Ethics Entry # 1

My internship experience in relation to the ethical guidelines discussed in the AIGA Guide varies significantly from program to program. For the 2020 spring semester, I became the design & development intern for Pen America through the Cuny Cultural Corps. Similar to the ethical guidelines by AIGA, the discovery process can only occur if one asks the right questions with clarity and confidence. Upcoming designers will often become passive when it comes to asking a series of questions. This is the result of a negative stigma in our society that somehow correlates poor intelligence and inadequacy to inquiries and questions, which could not be further from the truth because there are no stupid questions. 

The most successful designers are those who ask how, what, why, when, where, and who. The AIGA even states to be an effective designer for the competitive marketplace, one must ask subject and intuitive questions to receive concrete answers with thorough understanding of the client’s needs. In regard to the AIGA’s ethical guidelines for photography, illustrations, and other visual elements. Logos and trademarks from Pen America can be sourced and downloaded by the general public at https://pen.org/download-our-logos. Furthermore, a confidentiality or nondisclosure agreement was not required at Pen America nor did the company restrict me from documenting my experience through academic journals for the Spring 2020 Internship Course at NYCCT.