The CSD is in a sorry state of affairs

What is happening at the Chartered Society of Designers? There is still no sign of a director to replace Brian Lymbery; a year-long internal wrangle about how to elect members to council and the apparent inability to hold a proper AGM do not appear to signify dynamic or even sensible management.

To cap this there is now a circular to Life Fellows from someone calling himself the temporary supervisor saying in effect, “yes, we took your money some years ago for Life Fellowship, but we didn’t really mean it, so can you start paying subscriptions again”.

This seems a rather dishonourable stance for a professional society. But then this is the same society that rejected an offer to join others in a single voice to Government, closed down its Business & Design programme, and allowed its influential Design Management section to disintegrate. So perhaps it’s not so strange after all.

However, it is a sad position for design’s principal professional body and not one that will win it many friends.

Jeremy Rewse-Davis

Past president

Chartered Society of Designers