Register a design

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Prepare your application

You must prepare detailed illustrations of your design.

You can include up to 12 illustrations if you’re applying online. If you need to include more than 12 illustrations, you must apply by post instead.

If you need to include more than one view of the design, for example a top down and side view, you must show this as separate illustrations.

If you’re applying by post, your illustrations must be on plain A4 paper.

Rules for illustrations

Your illustrations should:

  • show the design as it appears to the eye, using photographs, line drawings, computer-aided design (CAD) or rendered CAD
  • be the same type of image (for example, all line drawings or all photographs)
  • show the design against a plain background
  • include the complete pattern and show how it repeats, if you want to register a surface pattern
  • only include objects necessary to demonstrate your design (for example, do not include your hand, or an object unrelated to your design)
  • be clear (for example, if you use photographs they must be in focus)
  • have no details hidden by shadows or reflections
  • not contain text, measurements or other technical information

If your illustrations include colour or tonal contrasts, these will be considered elements of your design unless you say otherwise.

If your illustrations include things you do not want to register

You must show or explain:

  • which parts of an illustration you want to register as a design - this is called a ‘limitation’
  • the parts of an illustration you do not want to register as a design - this is called a ‘disclaimer’

You can do this by ‘greying out’ or circling parts of the illustration, or by adding a line of text.

Example 1

You want to register a design for some table legs. Your illustrations show the whole table. Highlight the legs (for example, by outlining them) to make it clear they are the only part of the table you want to register.

Example 2

You want to register a design for a bike. The bike in your illustrations is pink. Add a note that you’re registering the shape of the bike, not the colour, to protect your right to use any colour.

Example 3

You want to register a design for a teapot. The illustrations show a pattern but your design relates to the teapot’s shape. Add a note explaining that the pattern is not part of the design.

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