Ethics in Graphic Design

We have talked about copyright before and now we want to address specifically ethics in graphic design.

Design ethics can take many forms-from the way you choose your project, the way you work with clients, to copyright and legal protection.

Knowing and setting codes in graphic design helps the way design professionals interact, communicate, and conduct business.

What is it about?

Design ethics helps raise the standard of visual work by establishing behaviors and actions acceptable to professional communities and clients.

The Academy of Design Professionals shares 4 points in ethics that are worth striving for:

• • • Strive to improve their professional technical knowledge and skills.
    • Constantly seek to raise standards for aesthetic and functional excellence, design education, research, training, practice, and professional excellence.
    • Uphold human rights in all their professional efforts.
    • Promote the profession and contribute to the knowledge and capabilities of the entire design profession.

The influence of design has expanded from typography and object fields to fields such as healthcare, public policy, education, and financial services. The projects undertaken by designers working in these emerging design fields will have a major and fundamental impact on people’s quality of life and have obvious ethical significance.

Specific codes of ethics

There’s no official codes, laws or rules for graphic design. However, throughout the time, difficult situations brought important topics of debate to the table. Let’s check more closely:

• • From designers to clients:

Treat all information as confidential

In the course of our work, we can obtain important information about our clients’ businesses-their strategies, growth plans, new products, internal politics, and sometimes even their presence. This means that you refuse to talk to your friends about this great project you are working on, dribble, and share horror stories with other designers.

No conflict of interest

If you work with two competing clients and your knowledge may benefit your business, then you must resolve potential conflicts with your clients. Many corporate clients (and some small businesses) will ask you to sign an agreement that expressly prohibits working in other companies that directly compete with them.

3. Talk about markups

Many design companies and freelancers make profits through services such as mark printing or custom illustrations. This is normal, but you should always clearly mark it in your proposal. Generally, if you buy a product or service first and then pay the customer, you can accept a reasonable increase. If the customer pays the supplier directly, some people think it is inappropriate or unethical to include a price increase, although this is not a rigid rule. If you promise the seller your business in exchange for a certain fee or a certain percentage of the bill, it will constitute a certain rebate, and it is undoubtedly unethical and illegal.

1. From designers to other designers:

2. Don’t break the balance in competition

When you compete on price, everyone loses. It is not uncommon for customers (not good customers) to make deals by telling your competitors that the price is $x cheaper, and if you can meet or exceed this price, they would rather leave the work to you. In this case is better politely decline. There are countless reasons for winning jobs cheaply, but the most convincing is: if I want to charge less than design company A, then design company B must charge less than me, and design company C must charge less than me cost of charge less than their fees. Next time I meet design company C, I will charge less, and so on. Price competition makes it difficult for everyone to earn a living.

2. Objectively criticize the work of other designers

Sometimes you will inherit clients, projects or identities from other design companies. If you put forward your opinion (whether expressly or by proving which elements you have changed or retained), your criticism should be fair and balanced. Don’t try to let others down to build yourself. This is the golden rule.

3. Credit to everyone

Be honest and generous with your work. Attribute to other authors, photographers, illustrators, programmers, other designers, etc. are recognized.

1. To the public:

3. Respect the dignity of all listeners

At least this means avoiding racial, ethnic, social and sexual stereotypes. Hope this also means that your work is smart, knowledgeable and literate.

2. Do not make false claims

Don’t manipulate the data (or the representation of the data) to come up with wrong conclusions. Designers have tremendous power in the presentation and use of information. Always use this power for good.