The Union of Professional Designers of the Czech Republic is being established

On May 5, 2008, in Prague, Czech, Moravian, and Silesian designers from various fields of design decided at a joint meeting to establish their own non-profit and non-political organization with nationwide scope.

At the meeting, the Council of this organization was elected with the task of developing the statutes, ethical code, and other documents for its proper functioning. At the first meeting of the Council, Ivan Dlabač, the chief designer of the studio Divan Design, was elected president, along with 3 vice presidents: Veronika Loušová, Martin Tvarůžek, and Jiří Španihel, all of whom are professional designers.
The establishment of a nationwide organization of professional designers arose from the need to have its own body that can advocate and promote the interests of designers much more effectively than individual designers or their studios can. This organization is also created from the necessity to provide qualified information about design to government bodies, other organizations in the Czech Republic, the media, and the general public with the aim of promoting better application of design in our society, as is the case in all countries of the European Union.
The organization was named the Union of Professional Designers of the Czech Republic. The Union will have the status of a civic association. A comprehensive proposal for the statutes and ethical code of professional conduct has now been prepared, which is undergoing approval by the Council. The code of professional conduct applies to members of the Union of Professional Designers of the Czech Republic and is binding for them. It enshrines key points such as responsibility towards society, ecology, and behavior toward clients and other designers.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Martin Říman, and the government agency CzechTrade, responsible for the Design for Export program, have already been informed about the establishment of the Union of Professional Designers of the Czech Republic.

Main activities of the Union of Professional Designers of the Czech Republic:

As the official representative of the design profession in the Czech Republic, the organization of professional designers performs the following tasks:

• Serves as the professional spokesperson for design issues for government bodies and organizations in the Czech Republic, such as the Czech Chamber of Commerce, the Union of Industry and Transport, as well as for creative organizations such as the Chamber of Architects, the Union of Fine Artists of the Czech Republic, media, and others.
• Cooperates with the relevant ministries (MPO, MK, and their organizations) in creating national design policy, promoting the importance and mission of design for the Czech economy and industry, and the material culture of Czech society.
• Is a partner of similar professional design organizations abroad, especially in EU countries.
• Participates in the decision-making process regarding the awarding of official design honors.
• Keeps a database of professional designers - members of the organization for the needs of industrial companies as well as for the needs of state authorities and other official organizations in the Czech Republic.
• Provides its members with assistance in protecting copyright and industrial rights.
• Aims to secure insurance for the work of designers who are members of the organization.
• Ensures compliance with the ethical conduct code of the organization's members in their professional design activities.
• Provides its members with information about the organization of design competitions, exhibitions, conferences, and similar events.
• Works closely with the management of design schools to establish the conditions for assigning design tasks to students of these schools.