Why the Guild exists — and why members get a vote

The Guild of Digital Craft was created for one reason: to further the work and the craft of the people who make things with digital tools. Programmers, 3D artists, animators, photographers, designers and filmmakers — the people whose skill, patience and care shape so much of the world we now live in.

Guilds have always done this. They brought together the people who shared a craft, set the standard for the work, trained apprentices into masters and looked after their members. We want to do the same for digital craft: to incubate new talent, support the people already working in it, and give the craft the recognition it deserves.

A guild run with its members

A guild is only as strong as the people in it, so we want our members to have a real say in how this one grows. That is why every paid Guild membership comes with the right to vote on certain Guild decisions — including which features to add to the site, and which to remove.

Here is how it works:

• Votes appear in your dashboard. When a decision is put to the members, it shows up in the new Vote tab of your dashboard, with the question, some background and the choices.
• One member, one vote. Each Guild member casts a single vote on each question, and every vote counts equally.
• No early totals. The count stays hidden while voting is open, so nobody is swayed by how a vote seems to be going.
• Results are shared. When a vote closes, the result is shown in the Vote tab and announced here on the News page.

A rare thing for a membership

Most memberships give you access to something. Very few give you a say in the thing itself. Being able to vote on how the Guild develops is a feature you will rarely find in any membership, and it reflects what we believe a guild should be: something its members shape together, not something that is simply handed to them.

Anyone with a free account can see the questions being voted on, but only Guild members can cast a vote. To take part, create a free account, then join from the Guild membership tab in your dashboard.

Early days

The Guild is still in its early days, and it will keep developing over time — with new courses, new features for members and, through the vote, a direction that members help to set.

We would love to hear what you think. If you have feedback, ideas, or something you would like the Guild to offer, please send it using the form below.