updated to stay up to date with research.<\/span><\/p>\n

It could also com\u00admis\u00adsion visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00ada\u00adtion research pro\u00adjects and work with uni\u00adver\u00adsit\u00adies and oth\u00ader insti\u00adtu\u00adtions for these.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regular pro\u00adgram of Continued Professional Development sem\u00adinars. Architects get these why don\u2019t design\u00aders. These could include tech\u00adno\u00adlo\u00adgic\u00adal, cul\u00adtur\u00adal and industry devel\u00adop\u00adments and should also be avail\u00adable through their web\u00adsite to make them access\u00adible to all members.<\/span><\/p>\n

To have an annu\u00adal con\u00adfer\u00adence and gen\u00ader\u00adally cre\u00adate an arena for debate and dis\u00adcourse about design and issues facing the industry through talks, a blog\/website\/discussion board and their journal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be a cent\u00adral resource for design related issues and guid\u00adance, for example Intellectual prop\u00aderty, which could include a resource of IP<\/span> laws and a register of IP<\/span> law\u00adyers. It could also address sus\u00adtain\u00adab\u00adil\u00adity issues with register of FSC<\/span> etc accred\u00adited print\u00aders and paper man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adtur\u00aders. This could be done through their web\u00adsite. It could also have a ref\u00ader\u00adence lib\u00adrary in its build\u00ading and a bookshop.<\/span><\/p>\n

A eth\u00adics com\u00admit\u00adtee, made up of non-design\u00aders as well as design\u00aders to address eth\u00adic\u00adal issues in design (?)<\/span><\/p>\n

To lobby oth\u00ader indus\u00adtries reduce or stop the prac\u00adtice of free pitch\u00ading and free com\u00adpet\u00adi\u00adtions and maybe pro\u00adduce a set of guidelines for busi\u00adnesses on min\u00adim\u00adum pay\u00adment for pitches<\/span><\/p>\n

As Ben men\u00adtioned it could also have a com\u00adpany black\u00adlist of those who per\u00adsist\u00adently don\u2019t pay for pitches, hold free com\u00adpet\u00adi\u00adtions or don\u2019t respect IP<\/span> law.<\/span><\/p>\n

It could lobby\/work with the gov\u00adern\u00adment &<\/span> oth\u00ader pub\u00adlic organ\u00adisa\u00adtions to get effect\u00adive visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00ada\u00adtion high\u00ader up the agenda in pub\u00adlic pro\u00adjects and major pub\u00adlic insti\u00adtu\u00adtions and get design\u00aders on board at earli\u00ader stages in pub\u00adlic projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

It could also work at cre\u00adat\u00ading a dia\u00adlogue between the pub\u00adlic, gov\u00adern\u00adment, busi\u00adness and design\u00aders to cre\u00adate bet\u00adter under\u00adstand\u00ading and recog\u00adni\u00adtion of visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00ada\u00adtion and for design\u00aders, a bet\u00adter under\u00adstand\u00ading of the needs of their users. Although in prac\u00adtic\u00adal terms I have not yet worked out how this would happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

To try and do some\u00adthing about unpaid intern\u00adships, this is a dif\u00adfi\u00adcult area because it would need sup\u00adport from both the industry and from the gov\u00adern\u00adment and recog\u00adni\u00adtion and sup\u00adport by busi\u00adnesses of the true cost (in paid work hours) of design.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal body would of course need an iden\u00adtity, badges, an iphone app and maybe capes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like I said I\u2019m being a bit idealist.<\/span><\/p>\n

This list is not exhaust\u00adive, so please add to it or dis\u00adagree with what I have put for\u00adward ini\u00adtially. Many of these things already exist and but it would be good to have them all in one place. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In light of what we dis\u00adcussed on Wednesday both in the group meet\u00ading and sem\u00adin\u00adar I wanted to col\u00adlect togeth\u00ader all the things I would like to see in a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal body for visu\u00adal com\u00admu\u00adnic\u00adat\u00adors. This is very much what I per\u00adson\u00adally would like to see in a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal body so not every\u00adone will agree. It is also very much\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=239"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241,"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions\/241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awaywiththepixels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}