Personal Analysis of Ethical Considerations of Graphic Design in the Real World
As designers we need to conduct ourselves as professionals at all times and we need to make sure that we are always following
the Code of Professional Conduct. If we want to be treated as professionals we must act like professionals. There are several things to consider when becoming a professional designer; yourself as a designer, other designers, your clients and the profession of design.
esigners are obligated to keep themselves educated and up to date with the latest trends and maintain the basics of design. We also need to act as professionals by putting forth our best effort in designing original work and striving to keep current and true to ourselves and what our strengths as designers are. (Rutledge).
We are also obligated as professionals to provide our clients with the work that we have promised to deliver in a timely manner. Our clients should trust us and our work and they should know that we will not violate any laws to get them a desired result. If we are in a situation where we are being asked to violate the law or the code of conduct we should refuse to do the work. We also owe it to our clients to keep them informed and apprise them of changes in costs or time frames in an honest timely manner. Our clients should never feel second rate, do not take a job if cannot give it the attention that it needs. (Rutledge).
Designers are to respect the work and privacy of other designers. We should never criticize or try to hinder another designer’s work because of jealousy or competition. We should never use the work of another designer without their permission and we should always give credit where credit is due. We should also try to build relationships with other designers and try to do our best to support each other to be the best that we can be. (Rutledge).
Finally we need to respect the profession of design by making sure we are professional, honest and that we have integrity towards the profession of design. We should always hold ourselves to the highest standards and our quality of work should reflect our high standards. We should never compromise our ethics or our morals for a job and we should never participate in a project that compromises our integrity or the integrity of another designer. (Rutledge).
If all designers are held to the same standards then the profession of design will be respected and all designers will be able to do their best creative work knowing that their integrity will not be compromised.
Resources:
Rutledge (2015). 2015 Code of Professional Conduct. The Academy of Design Professionals. Retrieved from: http://designproacademy.org/code-of-professional-conduct.html
