This is only a starting point and is meant to be a living document. Feel free to question, add to, or criticize via the comment thread.

THE PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER MANIFESTO

DRAFT-8/7/2013

We recognize that;

• In order to instill real and meaningful change we must treat each other, as well as other contributors, hobbyists, detractors, supporters,  and competitors, in a respectful and professional manner
• We are morally and ethically obligated to create interior spaces that are safe, healthy, accessible to all, sustainable and they must improve the human condition.
• Professional Interior Designers, who are qualified by ACCREDITED education, MONITORED experience, AND are vetted via HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE based examination to create interior spaces that are safe, enhance the health, and welfare of the public while ultimately improving the quality of the users lives and livelihoods, are as qualified as any of our peer building design professionals to be responsible, on all levels, for the execution of the design and construction of interior environments. (This sentence, if you can call it that, needs some work- however it ends up, it needs to be one very succinct sentence IMO)
• In our collective zeal to earn the respect of society via regulation and licensure we have splintered the profession into many duplicate and/or conflicting branches.  Building codes and regulations have no preference- therefore;
• It is in our mutual best interest to work with, and not against, our allied design professionals.
• We must continually endeavor to raise the bar of professional status.
• In the 60+ years since “interior design” was cleaved from the occupational void between Architecture and Interior Decoration a new model of interior design professional has evolved. Our collective professional domain has failed to fully capitalize on the potential of the new professional interior design paradigm
• Society’s misunderstanding of, and resultant lack of respect for, the professional practice of interior design (see Definition page) is one of the primary hindrances to the evolution of our professional domain.
• We must first earn and then continually advocate for our right to be legally responsible for our designs and practice to the fullest extent of our proven abilities
• Government regulation of our professional domain is not the answer to our identity issues- it is however a critical component of our right to practice at the highest levels of the building design professions.
• Self regulation is a critical component of creating a strong foundation for the professional domain.  We must defend our domain while remaining inclusive- a challenge we have yet to figure out.
• While we share the same semantic and practice issues with professional interior designers and interior architects globally, our respective legal and political systems pose many unique challenges.
• The current lack of an effective professional credential and brand identity is another roadblock to garnering societal respect