Membership FAQ's

• Why have membership fees?

  The Design Society is a Charity but the activities of the Society cost money. Membership fees give good value to the member and income to run the Society. In particular, maintaining the website, maintaining the publication database and having an efficient administration all need to be supported by income. The Society believes that the benefits of joining the community are good value and that it offers an important resource to designers.

  Please note that none of the Design Society officers in the Board of Management or Advisory Board are paid. Everyone gives their time and financial commitment to Design Society activities because they believe it is a worthwhile community to support.

• What do I get for my fees?

  You get:

  • full access to over 8000 design-related papers on the DS website
  • reduced registration fees at DS events and endorsed events
  • the option to choose which Special Interest Group you would like to join
  • regular newsletters
  • reduced journal subscriptions and Article Publishing Charges with key Design Journals
  • the ability to take part in shaping the future of the Society
• How are the fees set?

  The fees are set by the Board of Management. The Society wishes to encourage young design researchers and offers an Associate fee as well as a Full member fee. A full member pays £100 per annum (depending on geographical location). An Associate pays £20 per annum.

• Are the fees the same where ever members live?

  No. The fee depends on where you live and work. The Design Society wants to encourage membership of its community from those interested in design working across the world. Therefore membership fees are differentiated according to the gross national income (GNI) per capita of the member’s home country, using the annually updated World Bank Atlas method.

  For further information, please download the current table of countries, their allocation according to the World Bank Atlas method classification, and the related Design Society membership fee: worldbank_classification_2015

• Can fees be paid automatically each year?

  We offer the option of paying by Future Pay which may suit your requirements.

  By signing up to this agreement it allows you to authorise our bank to deduct the membership payment annually from a credit card. You decide the date. Organising this for the first week in July makes sense as this is the beginning of the DS year.

  After logging in at www.designsociety.org please click on Renew Now then tick the box for Recurring Payments Service.

  By following the instructions you should be able to set a date telling you when payment is deducted each year.

• Who do I contact if I have trouble paying my fees on line?

  Contact admin@designsociety.org. The Membership Administration will help you personally.

• Do I have to pay on line?

  It makes sense to pay on line because the process is more efficient but, No, you don’t have to.

  You can organise a bank transfer directly to the Society. To organise this you need to contact the Membership Administrator admin@designsociety.org. You will be sent the necessary information to process this.

• How do I get a pro forma invoice?

  Write to the Membership Administrator admin@designsociety.org.

• Can I claim my membership fee from my employer?

  Possibly, but the rules in each country are different. It is up to your employer to decide. You need to ask them.

• Who looks at my application?

  Your application is processed by the Society Administrator and overseen by the Design Society Applications group. This is a group of Advisory Board members who oversee the application process.

• How is my personal data stored?

  The Board of Management and the Society Administration take its responsibility to its members very seriously. Your data is stored on a secure server. Our data protection policy complies with European legislation.

  We never sell lists of contacts for our members and we only use them for the purposes of furthering the aims of the Society for example to send details of design research events.

  If you have any concerns, please contact the Society Administrator admin@designsociety.org.

• What do I do if I have lost my password?

  Click on this link. You need to enter your email address and a new password will be sent to you.

• I have membership through my Department/Group – can I enter my personal information on the DS website?

  Yes you can. You can change your password and enter your personal details on to the system. You need to enter your email address so that we can send you newsletters and a new password if you forget it.