Practice Note List & Summary

A list of Practice Notes and a summary of their content.

Practice Notes marked 'General' are suitable for any design discipline.

Those that indicate a specific discipline generally contain terminology and situations specific to that discipline. However the principles and methods discussed are often adaptable to other disciplines.

Disclaimer
PN 000
General
Pages 1

General statement of legal and copyright issues in relation to the Practice Notes.

Fees and Services
PN 001
General
Pages 11

Fee types and fee scheduling used in consulting design including some sample forms for determining and communicating fees.
Includes:

Services
Fees
Alteration to Contract Conditions
Collaboration
Three Forms.

Model Royalty Agreement
PN 002
General
Pages 7

Sample royalty agreement contract for use when a designer is licensing a design. Includes a checklist to assist in customising the agreement.

Tendering Procedures
PN 003
General
Pages 5

Outlines issues and concerns with tendering procedures and provides DIA guidelines to potential tenderers regarding fair practice.
Includes:

Current tendering practices
Guidelines for fair tendering
Synopsis.

Contract Guidelines
PN 004
General
Pages 6

General outline of designer and client responsibilities in relation to contracts and the preparation of briefs. Use as a checklist when formulating contracts or price submissions.
Includes:

Designer's responsibilities and authority
Client's responsibilities
The commission/brief
Conditions of engagement
Contract termination or modification.

Intellectual Property Rights and Registration
PN 005
General
Pages 12

Overview of the registration and protection provided by Registered Designs and Trademarks in Australia.

Fee Guidelines Interior Design
PN 006
Interior
Pages 8

Fee types and project stages used in consulting interior design including percentage rates, hourly rates for various skill levels and some specifics relating to retail and hospitality projects.
Includes:

Services provided
Fees
Retail projects - chain stores
Hotels
Reimbursements
Travel
Collaboration with other disciplines
Payment.

Legal Aspects of a Design Practice
PN 007
General
Pages 25

The general legal issues in setting up and operating a design practice in Australia.
Includes:

Establishing a design practice
Purchasing a design practice
Client engagement
Insurance
Taxation
Income tax
Employment responsibilities
Employees and contractors
Product liability
Misrepresentation
Intellectual property.

Free Pitching and Design Competitions
PN 008
General
Pages 6

The issue of free pitching and how it affects the design professions. Includes guidelines of running design competitions to avoid situations that take advantage of designers.
Includes:

Free pitching issues
DIA policy for design competitions.

Disputes
PN 009
General
Pages 8

Dispute resolution between designers, and designers and clients, including notes on the DIA's ability to act in such matters.
Includes:

Types of disputes
Status of the DIA process
When the DIA can act
Notification of a dispute
Dispute resolution
Follow-up action.

Residential Interior Designers and Interior Decorators
PN 010
Interior
Pages 11

Contracting methods, fees and documentation for interior designers and interior decorators concerned with residential projects.
Includes:

Fees
Other issues
Designer's fee agreement
Services agreement
Conditions of engagement.

Industrial Design
PN 011
Product
Pages 6

Terms and conditions of contract for industrial designers.
Includes:

Fees and expenses
Variations
Liability
Intellectual property
Samples.

Graphic Design
PN 012
Graphic
Pages 13

Terms and conditions of contract for graphic designers provided as sample documents/letters including a pro-forma for hiring a designer as an employee.
Includes:

Project engagement letter
Terms and conditions for supplier order
Offer of employment letter.

Human Resources Management
PN 013
General
Pages 16

Legal and administrative information on employing staff for your business.
Includes:

Recruitment
Employee selection
Reference checking
Remuneration and benefits
Occupational health and safety
Workers' compensation
Employment law
Termination
Post employment restrictions
The industrial system
Job analysis questions
Generic job description
Generic person specification
Conditions of engagement

Fees and Salary Survey
PN 014
General
Pages 11

Annually updated survey information of fees and rates of pay in the design professions around Australia. This information is also made available to Members on-line.
Includes:

Salary summary by skill level and discipline
Self employed earnings by location of business
Effect of business size on business owners salary
Salary comparisons by state
Fees charged by level of responsibility/experience
State comparison of fees
Size of design businesses by discipline
Interior design projects percentage fees.

Conditions of Engagement
PN 015
General
Pages 22

Broad discussion of contractual arrangements and documentation for design consultants, with discipline specific addendums for industrial, graphic, interior and exhibition/display design.
Includes:

Identity of partners
Conditions of engagement
Brief and project objectives
Rights and obligations
Fees and expenses
Liability
Modification of contract
Termination of contract
Addendum - industrial design
Addendum - interior design
Addendum - graphic design
Addendum - exhibition and display design.

Codes of Professional Conduct
PN 016
General
Pages 7

The code of conduct required by the DIA and the code of conduct published by the international design associations of ICSID, ICOGRADA, and IFI.

Textile Design Copyright Questions
PN 017
Textile
Pages 17

A discussion of copyright law in Australia including answers to common questions from the viewpoint of a design practitioner and an employer or client employing a designer. Includes examples of agreements used when assigning copyright.
Includes:

Copyright - Designers
Copyright - Employers and clients
Agreement forms

Confidentiality Agreement
PN 018
General
Pages 3

A simple form for use when the disclosure of confidential project information needs to be documented with clients or suppliers.

Project Structure
PN 019
Product
Pages 7

A tabular product development project outline that illustrates the typical three stage design development of a product and the tasks and milestones involved.

Applying GST in a Design Practice
PN 020
General
Pages 15

A detailed discussion of the application of GST in a consulting business with examples and templates.
Includes:

GST accounting bases
Cash basis
Accruals basis
GST in a typical design business
GST reconciliation template.

Industrial Design Brief Writing
PN 021
Product
Pages 15

Methods of structuring product development briefs and defining the scope of work for a product development process.
Includes:

Discussion of project method
Parts list scope of work
Activity list scope of work
Scope of work statement
Systems breakdown
Features breakdown
Project structure
Research requirements
Fees by stage
Notes and exclusions
Project flow chart.

Interior Conditions of Engagement
PN 022
Interior
Pages 19

These conditions of engagement have been provided by a senior interior design practitioner to illustrate a working example of documentation tailored to a mature practice’s operating procedures.
Includes:

Standard conditions of engagement - short version
Interior designer's fee agreement
Conditions of engagement - long version
Schedules and appendices.

Historic Fee & Salary Information
PN 023
General
Pages 8

A record of DIA Fee and Salary information generated between 1977 and 2001. This data has been published to provide reference information for the movement of remuneration and fees in the Australian design industry.

Graduate Salaries
PN 024
Student
Pages 4

An annual survey of graduate salaries tabulated by capital city and design discipline.

See ‘Quality Systems Documentation’
PN 025

This quality documentation is an example of a working quality system used by an established design consulting business. It covers a range of activities including industrial design consulting, engineering consulting and small batch manufacture. The structure of the documents and the subjects covered are readily adaptable to interior, exhibition and graphic design businesses.

The documentation includes:

Quality Manual
PN025-Q
Product
Pages 18
Quality Procedures Manual
PN025-QP
Product
Pages 24
Drawing Storage
PNWI 001
Product
Pages 2
Document Storage
PNWI 002
Product
Pages 2
Document Index
PNWI 003
Product
Pages 1
Backing Up
PNWI 004
Product
Pages 1
Receiving Inspection
PNWI 005
Product
Pages 1
Proposals/Projects
PNWI 006
Product
Pages 2
Task Descriptions
PNWI 007
Product
Pages 2
Processing of Projects
PNWI 008
Product
Pages 1
Responsibility and Authority
PNWI 009
Product
Pages 1

Design for Environment
PN 026
General
Pages 17

Guidelines to introduce designers to the key strategies, steps and tools for integrating design for Environment (DfE) principles into design projects.
Includes:

DfE - an overview
Understanding product life cycles
Selecting DfE strategies
Implementing DfE
References and further information

Design Employment - How to get a job in design
PN 027
Student
Pages 22

This document includes lots of great advice and useful tips for design students and recent graduates from a variety of leading DIA graphic, industrial, interior and web designers.
Includes:

Preparing a portfolio
Your CV and covering letter
Presentation tips
Getting an interview
Sending your application
Choose your employer
Telephone technique
Attending the interview
Communication skills
Getting the interview started
After the interview
Be prepared to work
Self employment
Self employment issues.

Designed in Australia – Made in China
PN 028
Product
Pages 13

This Note provides a framework for DIA Industrial Design members to become more competitive and to deal more effectively with overseas suppliers.
Includes:

On China
Dealing with mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
Notes on part design, tooling, assembly, documentation, IP protection and more.
General business notes
Travel notes
Etiquette and behaviour
Manufacture in China.

Design for Sustainability: Temporary Design
PN 029
Exhibition & Display
Pages 11

This DIA Practice Note seeks to summarise and describe how EcoDesign or Design for Sustainability (DfS) can be applied by professional designers in a commercial context.

This Practice Note is focused on museums, galleries, trade show and exhibitions, retail showrooms and displays, events, installations and marquees.

Includes:

Issues and Impacts
Materials Strategies
Museums and Galleries
Trade Shows and Events
Retail Spaces
Information Resources

Don’t Get Ripped Off - by Design
PN 030
Graduate Practice
Pages 20

The aim of this practice note is to give people entering the profession the confidence and ability to ask the right questions, recognise possible warning signs, and provide an introduction to basic commercial protocols. This document is not for people handling large projects or those starting design consultancies. It is to be read in conjunction with the other DIA practice notes supplied in the DIA’s Student and Graduate membership kits.

Includes:

Work Experience
Employment
Freelancing / Contracting
Royalty Income
Working for Free

Staff Review & Review Forms
PN 031
Interior
Pages 10

This Practice Note provides employers with a system for reviewing the performance of interior design employees.

It provides the means to identify, and track over time, an employee’s level of experience, their goals, strengths and weaknesses, and to make recommendations regarding their future, including where appropriate, advancement within the practice.

Includes:

Staff Classifications
The Review Process
Using the Forms

Design for Sustainability - Textile Design
PN 032
Textile
Pages 10

This DIA Practice Note seeks to summarise and describe how EcoDesign or Design for Sustainability (DfS) can be applied by professional designers in a commercial context.

This Practice Note is focused on textile design.

Includes:

Issues and Impacts
Materials Strategies
Natural Fibres – Pros & Cons
Synthetic Fibres – Pros & Cons
Small Scale Production
Information Resources

Design Contract Documentation Suite

The following documents form a complete project administration system for interior design projects. They are also applicable to large scale projects in other disciplines with extensive documentation control, sub-contractor control, variations and formal client sign-off.

The documentation includes: