News From The African Institute of The Interior Design (IID) Professions

The IID is the only professional body representing the Interior Design industry in South Africa. As 2021 is promising to be a very productive year for the IID, many of the structures put in place in 2020 are now starting to bear fruit. These include:

A Bottom Up Structure

The IID takes pride in the structure of a Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI). This has created a bottom up structure that gives members ownership of the professional body. This happens through all the committees being run by the members, who make decisions that are then ratified by the Directors. At present the following committees have been established and are fully functional: Management, Finance, Marketing and Education.

A Furniture Design Course Is Planned

The Education Committee has developed strong relationships with the Interior Design Education Council (IDEC) and the Pan Afrikan Design Institute (PADI). They are also working on the new furniture design course which has been developed by The South African Furniture Initiative. They have also been working with the DTI to develop the brief and judge the furniture design competition run by the Department.

A Focus on Diversity

The Management Committee is focusing on diversity within the IID this year, mentorship programmes, and environmental issues such as the carbon footprint of interior design and sustainability. At the same time, the Finance Committee is doing a very professional job looking after IID finances and have appointed a new accountant on their instruction.

The Marketing Committee is also doing a very strong drive to get the online profile much higher and have been extremely successful in achieving this. Marketing is also spotlighting IID members on social media platforms as well as being featured in Designing Ways. To this end, they are reaching out to members to send content of interesting projects that have been completed. Members can also feature their designs on the IID website and follow Instagram and Facebook.

SACAP News

There is a team working on developing an independent Identification of Works (IDOW) for Interior Design as part of the recognition of the profession by SACAP. Once this is completed the IID will develop the Professional Practice Exam that Interior Design and Interior Architecture will need to write if they wish to continue practicing. Interior design institutions will be assessed by a Validation Panel overseen by SACAP. As part of the process of working with SACAP, the IID have aligned CPD policy to dovetail with theirs.

Workshops

Continuing education workshops are organised by corporates and related professionals in consultation with the IID office. These workshops support our member’s needs and revolve around topics like how to run a business, legal issues, acts and regulations, basic accounting, software updates, product launches, etc. Over and above this, the IID have a host of corporates that will host online talks and webinars.

Corporates in collaboration with IID COO are supporting industry by promoting the importance of being professional and belonging to a professional body. They are also encouraging clients to use designers that are members of the IID so that they have peace of mind knowing they are working with a professional.

Italtile

Events and More

Roche Bobois will be hosting breakfasts for IID members with guest speakers. Roche Bobois have selected two universities in South Africa to participate in a competition for interior design students that will allow the winner’s product to be showcased all over the world. This year this competition will only be run in South Africa.

Roche Bobois

BoConcept in collaboration with the IID will be hosting events referred to as ‘Art Meets Design’, The purpose of these events is to create an opportunity to showcase artists work, and at the same time engage in conversations that bridge the gap between potential art collectors via designers. South Africa has a rich tapestry of fine artists. BoConcept will furthermore provide internships to students.
BoConcept

Affiliate Membership

In 2020 the IID launched an Affiliate Membership category to find a place in the membership portfolio to accommodate the many artisans they work with daily but who have no formal qualifications. This category now recognises the skills individuals have and can give employers and the public peace of mind knowing they are hiring a professional.

CE Registry

The International Design Continuing Education Council Inc. (IDCEC) based in Canada, in partnership with IID, provides a continuing professional development (CPD) registry, also known as a continuing education (CE) registry, to all our IID members. The CE (Continuing Education) Registry gives you access to your personal account where you will be able to do the following:
• report IID-approved courses, conferences, and other events
• upload documentation of your participation in IID-approved activities
• check your CPD credits
• print a transcript of your CPD activity

World Design Day

Finally, World Design Day takes place on 27th April. This is an event organised by the International Council of Design (ico-D). Watch this space for updates and more info.