CHANGES TO THE SOCIETY’S BYLAWS
GET SEAL OF APPROVAL

The bylaw amendments accepted at the 2009 AGM have finally been approved by the Privy Council. This now paves the way for the final stage in our initiative to set up a Register of Chartered Designers by applying for amendments to the Royal Charter this summer.

Approval of the bylaws comes after 18 months of consultation over the proposal to set up the Register of Chartered Designers. This has included members and the wider design sector as well as government bodies and other professional bodies – and the vast majority have offered their support. The bylaws will need some further revisions to support the proposed changes to the Royal Charter. This will happen later this year when we hold a special EGM.

Under the new bylaws we’ve managed to bring several matters up to date and in line with current best practice for professional bodies. Accompanying the bylaws will be a set of regulations detailing the nuts and bolts of how the Society operates. Here are just a few of the more significant bylaws changes now approved:

• The bylaws now contain an updated definition of a designer which sets out the competences required of a practising professional in accordance with the CSD Genetic Matrix. This now underpins all of our initiatives and programmes.
• A new category of membership, Associate Member, has been introduced and will be awarded to those graduating from a design education or in the early stages of a career in practice. This replaces the old Graduate Membership and allows for a wider area of design practice to include research, management and education. The bylaws now allow this category of membership to use the designation Assoc.CSD. We’ll publish full details of the category shortly, when we start recruitment.
• The Council of the Society has been greatly reduced from 48 to 13, and the terms of office have been rationalised. The old model of Council representation by people from every region and discipline group has been replaced by the appointment of both a regional and discipline group representative. At the same time, the number of elected members has been fixed at three – this is independent of the number of groups at any one time.
• Voting procedures, notices and the like can now be communicated electronically – sending these by post has constrained communication in the past.
• The requirements for all categories of membership have been revised to eliminate factors of age and education and align them with the CSD Genetic Matrix of competences. This brings them into line with all other areas of professional development and various forms of legislation. As well as new entry requirements, the revised bylaws include a proper process for disqualifying members who act unprofessionally.
• Within the revised bylaws there is clarification of how the Society awards accreditation to any group or entity, either acting alone or in collaboration. This is in keeping with our current initiative, the CSD Course Accreditation Programme, which is being currently rolled out.
• With the design sector landscape changing so dramatically over the past year, these changes are well timed – they allow us to move forward and deliver our objectives for the benefit of the profession and the public.

You’ll find a full copy of the new bylaws on http://www.csd.org.uk/index.aspx?id=127

OLYMPIC WIN FOR EDWARD BARBER MCSD AND JAY OSGERBY MCSD

The London 2012 committee has appointed Edward and Jay to design the Olympic and Paralympic torches. The Olympic flame will arrive in the UK from Greece on Friday 18 May 2012.

Sebastian Coe, chair of the committee, said: ‘The Olympic Flame will literally shine a light on inspiring people, places and 2012 Games projects and programmes right across the UK as communities begin their Olympic celebrations with the torch relay. 95% of the UK population will be within a one-hour journey time of the Olympic torch relay, and we are now developing the torch, which will be one of the key visual icons of the London Olympic Games.’

The Olympic torch, expected to be unveiled in June 2011, will carry the Olympic flame and take the 2012 Games to people’s doorsteps, showcasing the best of the UK – from dynamic urban areas to places of outstanding natural beauty and sporting and cultural landmarks. Throughout its journey around the UK, the Olympic torch relay will visit different communities and connect people to the Olympic Games, its heroes and its spirit.

‘FATHER OF BRITISH FURNITURE DESIGN’ HOLDS SOLO SHOW IN LONDON

The first-ever solo exhibition by renowned British furniture maker John Makepeace FCSD opens at Somerset House in London on 16 March. The show celebrates Makepeace’s 50 years at the forefront of British design, and is funded by Arts Council England in recognition of Makepeace’s international status in designing furniture as a contemporary art form. The exhibition is part of a tour organised by The Devon Guild of Craftsmen.

The exhibition is being held in the Terrace Rooms on the Thames from 16 March to 15 April 2011. Several of the pieces will be for sale.

Read more: http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual_arts/1314.asp

Image: Sylvan, chair, c.1985 English oak

BOOK REVIEW

HELLA JONGERIUS: MISFIT by Louise Schouwenberg

Misfit is an impressive monograph celebrating the work of the contemporary Dutch designer Hella Jongerius. The book, which is stitch-bound to give a lovely handmade feel, is organised by colour and contains over 350 images as well as hypothetical conversations between Jongerius and author Louise Schouwenberg (a Dutch writer, curator and associate professor of design theory at Design Academy Eindhoven). It discusses Jongerius’ working methods, disillusion with the perfection of much industrial product design, and the development of her key designs. Two essays by contemporary design experts Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli further contextualise Jongerius’ work.

The title of the book refers to Jongerius’ belief that quality craftsmanship is indistinguishable in perfect industrial products and is only present in ‘misfits’, where imperfections betray the process and the hand of the maker. Jongerius pioneered the reintroduction of craftsmanship in contemporary design. By incorporating crafted individuality into the industrial manufacturing process, she has succeeded in creating eclectic pieces which play on consumers’ expectations of style and function.

The breadth of detail and striking imagery ensures Hella Jongerius: Misfit is the ultimate insight into one of the most creative product designers working today. This extraordinary book was designed by the well-known Dutch graphic designer Irma Boom.

The book is published by Phaidon (RRP £29.95), and CSD members can buy it for £23.95 including UK mainland delivery (overseas costs available on request) using the promotional code in the members’ area of the CSD website.

NOTE THIS

V&A UNVEILS DESIGNS FOR UNDERGROUND GALLERY

Over 110 architectural teams from all over the world expressed interest in being considered for the project. A jury, chaired by V&A Trustee, Steve McGuckin chose seven practices who were invited to submit design proposals for the project. The seven shortlisted are: Amanda Levete Architects (London), Heneghan.peng. architects (Dublin), Jamie Fobert Architects (London), Jun Aoki & Associates (Tokyo), Michael Maltzan Architecture (Los Angeles), Snøhetta and Hoskins (Oslo and Glasgow) and Tony Fretton Architects (London).

The jury are now in the process of visiting existing projects by all of the architects and obtaining client references to help inform their decision making. The winning team will be announced at the end of March. The project is part of the V&A’s ongoing FuturePlan to transform the Museum and will contribute to the development and semi-pedestrianisation of Exhibition Road led by The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.. The models will be displayed in the V&A’s Sackler Centre until 3 April 2011. Free admission.

Read more http://www.malcolmreading.co.uk/vanda
/shortlist/jun_aoki_associates

Image: Amanda Levete Architects design

2011 BRIT INSURANCE DESIGN AWARDS CATEGORY WINNERS

The category winners from Sweden, Germany, Japan, Italy, USA and two from the UK were announced by the Design Museum, and will now vie to become the overall Brit Insurance Designer of the Year 2011. The winner will be announced at the Design Museum on 15 March.

Read more http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2011/brit-insurance-designs-of-the-year

Image: Fashion Award Winner 2011: Uniqlo by Jil Sander

MEMBER'S PROFILE

KEN FREIVOKH BSc March MDesRCA MCSD RIBA

Ken Freivokh was born in Los Angeles, California, raised in South America, and now lives and works on the south coast of England. His architectural degree won him a Duke of Edinburgh Scholarship for postgraduate study at the School of Industrial Design (Engineering) at the Royal College of Art. He completed interior design studies under Sir Hugh Casson and his industrial design projects were supervised by Sir Misha Black, who offered Ken his first job at Design Research Unit. Following his work in London with Colin St John Wilson (British Museum Extension), he later worked as principal for the Kuwait Zoo with John S Bonnington. Eventually, private residential projects found Ken working as a partner in a practice in Hampstead before his passion for yachts led him to relocate to the south coast.

Freivokh and his team have been responsible for the design of some milestone classic yachts, such as Peter de Savary’s tug St Eval, the ice-breaking trawler Fredrikstad, the Koc Museum steam yacht Gonca and the art deco 1930s yacht Atlantide. Ken also worked for Fairline yachts and as exclusive interior designer for Sunseeker since 1993. The yachts have been getting ever larger, with perhaps the best known being the innovative 88m (286’) clipper yacht Maltese Falcon, the largest privately owned sailing yacht in the world. This project won several awards in its launch year with its innovative external styling and quite unique interior (as shown here).

The practice is currently engaged on a number of projects, from 96m through to 141m and both power and sail. Ken has also completed a number of private jet projects, and is now working on a 5,000 sq ft 60th-floor penthouse in San Francisco, a cutting-edge new residence in Israel, and the London and overseas headquarters of a top hedge fund company.

Throughout his working career, he has kept in touch with both the architectural institutions (ARCUK and RIBA) and the Chartered Society of Designers and is clearly a backbone of the design profession. Ken is a keen and enthusiastic sailor – years of racing in the likes of the Fastnet 79 and the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s cross-channel events in his half-ton yacht have been followed by racing in his Dragon Spitfire.