Provisional RGD designation changes to Associate RGD
After consultations with the Student and Provisional Committees, the RGD is changing the Provisional RGD designation to Associate RGD.
Since the founding of the RGD, Provisional RGD has been the designation and Membership category for designers who have graduated from a recognized post-secondary program and have eight or fewer years of professional design experience.
Background
”For a while now, the RGD felt that ‘Provisional’ didn't accurately portray this group of design professionals. These are folks who are in the early days of their careers,” says Nicola Hamilton RGD, RGD President. ”Provisional was originally chosen to signify that this level of Membership is a stepping stone towards full RGD Certification. In actual use, this message isn't clear. Members felt that the designation indicated a level of transience and didn't accurately demonstrate their commitment to the profession or level of experience.”
”The RGD felt it was time to change the designation to better reflect the feelings and goals of this category of Members. ”Because ‘Associate’ is a recognized title across industries, we believe it does a much better job communicating to clients and employers where the Associate RGD is on their professional journey.”
“The Associate RGD designation is exciting for emerging designers,” adds Rupsha Mutsuddi Associate RGD, Chair of the Associate RGD Committee & Vice Chair of the Education Committee. “I feel it better encapsulates our commitment to upholding industry standards, cultivating our acumen in the professional world and ultimately working to become Certified RGDs. We've been able to share the update with a few focus groups, and the news has been met with a lot of enthusiasm. I'm excited to see it come into effect in the next little while.”
“It's our hope that Associate RGDs feel that the new designation is more representative of their skills and abilities, and is a designation they can feel proud of as they continue to grow in the industry.”
Nicola Hamilton RGD
What you need to know if you’re a Provisional RGD
Please update your designation to Associate RGD across all of your online and social platforms and marketing materials.
A detailed email will be sent to you outlining common places you may need to update your designation, along with an updated logo package.
Updates across the RGD website and communications material
Under the Membership category, Associate RGD will be listed as “Associate RGD (formerly Provisional RGD)” to mitigate potential confusion between the current and former designation.
Given how widespread designations are used in the RGD’s content, it will take time for us to update Provisional RGD to Associate RGD in all places. We’ve been working behind the scenes with Context Creative to change the RGD website UI and navigation to reflect the new designation. This includes the Membership Directory and anywhere designations are auto-populated.
Keeping in mind that we are working to update the designation across all content, if you notice that a webpage, registration form (including those for DesignThinkers) etc. has not been updated, please email Vanshika at vanshika@rgd.ca with the subject line "Re: Associate RGD update" and the link(s) to the page(s) where the designation needs to be changed.
Thank you for your patience as we roll out this exciting new update. If you have any questions about the new designation, please email Hilary, Executive Director, at hilary@rgd.ca.
