Professional membership with MGDC designation is not only a badge of honour, but a powerful identifier that differentiates you as a trained, experienced, professional. Still, many designers choose not to join. Why is this?

Perhaps the role or value of the GDC is not clearly understood within the design community and efforts should be made to improve our image? If you have not joined or renewed your membership, tell us why. If there are specific concerns you have with the organization or have suggestions for improvements, please share your thoughts with us so that we may learn how to better serve the needs of our community? Help us help you.

1. Matt SamyciaWood Says:
   February 23rd, 2006 at 4:38 pm

   I am in the process of becoming a member but have resisted it for a long time. Why now, because I see a shift in the GDC, there is new blood in the organisation and I want to be part of this growth.

   Also, in the past the initial membership fee I related to as too high and I did not understand the value of the membership.

   What would be great to see is an Ad/PR campaign targeted at clients so that they become aware of the GDC and the benefits that members have to offer. For clients to ask a potential designer if they are a GDC member before they hire them would be a tipping point for the GDC and it’s membership.

2. Riley Haslinger Says:
   February 24th, 2006 at 12:55 pm

   One of the issues that came up at the AGM is the need to get the members to buy into the idea of using thier proffessional designation in thier day to-day work. So update the footer on your email. Add it to the new business cards you are printing. Take pride!

   Riley Haslinger MGDC

3. Laurel Says:
   February 27th, 2006 at 9:25 am

   I joined specifically for the professional designation and have used it on my business cards ever since. The only problem has been that people don’t know what it means.

   I think the fees are totally in line with other professional memberships fees and feel fine about paying them.

   I did let my membership lapse after one year because I wasn’t feeling the benefit, but I realize this is likely due to not participating or seeking out any meaningful connection to the organization. Maybe I’ll get more involved this time around. I would like the designation to be more broadly understood.

4. Don Eglinski Says:
   March 15th, 2006 at 11:26 am

   I know a designer from Calgary who was in the application process many years ago, but refused to join after a combination of things: a) Apparently the old GDC site was horrid, not a good sign. b) When he met the representatives, they were late and had brought children with them, as though they were on their way somewhere. c) He disagreed with their opinion of some of his work, which is totally fair. However, this person holds their own in Calgary, having worked with Adobe, EyeWire (now Veer), and hosts a very respectable client roster.

   As far as I know, he’s never had a good opinion about the GDC since then.

   On a more local note (Edmonton), I’d say a majority of illustrators and designers I meet have never even heard of the GDC.

   On a personal note, I think that the GDC chapter logo should be displayed by LGDC and MGDC members, as our work sponsors the GDC and the GDC should sponsor its members in recognition. I know I looked into this last year and got responses that the logo was not for use that way, though I have yet to actually read the membership entry on this (due to forgetfulness).

   The last thing, and a major one at that, is the quality of GDC work. Graphex is a great in that it will exhibiti the best work from across Canada. However, I know when I’ve forwarded the GDC to acquaintances of mine, they’ve frowned at some of the antiquated design work being done by members. Personally, I don’t claim to be any greater than anyone else, and I acknowledge that I am always learning. At the suggestion of my last GDC review, I’ve spent the past half-year immersed in great typographic books.

   So this boils down to a couple things, that a young generation of designers are not looking to Canadians for inspiration in the field of design, or not to many GDC members, at least, and that I can personally vouch for the sad state of some of the education I received in post-secondary, which has led to me having to essentially self-educate myself after raising almost $18,000 in student debt.

   (At one institute I attended, in our Photoshop class, the students and teacher took a sample Adobe Certification test. I passed the test, along with another two students, yet the teacher failed it. Just an example.)

   Is there a standard for which designers in the GDC must maintain a certain level of design prowess and, bluntly, to be “hip” to the times? As society and cultures shifts, so does forms of communication, which is at the heart of our design. If designers grow too comfortable and lose touch with new technologies and the vernacular of the int’l design community, then to whom do we look for inspiration and professionalism?

   Just some thoughts…

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