IT'S TIME FOR CERTIFICATION
Eight years ago, designer Ellen Shapiro proposed a solution to help clients distinguish between novice and professional designers. Lauri Baram was listening.
Today, design is king. There
are more than 350,000 graphic designers in the U.S. alone. Corporate
America understands that good design is good business. But the
distinction between the professional designer and the client's nephew
who built his own Web page isn't any clearer.
A voluntary
graphic-design certification program would get the attention of serious
clients who appreciate the advantages of working with professionals. It
would also help untrained buyers make qualified decisions. As other
business communicators are taking advantage of certification, creating
comparable credentials would reinforce our own position as strategic
partners. (The Public Relations Society of America and the American
Marketing Assn., among others, offer certification.)
Certification
would raise professional standards and educate the public on the
importance of design. It would enhance designers' profiles, increase
respect for the profession and create business opportunities. Having
initials after your name would show clients that you have the
experience and education to understand their design and business needs.
In addition to being voluntary, certification should be based
upon combined education, experience and testing. It shouldn't judge
talent. It should test proficiency and skills in areas that are
quantifiable and indicate that a designer is able to complete projects
at a high competency level.
The Assn. of Registered Graphic
Designers of Ontario, Canada, (www.argdon.org) offers a model:
Candidates need at least seven years of combined design education and
professional experience, and must be prepared to function as
"independent, responsible businesspeople." They take a written test on
four topics: business; technology; design history, principles and
research; and rules of professional conduct. A portfolio interview is
also required, but taste and style are not judged.
The
Graphic Artists Guild has studied both the demand for and methods to
accomplish certification. And there are companies that specialize in
creating tests, making needs assessments and marketing certification
programs.
It's time for all design organizations to pool
resources and form an alliance to create a certification board. A good
example is the group of seven design organizations represented in the
National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). In 1993,
the executive vice president of the NCIDQ said that the interior-design
profession is as broad and diverse as graphic design, and that
developing its program was a daunting challenge, but "now the research
and results speak for themselves."
In addition, the Assn. of
Medical Illustrators found that, shortly after initiating its
certification program in 1991, clients began asking for board-certified
medical illustrators; now it's pretty much a necessity for working in
the medical/legal field. And in Ontario, employers increasingly are
looking for job candidates with an RGD (Registered Graphic Designer)
designation.
As Ellen Shapiro did eight years ago, I ask the
design community to stop reading and start acting. If you want to have
input into the inception of a certification program, contact the GAG or
your own organization's leaders. There's a lot to do before you can
have those initials.
For more information, contact:
Lauri Baram
E:
W: www.gag.org
About this article
Reprinted with permission from HOW magazine, February 2002.
About the Author
Lauri Baram is principal of Panarama Design in Clifton Park, NY, and a
member of the Graphic Artists Guild s national Executive Committee.
HOW Magazine provides graphic-design professionals with essential business information, features cutting-edge technological advances, profiles renowned and up-and-coming designers, details noteworthy projects and provides creative inspiration.