In the current issue of Artichoke Magazine, our CEO Jo-Ann Kellock dives into our designers, their valuable reputations, and what it means to be distinguished as a DIA - Accredited Designer™. And why the DIA has applied to the Professional Standards Council for registration of its accreditation scheme.

DIA first introduced its Accredited Designer™ program in 2003. For two decades, it has championed learning and development as a way for design practitioners to maintain their currency of skills and knowledge and their relevance to the profession.  

For clients, identifying suitable designers can be complex, daunting and time-consuming, and that's why the Accredited Designers™ program distinguishes Australia's most experienced and knowledgeable design practitioners and provides a formal marker for designers and their valuable reputations.

DIA's research suggests that design firms and agencies, big and small, attract and retain their best talent and motivate their design staff through a culture of professionalism and continuous learning. The professional designer also bears a responsibility to maintain high practice standards. Not only do high standards of design practice produce better outcomes for clients and society, but they build the reputation, earning capacity and status of the design professions.

High standards also provide a level of consumer protection. DIA Accredited Designers™ are identified through digital channels and promoted to the broader consumer market as meeting the required professional standards for a designer.  

To be part of the DIA Accredited Designer™ program, designers are asked to:

• demonstrate core competencies of a professional designer (Degree or above)

• commit to a designer code of conduct

• agree to abide by a set of guidelines for the discipline in which they practice

• participate in an annual Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program

• have a minimum of 5 years of experience 

Participants in the DIA Accredited Designer™ program are expected to accrue 50 CPD points per annum. DIA has also established a CPD Provider Network, which identifies high-quality and affordable training programs across Australia and allocates a certain number of CPD points for completion and or participation. 

Educators, suppliers to the design sector and design practices may also participate in the Provider Network, where face-to-face and online learning platforms play a crucial role in disseminating current information and Practice Notes. CPD points can be earned by participating in courses, site tours, conferences, seminars, workshops and authoring and teaching. The program extends to include learning through providers such as Architecture Media, Dulux, Stylecraft, Laminex and Planned Cover.

Whatever learning method is employed, the purpose is to develop and update knowledge and skills to continue providing a high-quality, ethical standard of practice to clients, employers and staff. The credibility of the design profession and its maintenance of high-quality standards of practice rests on the commitment of all members to CPD.

Once fully accredited, designers will be issued a certificate and permitted to use the DIA's Accredited Designer™ logo and post-nominals to promote their professional credentials. This helps designers to build their reputations and provides a means for clients to minimise their risk of engaging a practitioner without the credentials to complete the job. 

DIA is uniquely positioned across all design sectors and works with leading designers to inform best practices in its Practice Notes. In a rapidly changing world, where multidiscipline methods are becoming increasingly more common, and designers are practising in disciplines outside their qualification, the DIA Accredited Designer™ framework is unique in its offering of professional standards with flexibility as well as pathways to accreditation for those designers who do not meet the minimum requirements.

The DIA welcomes membership from designers in all design disciplines. For more information or to take out an Accredited Designer membership.

Jo-Ann Kellock FDIA (Hon), CEO, Design Institute of Australia