AGD membership makes sense

The AGD - a professional association with many benefits

The advantages of AGD membership are many and varied, including assistance and advice, further training, lobby work and price reductions. However, the most important benefit is the network of colleagues itself, which can be crucial when a designer has a major commission to perform or an urgent problem to solve. A summary of advantages for members:

Legal Advice

Comprehensive advice on legal issues is an essential aspect of AGD membership. Selected lawyers are available at all times for consultation on all relevant matters.

Tax Consultancy

The AGD tax advisers offers friendly, expert advice - every working day throughout the year. Phone consultation, like legal advice, is free to AGD members.

Collective Agreement on Fees for Design Services

For almost 30 years the Collective Agreement on Fees for Design Services (Vergütungstarifvertrag Design or VTV) has set out the standard tariff for design work. The wide range of possible design commissions means that individual calculations are required for every case – and this Collective Agreement establishes a framework which permits this. It provides clients as well as designers with guidelines and security.

Specialist information for professional designers

The AGD publishes specialist information packs on all issues of interest to professional designers, and these publications are constantly updated. Together they form a sizeable compendium which is provided to every member as basic equipment. You can find a list of the specialist information packs published to date here.

Lectures and Seminars

The range of seminars organised by the AGD is extensive, from Start-Up seminars for newcomers to the profession to seminars on Client Acquisition, Dealing with Objections and Price Negotiation. As a member of the AGD you pay a reduced fee for conferences and seminars.

Annual Conference "Designers at Waldeck"

A high point of each year is the AGD Conference “Designers at Waldeck“, which is held at Waldeck Castle, above Lake Ederstau in Hessen. Designers present work and projects of interest in specialist lectures, exhibitors display new trends in the industry, and contact with colleagues can be established in relaxed, informal surroundings. For the three-day event AGD members pay 50 euros or, if they take advantage of the early booking reduction, just 30 euros.

AGD Handbook

This list of AGD members, with photographs and short descriptions, is an excellent means of communication to help designers keep in touch with each other. It is also a marketing tool, since it is printed in large numbers and sent out to potential clients, among others.

AGD Quarterly

Four times a year members receive the AGD Quarterly, with interesting information about events, important dates and significant work by colleagues.

Special rates for publications

As a member of AGD you can subscribe to a whole range of trade publications at special rates, with a discount of between 15 and 20 percent: Designers Digest, Design Report, form Zeitschrift für Gestaltung, Graphis, novum Gebrauchsgrafik, PAGE, wörkshop