Become a member of a professional network of designers, agencies, design-oriented companies and design enthusiasts from across Germany and beyond. Our diverse member structure offers a unique competence network. We research and consult on current design topics and implement a broad range of exclusive and public events – from workshops to exhibitions, conferences and more.
Discover more in our Pitch Deck.
Individual Membership (Students)
€ 50 annual fee
Individual Membership (Professionals)
€150 annual fee
Download Membership Application
Company Membership (up to three employees)
€ 375 annual fee
Company Membership (up to ten employees)
€ 750 annual fee
Company Membership (more than ten employees)
€ 1,500 annual fee
Company Membership (more than one hundred employees)
€ 3,000 annual fee
Download Membership Application
The IDZ is a non-profit organisation. In Germany, donations to non-profit organisations are tax-deductible. Accordingly, IDZ membership fees count as donations.
In the case of private individuals, donations can count as special expenses in the declaration of income and are thus tax deductible within certain limits. Companies can deduct donations from profits, up to a fixed annual limit.
Memberships are valid for one calendar year and are automatically renewed if they are not terminated by September 30 of the respective year.
Are you interested in becoming a member?
Please reach out to:
Ake Rudolf
T +49 (0)30 61 62 321-16 | Email
Benefits
Insights and Participation
In our public events and conferences, designers, entrepreneurs and scientists share a diversity of thought.
Knowledge Sharing and Networking
Our exclusive Member Circles offer you and senior staff insights into diverse topics as well as opportunities for professional exchange on current research areas and fields of work in a private environment.
Recognition and Professional Growth
We increase your visibility and international recognition through recommendation and direct involvement as a speaker, juror or expert. We share your public positions and papers promoting your professional expertise.
Expertise
For external inquiries from companies, we draw on the expertise of our members and place you in our service offers according to your professional expertise.
Design Promotion
With your membership, you support IDZ initiatives and formats geared towards raising the status of design and providing impulses for positive change in business and society.
Representation
At the regional, national and EU levels, we advocate the needs of the design sector and of design-oriented companies. By participating in decision-making committees and strategic processes, we reinforce awareness of the value of design.
Communication
Whether awards, exciting projects, events, open offices, trade shows or job advertisements - as a multiplier, we communicate your news and events via our newsletter and social media reaching a large design interested audience. Our subscribers include decision-makers from the major consultancies in the German-speaking world, design-oriented entrepreneurs and people working in the creative industries.
Member Services
In your member profile, you can present your fields of work, focal areas and clients. As a member, you receive information on public tenders, job postings in academia, offers from the member network as well as discounts on events, including professional events. In the exclusive member area, you can post your own offers or inquiries.
§ 1 Name, seat and financial year
(1) The Organisation bears the name IDZ - International Design Center Berlin e.V.
(2) The Organisation has its headquarters in Berlin.
(3) The financial year is the calendar year.
§ 2 Purpose
(1) The Organisation supports education, culture and art. The purpose of the Organisation is the maintenance in Berlin of an international centre of design. This shall work towards good product design, greater awareness of the aesthetic, sociological, technological and economic contexts, and the pursuit of an international debate on all issues surrounding environmental design. These activities are to be pursued in an interexchange of ideas with science and art, business and industry, and the consuming public. The purpose of these Articles of Association is fulfilled through events such as exhibitions, design projects, workshops, conferences, symposia, advanced training, information events, lectures and discussions.
(2) The Organisation is non-profit and does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes.
§ 3 Non-profit status
(1) The Organisation pursues exclusively and directly non-profit-making activities within the meaning of the Chapter ‘Tax-Exempt Objectives’ of the Regulation of Taxation (Abgabenordnung).
(2) Existing funds and resources may only be used for purposes that comply with these Articles of Association. Members do not receive contributions from the funds of the Organisation. The Organisation does not use funds either for direct or indirect support or promotion of political parties. No person may benefit from expenditures that are not related to the purpose of the Organisation, or through inappropriately high allowances.
(3) The Organisation exclusively and directly pursues tax-privileged, statutory ends.
§ 4 Memberships
(1) Members of the Organisation can be natural and legal persons.
(2) The Board shall decide on membership requests, which must be in writing. If the Board declines an application, the applicant has until six weeks after receipt of the notice of rejection to request an application decision at the Meeting of Members.
(3) Withdrawal from the Organisation is possible only at the end of a fiscal year and with a notice period of three months. Retiring members are not entitled to any organisation assets.
(4) Upon a proposal submitted by the Board, the Meeting of Members shall have the right to appoint as IDZ members persons who have rendered eminent services to the field of design.
(5) Upon a proposal submitted by the Board, the Meeting of Members may elect eminent persons as honorary members for life. Honorary members shall have full voting rights at all Meetings of Members; they will be invited to meetings of the Board without the right to vote on amendments. Honorary members are exempt from membership fees.
§ 5 Membership fees
Organisation members shall pay a membership fee. The amount shall be decided by the Meeting of Members. This amount can be staggered. Corresponding members may be exempted from their obligation to contribute. The membership fee is payable in January of each year.
§ 6 Organisation bodies
The bodies of the organisation are the Meeting of Members, the Board and the Managing Director.
§ 7 Meeting of Members
(1) Each member has one vote.
(2) The Meeting of Members is specifically responsible for:
1. the election, discharge and deselection of members of the Board
2. approval of the annual report
3. passing of resolution on contributions
4. amendments to the Articles of Association
5. the dissolution of the Organisation.
(3) The Meeting of Members shall meet at least once a year. Meetings of Members are convened by the Board. The Board shall convene a Meeting of Members within two months if one third of members, a third of the members of the Board or the Managing Director so requires. Invitations to Meetings of Members should be sent or posted with the agenda at least two weeks in advance in text form.
(4) Representation is permitted upon written authority, but for not more than one other member. Resolutions require a majority of votes cast; amendments and the dissolution of the Organisation require a majority of two thirds of votes cast.
(5) A transcript shall be made of the Meeting of Members, which must be signed by a member of the Board and the recording clerk.
§ 8 The Board
(1) The Board comprises up to ten members elected by the Meeting of Members and additionally by the Managing Director/s appointed in accordance with §9. There is also the possibility of co-option of up to two public administration representatives through a resolution by the Meeting of Members. The term of office of the Board is three years; the term of office of the Managing Director/s as member of the Board appointed in accordance with §9 is five years, but will automatically end upon termination of the management contract. The members of the Board – with the exception of the Managing Director/s appointed in accordance with §9 – shall remain in office until the new election.
(2) The Board shall elect a Chairman and his/her Deputy from among its members.
(3) The Governing Board of the Organisation within the meaning of §26 of the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch – BGB) are the Chairman of the Board, the Deputy Chairman and the Managing Director/s appointed in accordance with §9. Each of them is authorised to represent the Organisation. Approval (in writing or text form) from a Managing Director is required for transactions over a value of 500 Euros.
(4) The Board is responsible for all matters that are not assigned to the Meeting of Members or the Managing Director/s.
(5) The Chairman of the Board shall conclude a management contract with each Managing Director.
§ 9 Management
The Board shall appoint up to three Managing Directors for day-to-day management of the Organisation according to §30 of the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch – BGB). Each Managing Director reports to the Chairman of the Board.
§ 10 Advisory Board
(1) The Board may appoint an Advisory Board or specialised committee for all matters relating to programmes and work. The Board shall report to the Meeting of Members on the appointment, composition, working methods and results of the above-mentioned bodies.
(2) The Advisory Board shall comprise no more than ten people, none of whom may be members of the Organisation. These shall be appointed by the Board. The term of office shall not exceed three years. A re-election is permissible. Each Managing Director appointed in accordance with § 9 is ex officio a member of the Advisory Board.
(3) The Advisory Board is chaired by a member of the Board which has been chosen by the Board, who in the case of absence shall be represented by a Managing Director.
(4) The Managing Directors shall prepare the meetings of the Advisory Board.
§ 11 Minutes
Minutes shall be produced and kept of the meetings of the General Assembly, Board and Advisory Board, as well as of specialised committees.
§12 Dissolution
Upon dissolution of the Organisation or loss of tax-privileged purposes, assets will be transferred to the Berlin state government, which must use them directly and exclusively for tax-privileged purposes.
Statutes registered in the register of associations, district court Berlin-Charlottenburg
on August 23, 2019
Download IDZ Statutes
1. Preliminary Remarks on Antitrust Law
Antitrust law protects free competition between companies and generally prohibits conduct that restricts it. This Code of Conduct is based on the fundamental principles of German and EU antitrust law.
In Germany, the prohibition on cartels is set out in Section 1 of the Act Against Restraints of Competition (GWB). According to this, all agreements between companies, decisions by associations of companies, and concerted practices aimed at or resulting in the prevention, restriction, or distortion of competition are prohibited. In addition, the EU antitrust prohibition applies when such conduct is likely to affect trade between EU member states. At its core, the prohibition bans all forms of anti-competitive agreements. This includes agreements on prices, price changes, surcharges, discounts, or business terms, as well as the division of markets, for instance by region, product, or customer allocation.
An agreement can also be established through implied conduct. In addition to formal agreements, antitrust law also prohibits coordinated behavior between companies that leads to a similar result. Even the mere exchange or unilateral disclosure of competitively sensitive information is forbidden.
Therefore, competitors must not disclose competitively relevant information to one another. Likewise, an association must not influence its members' market behavior through recommendations.
2. Antitrust Law and IDZ
IDZ is committed to lawful conduct and aligns its activities with compliance under German and EU antitrust law. To this end, IDZ provides this Code of Conduct as guidance for its bodies and members, helping to proactively avoid behavior that may raise antitrust concerns in all activities. This Code is intended to offer orientation and includes rules regarding permissible and impermissible topics within IDZ's operations.
3. Topics and Organization of IDZ’s Activity Formats
IDZ provides its members with a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience, within the limits permitted by antitrust law.
IDZ engages in a range of activity formats, including board meetings, general assemblies, training sessions, events, and Member Circles.
Antitrust law applies fully to all these activity formats.
a) Permissible Topics within IDZ Activities
In principle, all topics and information exchanges are permitted as long as they have no significant relevance to competition. Information may also be shared if it is already publicly available. Examples of permissible topics include:
- Topics that serve the association's purpose, as long as they do not reveal a company's market position in specific product areas or its current or future market conduct.
- Purely design-specific, technical, or scientific subjects.
- Abstract discussions about general design trends without disclosure or coordination of individual plans.
- Current legislative initiatives/legal topics.
b) Impermissible Topics within IDZ Activities
Within IDZ’s activity formats, there must be no exchange of information or agreements about company-specific, competitively sensitive, non-public data. In particular, the following topics are impermissible:
- Forecasts regarding the future business development of individual companies.
- Prices in any form.
- Current and future orders.
- Sales policy or sales strategies.
- Purchasing terms, delivery and payment conditions in contracts with third parties.
- Non-public information on profits, profit margins, market shares, and planned investments.
- Internal design, research, and development projects.
c) IDZ's Response to Careless or Impermissible Statements
In the event of spontaneous statements containing potentially antitrust-relevant content, IDZ will respond immediately and actively distance itself from potentially unlawful behavior, specifically as follows:
- IDZ will point out to the participant that the statement must not be discussed and may raise antitrust concerns.
- If necessary, the discussion on the matter will be postponed.
- If discussion of the critical topic continues or further antitrust-relevant remarks are made, the activity format should be interrupted.
- During board meetings and general assemblies, such incidents must be documented. In all other activity formats, they must be reported immediately to the IDZ board.
d) Association Communication and Recommendations
IDZ may inform members about objectively verifiable market facts, compile such information, and share it. However, the association must not influence members' market behavior. IDZ does not issue recommendations concerning the market behavior of its members.
4. Admission and Rejection of New Members
The requirements for membership are regulated in the IDZ's statutes. Individuals who meet the statutory criteria will be admitted as members. Any exceptions to these statutory provisions are handled by IDZ in a non-discriminatory manner.
Download: Code of Conduct on Antitrust Law, IDZ Berlin
Status: 06/25/2025