member rights and responsibilities

Belonging to an international organisation is to engage in an process that aims to increase the profile of design through the collaboration of sector actors. In short, we can do more together than we can do alone. The Council is a vector through which national organisations and institutions can engage their international ambitions and contribute to a common cause. Of course there are benefits to being part of a collective, but every Member will receive in the measure they contribute. Members are expected to participate actively to governance, Council programmes, international meetings and the sharing of know-how and best practices.

ADVANTAGES OF MEMBERSHIP: MEMBER RIGHTS

You have a voice
The Members have the ultimate say when it comes to governing the Council. The biennial General Assembly establishes the direction of the Council. Professional, Educational and Promotional Members assemble to consider and vote on policy and programmes, nominate and elect the Executive Board, ratify the admission of new Member organisations, and discuss an array of strategic matters.

International standards
The Council drafts and continually updates documents that can provide an international reference for your own national codes and policies. The International Council of Design Professional Code of Conduct is a foundational document that has been updated very recently to reflect the state of contemporary design.

The two Best Practice papers on Design Award Competitions (for Organisers and Jurors) have also been recently updated. All Members are invited to contribute to ICoD’s policy initiatives and Best Practice development, and of course have access not only to the documents themselves but to online webinars, and Council Meetings discussing these topics in greater detail.

Council Meetings
Council Meetings bring together Member representatives to discuss topics of particular temporal or regional interest. These meetings include the General Meetings, Platform Meetings (cross-category international Member meetings), Regional Meetings (meeting of Member and non-member entities in a region). Meetings are an important space in which to network, share know-how, and discuss the future of the design profession.

Promotion through ICoD network
All ICoD Members receive a personalised Member organisation profile in the ICoD website and in the
international Member directory. They receive an annual Membership badge through which they can promote their status on their own communications materials. Members have the right to have their news and events promoted through the Council’s various platforms.

Networking
Member organisations are encouraged to connect and build networks with other ICod networks worldwide. Members have exclusive access to direct contact information of key Member representatives and the Council creates touch points through in-person and virtual meetings, collaborative projects and other facilitation. Members are connected to Special Meeting network, to the Design Declaration Summit network and to our network of Lifetime Friends and Affiliates through activities, programmes and meetings.

Member Event recognition and Awards
All Members receive an “ICoD Member Event” seal that demonstrates that their events adhere to international best practice standards and promote professional practice and ethics. All Members are entitled to have one one event per year promoted on its own page on the ICoD website and calendar. These Member Events receive promotion on our website, newsletter and social media pages. ICoD Member Events have the opportunity to award an ICoD Excellence Award as part of its prize structure.

Career Centre
Our Career Centre allows Members to share and access about high-level design employment opportunities on offer around the world. Members receive one free job posting per year and a fifty percent discount on regular pricing rates for subsequent postings. All job postings will be additionally promoted on the ICoD website homepage and social media pages.

Access to internal resources
Members receive access to a Member area of the website, containing important information, core governance docs and useful resources.

MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES

The overarching responsibility of every Member is to take an active role in the international design community through enthusiastic participation. This Council is its Members. If we share information and pool resources, we gain strength together. That means that every Member has the responsibility to maintain and strengthen connections between their local communities and the international community.

Your news is of interest to other Members, as theirs is to you: Have you struggled this year to solve an issue in your community? This is of interest to your fellow Members. Solutions shared are time and effort saved. Are there issues you think would be better solved together? We would like to hear about that too. A «good» Member is a Member who maintains an active connection between the regional, national and international design communities, who participates in events and initiatives, and who generally takes an interest.

MEMBER OBLIGATIONS

When you choose to become a Member of the Council, you pledge to adhere to the formal conditions of ICoD Membership as defined in the Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws. These conditions are concerned with qualifications and financial responsibility and are designed to make ICoD function as a cooperative, communicative organisation for the benefit of its Members throughout the world. These obligations include:

Dues
To pay annual membership dues on time and inform the Council of any anticipated change in Membership status 6 months before the following billing cycle.

Communication
To appoint an ico-D correspondent responsible for general liaison between Member associations and ico-D and between ico-D and the association’s members. To inform the ICoD Secretariat of up-to- date total membership counts and details of any changes in status, function or activity. To notify the Secretariat of intention to participate in Council Meetings in a timely manner.

National and Regional representation
To act as a connector between professional and educational representatives in their own country and to actively engage in disseminating ICoD information to their membership. To act as an ambassador to visiting ICoD Member associations from other countries.

Council Meetings
To participate actively in Council activities, including Council Meetings, in matters of Council governance and in contributing material, know-how and information to these Member forums.