Photo by Emily Bernal on Unsplash
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
After briefly reading through AIGA’s Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services and The Design and Business Ethics handbook (linked here), it has refreshed my knowledge in ethical design practices. I learned that taking full credit for something you didn’t do is wrong at a young age. Now, pursuing a design career and being around colleagues have only emphasized the importance of good ethical behavior. Approaching the position of a designer in the field, I know the hard work and dedication throughout the design process and understand why following copyright guidelines help keep our community safe.
In the past, I have seen the works of my classmates and thought to myself, “Wow! That looks great. Why didn’t I think of that?” Instead of copying their designs, I have used them as inspiration. When doing collaborative work with classmates, I have made sure to give credit where credit is due. In one of my courses, the professor emphasized crediting photographers even if an image has been manipulated. If you can’t locate who took a photograph, state the photographer as unknown and get in contact for credit. Personally, I’ve been afraid to do freelance work because I don’t want to violate copyrights, and I don’t want mine violated either. The assigned readings give me a positive outlook on how I can protect my work and the work of others professionally.
The Fairey Copyright Hope Poster Case
In my opinion, it was settled fairly. However, Fairey should have been conscious about the image source, especially if looking through Google. For such a huge project, there should have been more in-depth research about the photograph to obtain permission to use Garcia’s photograph of Obama, which was not copyrighted or watermarked. Basically, the photograph Fairey got from google, which he used for reference, did not hold any boundaries. I say it was settled fairly because, in the end, it led to more people actually purchasing the fine print of Garcia’s Obama photograph. This serves to remind all creatives of the importance of ethical practices and that even the partial use of someone else’s material should be licensed and credited.
