In addition to being a Registered Charity and therefore beholden to Charity Commission regulations, the IED became a Chartered Body in 2012.  This means that our governing document is a Charter from the Privy Council, endowed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which enables us to carry out our activities and objects and governs what we can and cannot do as a body. The Charter is what enables us to award Chartered Technological Product Designer to our suitably qualified and experienced product design members.

The By-laws detail how we operate as an organisation, what our governance structure is and how we interact with our members and other associated bodies. The Charter and the By-laws are both controlled by the Privy Council and cannot be altered without their permission.

The Regulations are defined and reviewed by the Institution to guide or prescribe the conduct of the organisation.  They set out the detail of the day-to-day activities of the IED and provide clarity and consistency in our operations. These Regulations are subject to, and give precedence to, the Charter and By-laws above.

All Members of the Institution, at all grades, are required to abide by the Code of Conduct, which includes expectations of how members should conduct themselves in their professional lives. Contravention of the Code could result in expulsion from the Institution and removal of any registrations gained.

Every year the Council is required by the Regulations to report on the financial position of the Institution, detailing the income and expenditure account for the previous twelve months, together with a balance sheet up to the end of the same period. This is accompanied by reports of the Council and the appointed independent financial examiners.