Membership is open to persons with recognised design qualifications and/or experience in the fields of design research, design practice, design management, and design education.
In pursuing its objectives the Society shall observe the basic policy of non-discrimination. Membership will be without regard to race, religion, political philosophy, ethnic origin, citizenship, language or gender.
An individual who has fully paid the designated membership subscription for a year is considered a member during that year. There are four classes of membership: Honorary Fellow, Fellow, Member and Associate Member.
An Honorary Fellow is an individual recognised by the Society to have rendered outstanding services to the aims of the Society or to the design community in general, due regard being paid to the fact that this is the highest honour the Society can bestow.
A Fellow is an individual recognised by the Society to have made a truly significant contribution to the Society and its aim and objectives.
A Member is an individual whose membership is based on qualifications and/or professional experience, in the fields of design.
An Associate Member is an individual who is actively engaged in a design field and who is achieving qualifications and/or experience to be admitted into the Society as a Member. An individual can become an Associate Member by applying to the Society and can only be an Associate Member for a maximum period, which will be defined and announced by the Board of Management.
Procedures to become an Associate Member, a Member, a Fellow or an Honorary Fellow will be defined and announced by the Board of Management.
A member shall be entitled to append to their name the initial letters indicating their membership as follows:
From 01/07/2010, the Design Society introduces a completely new membership fee structure: Membership fees will then be differentiated according to the gross national income (GNI) per capita of the member’s home country, using the World Bank Atlas method (for details see the World Bank homepage). This means:
The aim of this measure is to help to build a truly world-wide community for all aspects of development and design, in particular by helping scientists and practitioners from developing countries join in.
For further information, please download the following table: worldbank_classification_20100510.pdf
Two more modifications of the membership fee structure are:
Your membership application/renewal of membership will normally take two working days to process. If for any reason you wish to cancel you application then you must do so within 7 days of the payment transaction by emailing membership@designsociety.org. A full refund will be made to your card account. If for any reason your application is declined then a full refund will be made to your card account within 7 working days of the decision.
Membership normally runs from 1st July to 30th June but it is possible to join the Society at any time of year – please email membership@designsociety.org with any queries.
By applying for membership you agree that the Design Society verify the data contained in your application; may use your personal data for the purposes of running and administering the Society; maintaining and updating the Society's membership list; and contacting you in relation to the Society's activities. The Design Society does not make Members' data including email addresses available for external commercial or any other purposes.
You may cancel your membership at any time during the year by contacting the membership administration. – membership@designsociety.org. Your membership will lapse at the end of the payment period. Refunds for part of the year are not given.
If you have a complaint about any aspect of the Design Society’s activities please write to president@designsociety.org. The Society will respond within 7 working days.
