BALTIMORE, January 14, 2010:  Floral design artists anxious to earn the floral industry’s coveted new Certified Floral Designer (CFD) designation are being reminded by the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) that the deadline to submit an application for this year’s evaluations is April 15.
To be eligible to be evaluated, a design artist must first successfully complete one of five education pathways. Included in the education pathways is one that recognizes a designer’s past experiences (three years or more in floral industry). Other pathways are: completion of courses that meet learning objectives as established by AIFD and offered by approved private floral design schools or state floral association certification programs, completion of a series of online and hands-on courses offered by AIFD and completion of undergraduate degree or studies in approved programs.
Once an interested floral designer has completed an education pathway, he or she may then enroll into AIFD’s two-part Professional Floral Design Evaluation (PFDE) system.
The CFD candidate will then receive a copy of "The AIFD Guide to Floral Design: Terms, Techniques and Traditions" and will be instructed to go online to take the first part of the PFDE: an online test based on educational objectives and knowledge that can be obtained from the AIFD reference tool. They must successfully complete the online test by April 30.
After successfully completing an education pathway and scoring 80 percent or better on the online test, the candidate is then fully eligible to participate in the second phase of the PFDE – a hands-on design session in which he or she demonstrates his or her design proficiencies. The next live PFDE session will take place on July 1, 2010 in Boston one day prior to the opening of AIFD’s National Symposium "Revolution". Advance registration is required and must be received by May 1.
During the live evaluation, candidates will have four hours to create five specific designs which will then be evaluated by seven distinguished AIFD members. AIFD provides each candidate with all flowers and hardgoods necessary to complete the designs. To enroll to earn a CFD or to just learn more about this new floral industry recognition program, go to www.aifd.org.