18(b) How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

Prototypical answer:

i. What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?
More than creating an industry-specific name-space on the Internet, the .DESIGN registry intends to create “focal points” around 11 key disciplines of design. These “focal points” are intended to be communities of interest and commerce.
With regard to those 11 key disciplines, they are:
Applied arts, the use of design to increase utility and aesthetics of every day objects from can openers to kettles.
Architecture, or the design of building and space to accommodate business and daily life.
Fashion, the design of the clothes and jewelry we wear, as cover and as an expression of who we are, where we are from.
Interactive Gaming, an increasingly important category of design that is more than entertainment, it is a key to new forms of education and training.
Graphic Arts, are the painting, photography and other personal expressions that are now also raw material for the computer. The outputs are not just art, but iconography.
Engineering, whether the design of bridges, buildings or pipelines, society depends on engineered infrastructure as a platform for progress.
Web and Interaction is the pair that gives the Internet its visual vitality.
Interior Design is both self-taught and highly studied. It is the method by which form leads to function in the home.
Product Development is only the first stage of commercial success. The design of the product and its packaging, also captured by this category, are key to making the right kind of market impression.
Education, or academic curricula, is designed to aid learning. Whether in a public grade school, a trade school or a private university, how we learn and the course work we pursue are two halves of the same coin -- by design.
Landscapes are like blank canvasses. The ultimate design is not the product of paint, but of plants and stones and whatever else nature has to offer.
Then there are the “communities of interest”
Art and design schools, the same such curricula within institutions offering a more general program of study, students who want to pursue those degrees, the companies that want to hire those graduates, even those already employed can benefit from a central hub of information and opportunities linked to design. The .DESIGN registry intends to create that interaction.
And, finally, there are the “communities of commerce”
Consumers are increasingly attuned to the value and utility of the design of the products they buy. More than color or variation, design advances products and services even as it creates new categories. The .DESIGN registry will encourage registrants to build better connections between the companies that design, manufacture and market those products and the consumers who crave them.
ii. What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
Design has become increasingly recognized for its contribution of daily life. Ergonomics has changed the look of offices, telematics has transformed transportation and utensils that conform to the shape of a hand have even helped the elderly more easily manage mealtime.
The seemingly unlimited breadth of the application of design has led to its spread across the Internet. This reach can benefit from the hub that .DESIGN intends to become.
Design is both a technical, aesthetic and human interest community. The industry includes long-established organizations and associations that confer certifications and designations on their members. But a house can be designed by a number of very different professionals.
It could be the American Institute of Architects, the Canadian Home Builders Association or the Accessible Home Designs for People with Disabilities you seek, but you would need to seek them in .org, .ca and .com. The .DESIGN registry will seek to give more visibility to all by creating synergy in a single name space.
iii. What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

Let’s begin with the value of serendipity.
Rather than needing to know a specific URL to find a certain company, institution, media platform or educational institution, there will be opportunity for serendipity.
A registry devoted to the health and well-being of a specific industry has the opportunity to be more than a logical place to open a store-front on the Internet. It has the chance to give those with an interest in the subject to find what they are looking for before they even knew they were looking. That’s serendipity.
It is our hope that just as people now bookmark certain websites in their browsers; those with an interest in design will come to view the domain name extension as a bookmark of its own. It will seek to be immersive in its experience; we will encourage registrants from every corner of the practice and the globe to be a part of the registry.
Design is, after all, an essential part of every culture, speaking every language on the planet. And while there may not be a singular definition, there is a clear understanding of the goals – particularly with regard to the 11 focal points we intend to create. It is our hope that .DESIGN will be the address for those languages, that definition and those goals.
It is our belief that the focus of the registry, the value of single name-space for the diversity of design and the expectations we have come to know of how digital technologies have changed the lives of consumers and companies alike all will combine to deliver a meaningful, responsive and amplified community.
By establishing certain registration policies (discussed below), it is our intent to keep registrants focused on delivering a platform for consistency and commitment to the pursuit and business of design.
We believe that given the white board of the .DESIGN registry, registrants and Internet users will find their voices and add weight to the industry.


iv. Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
In introducing the registry, there will be a number of restrictions on the names that can be registered in .DESIGN. Some of these are contractual requirements from ICANN, but others are a matter of registry policy. In addition, reserved are the names of territories, distinct economies, and other geographic and geopolitical names, as required by ICANN.
The registry also has a small list of names that it has reserved for itself. Some will be offered via an RFP process aimed at generating important services in support of the registry, some will be retained by the registry (this is a confidential list) and others will be offered to strategic partners.
As our mission is to become an advocate for the design profession and the products and services it offers, certain policies will be implemented to guard against diffusing this mission. To that end, we will have a rapid takedown procedure to deal, at least, with these three (3) potential scenarios:
Cyberbullying
If a complaint is made that any DotDESIGN site engages in cyberbullying (as defined by http:⁄⁄www.stopcyberbullying.org), and that complaint is proved, the site will be the subject of rapid takedown policies.
Pornography
Registrants who host pornographic content will similarly be subject to rapid takedown should a complaint be filed and upheld.
Parked pages
It will be the policy of the registry to limit parked pages. If such a complaint is filed about a DotDESIGN page is made and proved, the site will be the subject of the registry’s rapid takedown policies.

In support of the registry’s commitment to transparency, we intend to host a thick and verified WhoIs database of registrants.
The tactical approach to releasing .DESIGN names will reinforce these values and follow this path:
An RFP process will begin immediately to help establish the market for the registry’s names and services in support of it.
A Sunrise period will ensure the protection of rights holders. Each will have the opportunity to register protected names in advance of the general availability. These names will be subject to annual renewal.
Then a Landrush will open for all. Competition for the same names in both the Sunrise and Landrush periods will be sent to an auction.
Finally, General Availability will open.
v. Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.
All registrants will be encouraged to balance the privacy needs of individuals and the necessary public nature of a productive dialog. From the point-of-view of the registry, the sites created on .DESIGN ought to be focused on facilitating such a dialog about design.
The diversity of approaches to meeting that goal will likely be as wide as the range of sites created in the registry’s name space. It is our plan, by our marketing and our operating principles, to encourage registrants to make a similar commitment.
The registry’s decision to host a thick and verified WhoIs database is one instance where it will seek to lead by example. Privacy and transparency are not mutually exclusive values; each is totally appropriate. So, too is accountability.
vi. Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
Design has long been the subject of media attention. It is our plan to introduce the registry to those magazines, blogs, reporters, editors and others who have made the story of design their life’s work Some of these people may be invited to participate in an advisory board we may create.
The story of design is also told in the halls of academia. There are many design-specific institutions (from engineering to fashion to web design) and more general institutions of higher education that offer the subject as a specific course. It is our plan to engage educators at the local level.
Then there are the growing number of companies that comprise the 11 focal points we envision. Whether an architect, landscaper or jeweler, it will be imperative to reach these business people both directly (by way of the social media) and in the publications they read.
Finally, the registry will become a story in itself. The sites built by its registrants, their scope and insight, will create a recurring wealth of promotion that will likely draw others to participate.
The fact that right now there is no centralized, town square, open 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year means the energy behind design is disparate, with every website needing to stand on its own. The .DESIGN registry will seek to make the energy of the sum greater than its parts.
A registry that can align, organize and encourage interaction will draw the attention of those players who now have no one address. We will employ the full range of public relations, marketing and advertising to accomplish this goal.

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