BYLAWS

1. The name of the organization is: .
2. The abbreviation of the organization is:
3. The organization is physically located i.e. based at Como, Italy.
4. Governing language of the , including all communications will be in English.
5. The Vision and Mission statements of are as given in the “About” section of the Website.
6. is international, non-partisan, independent and private (invite-only). does not aim to generate profits, but on the other hand aims to generate positive non-financial benefits to members through externalities, such as collaborations with other institutions and companies to get discounts available to its members, by taking part in design events to advertise members, and by potentially creating business opportunities for its members.
7. Membership to is by invitation only, and memberships are granted for life-time unless the membership status is revoked or cancelled by the Executive Board or the Coordinator, resigned by the member or withdrawn by the applicant member. There are no fees involved due to resigning, withdrawal, discharge or due to revoking or cancelling. Membership of any member, except the Coordinator, could be revoked. Especially, members whose conducts has been not aligned with the objectives of the , members who are considered for their moral and ethics could be discharged.
8. Membership applications can be managed by the Executive Board or the Coordinator, or both.  
9. The hierarchical order of decision process is based on the Membership levels, with higher levels getting more voice in the subject matter. In case of conflict, the member with the highest level is consulted.
10. There are no restrictions on the number of Members and Board Members.

Meetings

aims to organize at least one meeting every year, to discuss operations, growth and activities in alignment with the Mission and Vision. This yearly meeting is called as the “ Assembly”. Each two years, i.e. biannually, a “General Assembly” is held. In the General Assembly, Presidents and Vice-Presidents are elected through member votes, and any activities events or activates to be held are discussed. The Coordinator, the President and Vice-President must be present in the meetings. The “ Assembly” can also be held by virtual participation, and members could give their voting rights to others through proxies.  Meetings are governed by the highest ranking member present, based on the Member Value (MV).  Decisions are undertaken by the votes of Executive Board, however insights and votes of the other members shall also be taken into consideration. The could decide to also held non-public meetings where only President, Vice-President, Board Members and the Coordinator could be present. In most cases, meeting results, discussion topics and decisions undertaken are published at website, however in case of non-public meetings, no publication will be made.

Member Selection

Each member is required to agree to the Members’ Agreement. The Member Agreement is provided during invitation. Membership is based on invitation, for each invitation two options are proposed; to apply for the Member Branch or to apply to the Executive Branch. Members who apply to the Executive Branch are allowed to take part in the Executive Board Selections. Unless the membership becomes void due to the request of the member or as a result of revoking by decision, membership is granted for life. The admissions of Members depend on the Eligibility criteria of the which is published at the website. Executive Board can opt-in to accept non-confirming Members, if it is deemed to provide benefits to the community at large. All Members must agree to Membership Terms and Agreements. Membership Terms and Agreements are presented and available during Invitation.

Executive Board Selections

Executive Board position is determined by voting. Each member can cast 2 votes; the first vote is called the Prime Vote, and is worth three (3) points. The second vote, called the Vice Vote is worth one (1) point. Each vote is further multiplied by the MV (Member Value as determined in the Membership Levels section). The applicant with the highest score becomes the President for the term, and the applicant with the second highest score becomes the Vice-Presidents, in addition to the President and Vice-President, applicants ranked within 3-10 range becomes Board Members.

Finances

1. Membership to the is free of charge, there are no membership fees or yearly fees or due fees at any point. Neither the board nor the Coordinator will be asking for any fees for membership.
2. The ’s secretarial and financial functions are outsourced to and sponsored by the Coordinator. The Coordinator ensures the sustainability of the , by providing the necessary funding to run any operations including but not limited to meetings, conferences and publications. Since the funding is provided by the Coordinator, the Coordinator has decisive vote regarding which operations to be undertaken and the relevant budget for such organizations. On the event that the generates positive financial value or surplus, this value is transferred back to the Coordinator.  On the event of financial transactions, the Coordinator is responsible for invoicing, debt collection and is granted right to provide new services or organize new events that match the Vision and Mission of .  
3. aims to provide five (5) distinct services that could potentially generate financial value or non-financial benefits. These services are 1. Endorsement of Events, 2. Consultancy, 3. Conference or Symposium Organization, 4. Award or Competition Organization, 5. Research, Compilation, Preparation and Publication of Knowledge. During the Assembly, these services and activates are discussed and open to voting.

Membership Levels

The is divided into hierarchical membership levels and positions. Each position is assigned a member value (MV) indicator which determines the strength during voting processes since the vote of any member is multiplied by the MV. MV above 49 are considered Board Members, MV between 50 and 19 are considered Regular Members, MV between 19 and 1 are Provisional Members, and MV less than or equal to zero are non-members. Board members are given executive voting rights during meetings, regular members can take part in the Forum, and prospective member applications will be considered by the board.

Membership Levels as follows: (Level) : (Title) ; 100 : Coordinator.  (Financial Supporter, Chairman of Meetings), 90 : President. (Chairman of Executive Board, Spokesperson), 85: President Elect. (Elected as President, but has not yet started duties yet), 80 : Vice President. (Vice-Chairman of Executive Board),  75 : Vice President Elect., 70 : Board Member. (Executive Board), 65 : Advisory Board Member. (Executive Board), 60 : Emeritus Presidents. (Executive Board), 55 : Emeritus Vice-Presidents. (Executive Board), 50 : Emeritus Board Members. (Executive Board), 45 : Advisory Member. (Regular Member), 40 : Lifelong Member. (Regular Member), 35 : Patron Member. (Regular Member), 30 : Professional Member.  (Regular Member), 25 : Observing Member. (Regular Member), 20 : Full Member. (Regular Member), 15 : Retired Member. (Provisional Member), 10 : Young Member. (Provisional Member), 7 : Laison Member. (Provisional Member), 6 : Affiliate Member. (Provisional Member), 5 : Apprentice Member. (Provisional Member), 4 : Prospective Member (Level  4).  (Provisional Member), 3 : Prospective Member (Level  3).  (Provisional Member), 2 : Prospective Member (Level  2).  (Provisional Member), 1 : Prospective Member (Level  1).  , -1 : Withdrawn from Membership. (Non-Member), 0 : Non-Member (Non-Member).

Members’ Agreement and Conditions

The Membership Terms and Agreements are presented in a separate document titled “ Membership Terms and Agreements”, Each member is provided the conditions during application. The Board Members must further accept and provide additional “Requirements from the Advisory Board Members”. In addition, the President and Vice President are required to provide / accept "Further Requirements from President and Vice-President".

Requirements from the Advisory Board Members:

1. 900 x 900 profile portrait image of the applicant.
2. A short biography of the applicant (should be around 100-150 words), written from a third perspective. The biography could include affiliations, job positions held, achievements, awards, honors and education and should relate to personal expertise related to the design and management fields, should also include any past association board position titles held before.
3. Strategy Proposal: This is an idea, represented in one or two paragraphs (100-150 words). The Strategy Proposal should relate to one of the following themes: 1. What principal activities could the association undertake to advance the design profession, 2. How could the association impact the design profession, 3. Which activates could the association organize in order to advertise and advocate good design. 4. What could be done to strengthen the association, to reach more audiences or to connect the members together. 5. Any other themes or ideas that could help to advance the association.
4. Board Votes for President and Vice-President:  To determine the executive board. 1. Please state your prime vote, i.e. the executive branch applicant member you vote as the President of the association. 2. Vice Vote:  The executive branch applicant member which you vote as the Vice- President of the association.   Please refer to the list of candidates and check their profiles before you cast your vote if you do not already have a candidate you support. For the list of applicants, please refer to the list of board candidates. Your Prime vote will be counted as 3 points, and Vice vote will be counted as 1 points. After all votes or collected, or after the deadline of one week, the applicant with the highest score will be elected as President, and the applicant with the second highest vote will be the Vice-President. Following the President and Vice-President, top 8 scorers will be assigned the Advisory Board Member position.
5. Agreements: Presidents and Vice-Presidents will have access to the Members Database including all contact information, and are therefore dully required to agree not to disclose member lists to third parties. Furthermore, board applicants should agree to the “Further Requirements from Executive Board; President and Vice-President” section, as stated in the “Board Members’ Agreements and Conditions” Document.

Further Requirements from President and Vice-President:

1. Signature for Membership Certificates: The President and Vice-President Signatures are required for Membership Certificates; and they should be a vector based image file, preferably an EPS or Adobe Illustrator file with transparent background so that it could be easily integrated to membership certificates and the mission-statement page for the organization. The signatures of the President and Vice-President will be included in all membership certificate of the organization and the signature of the President will be published in the mission statement page. If the applicant does not have a vector based signature, they could send a scan or a photo and support team will prepare one for the applicant. For security reasons, suggest that the signatures send by the applicants shall be slightly differentiated from the original signature.
2. Theme of the Term Proposal: Board members are elected for 2 years. The theme of the Term is defined as the overall additional focused Mission and Vision of the organization under the rule of the President and Vice-President for the term they are elected for. The proposal will be discussed in the Assembly, and will be published at website.  This could be a 1 to 2 pages document, also exploring possibilities and variation.
3. Statement Proposal and Agenda: What will be done for the theme of the term, and plans for the upcoming year, list of activities that could be undertaken, to be opened to board voting. The Agenda should be based on the strategy proposals submitted by the board members. Statement Proposal and Agenda will be discussed in the Assembly. This could be a 1 to 2 pages document with each item shortly discussed.

Privileges of Members

1. Included in the Member Index.
2. Request endorsement or support from .
3. Partake in Forums and Discussion Boards to exchange information.
4. Partake in Initiatives, including awards, conferences, symposiums, and meetings either free of charge or in a discounted fashion.
5. Certificate of Membership.
6. Member Logo.

Privileges of Board Membership:

1. All Member Privileges, plus:
2. Title and Business Card of the as Board Members.
3. A dedicated section at the Website.
4. Administrative privileges for the Forum.
5. Right of Vote and Speech in the Assembly.
6. Approve or Reject Membership Applications.

Privileges of President and Vice-President Positions:

1. Title and Business Card of the as President and Vice-President.
2. Signature on all Membership Certificates.
3. Reduce or waive the fees for events organized and services provided by the , the highest reduction rate or fee waiving possibilities shall be discussed and agreed mutually by the Coordinator and the Board. Reductions could be applied for instance, Endorsements, Conferences, Symposiums, Publications or Consultancy Services.
4. Spokesman Rights for matters related to the profession.

Also see:

• Members' List
• Membership Structure
• Apply as a Member