The company I am working with for the internship this spring term, the experience is fantastic. This company is a non-profit organization helps build a diverse environment to everyone. The assignments (or tasks) are weekly based, explained carefully with assignments through an app where all members communicate. A deadline is given to the assignments. This internship gives a better learning experience and help improve communication skills relating to ethics in guidelines.
The first task that was given to me is creating a newsletter to the organization with the given text in word. In terms of ethics, when an example of the previous newsletter was given to me, I should not copy the style and change the color making it a presentable letter. That goes through an unethical logic. However, I am allowed to use free stock images but can’t use other designs. Only photographs taken by myself can be placed in design. In ethics, when using an outside image, credit must be given to the author. According to the AIGA Design guidelines through Ethical Standards, this quote is important, “A professional designer will clearly outline all intellectual property ownership and usage rights in a project proposal or estimate”. This gives meaning that a designer defines their rules through a product before handed in. If it was published without credit, then there will fines for this action. In my take, I carefully use my own designs and photos to avoid this unethical act.
A Non-Disclosure agreement is a big important document that helps the company protect any sues and lawsuits for any work published as your own. For my internship, I didn’t get one from the company, but I sent the agreement to the internship provider. Even though that isn’t shown from the organization, it is important to follow the ethical guidelines about not exposing other information to the public or that it was already mentioned through the leader. I understand that this is an ethical purpose to keep any information about the company or projects that was not leaked to the public. In a Non disclosure agreement I believe that it is important to protect informative that isn’t sensitive and keep it private to the companies and with clients.
The important common principle in projects and work is giving someone credit to a source that was found and used. It’s an unethical approach for someone that does the hard work (or lack the work) and use a photo that was used without permission. As someone in the design course and into photography, any inspiration must be given at all costs. My inspirations has given authors either in the sidenotes or on a back of a photograph to see what approach I can go further into. Before, when I did a rebranding to a beverage company, I rebranded a logo but gave credit to the previous logo designer for reference. . Also, any photo related graphic work, if an image is used on the outside, then credit is given. It’s an important and ethical task to do and websites like Pexels and Unsplash or freeimages to get stock images that are free to use by everyone. This important quote, from the AIGA article about photography, “Use of stock images avoids the many contractual issues that may arise when photography is done on assignment”. This demonstrates that when a project is done, in terms of photography, the images are free  taken by professionals and you have the right to use them and you avoid any trouble you can get into by using a random photograph in the internet that is not in stock and evades a problem on getting sue for stealing an photo. You passed this important term to doing an unethical idea to use a photo without permission.
Mr. Fairey was sued by the Associated Press back in 2009 for copyright infringement for using a photo by Mannie Garcia, a photographer in the AP. In my thought, that this person (Failey) is recreating a photograph in design but did not know that this photograph was copyright by Garcia. This definitely relates to writing papers in any subject, when you found a reliable source, then, you have to give credit to that source. In photographs, best thing to do is give credit to the owner. The New York Times article quotes, “The parties also agreed to share the rights to make posters and merchandise bearing the image, of Hope. Mr. Fairey gave his response that he did not make or plan to have the image in profit. In a thought of this, Mr. Fairey wasn’t known a lot to artists but still a warning to give credit in next advice. The main idea is give credit in every research you go through or found.
AIGA Business Ethics – Guide to CopyrightÂ
Fairey Copyright Case
