well, at least he was wrong in 2001, and if he hasn’t changed his mind on licensing yet (which i haven’t been able to verify), he still is. these “ten things i have learned” by glaser have been circulating around twitter a bit. in thing #10 he discusses what if designers were “licensed.” the last line of the article reads, “If we were licensed, telling the truth might become more central to what we do.” what? seriously?

think with me for a minute, about a certain industry who’s professionals have to complete a rigorous period of schooling, longer than an average degree, have to pass the bar exam and in most states have to swear an oath to uphold justice, integrity, fairness, truth etc. and yet it is this same profession that has the reputation of being the lying-est bunch of fools you’ve ever met.

or even doctors, who are sworn to the hippocratic oath. yet the practice of taking deals from pharma companies to push their particular meds is all too common.

no, being a licensed designer will not cause designers to be truthful. a designer who values honesty will value honesty whether or not he is licensed, and a designer who is a fraud will be a fraud whether or not he is licensed.

what requiring designers to be licensed will do, however (besides helping the designers that are good liars excel), is seriously cripple small design shops and freelance designers, and cause not the most talented designers, but the designers with the most cash to be successful. because — whether it be a CPA, a plumber, electrician, or starting an LLC, — licensing, accreditation, certification or whatever means you have to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars to what is essentially a legalized scam. and the stereotype of the freelance designer always being broke is a stereotype for a reason.

no, if we require licensing in our field, we will not improve it, we will destroy it. it is these young, talented, passionate and broke designers that keep our industry fresh and honest. we don’t need licensing for that.