Not protected are designs which

• are purely functional (e.g., the threads on a screw)
• Offend public morality or order
• Go against the law (e.g., the Federal Law on Protection of Coats of Arms)

The design act does not cover

• Ways of producing (e.g., ways of making clothes)
• Practical uses (e.g., flow charts)
• Technical functions

Such things could possibly be protected by a patent.