Professional Ethics

Professional Ethics

Course Presentation

Friday, June 13, 2014

Vol HDS, No. 3023

ETHICS IN DESIGN

"In design there are no single right solutions – only choices that have pros and cons attached to them.

To prepare yourself for the multitude of ethical considerations you can start by examining your own stance as a designer, your own values, who you are designing for and what kind of values are you trying to embed in your design solutions and why?

Definition: What is Ethics?

Ethics and Social Responsibility

Shel Perkins in her study of Ethics and Social Responsibility has created guidelines for designers to follow in daily business interactions.

Ethics is “a (rational) study of moral dilemmas in (human) action. Morals are shortly defined as codes or guides of conduct (implicit or explicit) that are based on personal long-lasting beliefs and values or those of surrounding society. A personal act can be considered moral, immoral or amoral from the point of view of ethical studies.

Moral - an act or though that is in line with personal and societal moral codes.

Immoral - an act or thought that is against personal or societal moral codes.

Amoral - an act or thought that does not reflect choice based on moral codes” (mlab).

• Eliminate any form of hidden compensation or kickback.

• Maintain commitment to the development of innovative work of the highest quality.

• Reject all forms of plagiarism ethics and social responsibility.

• Acknowledge authorship of others who have collaborated with you in creating a design.

• Respect other designers in fair and open competition.

• Be honest when you are describing your professional experience and competencies.

• Avoid any type of conflict of interest.

• Acquaint yourself with each client’s business and provide honest and impartial advice.

• Maintain the confidentiality of all client information.

Guidelines on Ethics can help reduce misunderstandings and ethical decisions for designers. A successful design should implement all Ethics guidelines and make the work appeal to all.

Conducts of Designers

Ethical Guidelines Resources

With reference to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Design Business and Ethics series: Outlined are the critical ethical and professional conducts to be applied by designers on the subjects below:

Below are example ethical guideline websites to find more information:

• American Institute of Graphic Arts http://www.aiga.org/
• Graphic Artists Guild http://www.gag.org/
• Industrial Designers Society of America http://www.idsa.org/
• Society of Graphic Designers of Canada http://www.gdc.net/
• Australian Graphic Design Association http://www.agda.com.au/

3. Use of Media (VT Audio / Video / Photography)

Use of Media ( Audio / Video/ Photography ) in design work involves choice and responsibilities. With the growth of digital libraries of different media format (audio, videos and images), stock photography has become far more accessible to every designer, although there are also strong reasons to commission photography specifically for a project.

It is ethical to review the options available to designers, considerations in contracting for the rights for use of any media format, photographic images and the means of using photography while fully respecting the intellectual property rights of the photographer.

2. Use of Software

Just as design is a designer’s creative property, computer software is intellectual property that is owned by the people who created it. Without the expressed permission of the manufacturer or publisher, it is illegal to use software no matter how you got it. That permission almost always takes the form of a license from the publisher, which accompanies authorized copies of software.

When you buy software, what you’re really doing in almost every case is purchasing a license to use it. Rather than owning the software, you acquire limited rights to use, reproduce and distribute the program according to the terms spelled out in the license.

Terima Kasih!

4. Use of Illustration

AIGA supports the use of original illustration in design solutions. Illustration can provide a unique sensibility to certain projects. The list below offers insight into professional practices and ethical considerations within the illustration community.

■ Illustration offers visual solutions to design challenges.

Illustration can transcend the limits of the written word. It is an art of opposites, an intricate

dance between art and commerce that is created by people who find freedom in solving visual riddles and in filling dictated space with inventiveness, creativity and added value.

■ Select an illustrator based on previous work.

■ Price is directly related to use.

■ Every agreement should exist in writing.

Once the appropriate talent has been selected, negotiations begin taking into account the following criteria: rights, usage, schedule, exclusivity, complexity, extended rights and, in some cases, the reputation of the talent selected.

■ It is important to work with professional integrity.

■ Original artwork belongs to the illustrator.

1. Use of Fonts

Fonts are creative, intellectual property, similar to 'designers' creative work or to proprietary business products. Since type is so ubiquitous and fonts are so easy to share among computer users, the legal and moral issues of the simple process of using a font are often overlooked.

There are four good rules that guide ethical practice in font licensing:

■ If you are using a font, whether it’s on your computer or that of someone else, make sure you have a license to use the font.

■ If you want to use a font that is not installed on your computer, you must either ensure that you or your employer has a license to install the font on your computer or else acquire a license to use it.

■ If you have any questions about your font license, contact the foundry or supplier of the font.

(If you do not know the foundry or supplier, almost any foundry or supplier can help you identify the source.)

■ Don’t lend or give fonts to others to use. Your friends, clients and colleagues need to acquire the rights to use them. When it comes to licensing fonts, ethical practice makes sense legally and financially. Violating the terms of a license agreement puts the designer, the client and future business relationships at risk. An ethical approach to font use and font licenses is therefore both good business practice and good business.

A professional designer MUST adheres to principles of integrity that demonstrate respect for the profession, for colleagues, for clients, for audiences or consumers, and for society as a whole. These standards define the expectations of a professional designer and represent the conducts of a designer in the practice of design.

Means Thank You in Malaysia.