I certainly consider them a designer breed. They were intentionally bred for their size & size alone. They had no other purpose than to become a smaller aussie, one that would be more "suitable" for smaller living spaces. Makes no sense for an Aussie as they are a VERY active breed. And in all actuality there really isn't that much of a difference in size with the mini aussies & the aussies which 's me off even more.

In a way because they are bred from the smaller lines of aussies they are supposed to have the same disposition & health but because the smaller aussies are obviously not the perfect example of the breed many came with health & temperament issues. Taking that & adding in the mix that the reputable breeders do not breed dogs that are not of correct nature leaves you with many "mini aussies" that have health & behavioral issues.
Sure not every one of them will have problems as some breeders will take the decent ones & breed them thus getting stronger, healthier more well balanced dogs. But it is still the wrong way to go about producing a new breed.

In my personal experience, I have seen & worked with & around many "mini" aussies I have noticed that a lot of them have obvious health problems, more protruding eyes, bulgy joints, eyesight & hearing problems etc... I have also noticed that many of them have personality differences and seem to be a little more difficult to train, the trainers I work with see the same thing as well. Which would all stem from the theory of starting this breed from Aussies that were not of correct nature.

PS, there is no such thing as the "Standard Aussie" it is the Australian Shepherd. I know it may be easier to refer to them as the standard when discussing mini's but I try not to as then you would in a way be supporting the idea of continuing to breed "designer" breeds.