Category: COMD 4900 Internship

Ethics for Graphic Designers: Part 2

Photo by BP Miller on Unsplash

2a. My perspective from reading the articles from AIGA has shifted from a less understanding to a more concrete understanding about the ethics of design. The importances of having ethics, as well as the importances of the law. It is only fair to have your works credited and recognized. Many of my works I have done in class aren’t credited in the past. But that was because they weren’t enforced when it was presented for classwork. But as an intern right now and in the future, it is always important to have the works credited. I wouldn’t want someone to use my work one day without having the credits shown. For example, it is only fair to practice what I preach. According to A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process from AIGA Business Ethics. “A professional designer must not attempt, directly or indirectly, to supplant or compete with another designer by means of unethical inducements.” To me, that quote means that even if one’s work isn’t appealing, the ethics of not using unethical inducement is important. 

2b. The New York Times article “Shepard Fairey Is Fined and Sentenced to Probation in ‘Hope’ Poster Case” is about Shepard Fairey. An artist that was fined in the federal court for using a photograph without permission and making a profit off that. Fairey at first denied that he was in the wrong, stating that it was a fair use of the photograph of Obama. He claims that he transformed the photograph later on and that was allowed under creative expression. What I got from this article is that although you can get away with taking credit for some things, it isn’t wise to. Even when corner stores take photographs from the internet and use that on their storefront / menus, they could get into huge legal issues. It is most important to take the interest of ethics before anything else after reading this article. Although Fairey is doing fine and continues to do artworks on social media such as Instagram, it is still a good example to not follow what he has done with his poster with Obama as he stated that he was ashamed of his behaviors.

Sources

Richard, Grefė. “A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process” AIGA. PDF. New York City, 2001

Kennedy, Randy. “Shepard Fairey Is Fined and Sentenced to Probation in ‘Hope’ Poster Case.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Sept. 2012

Ethics for Graphic Designers: Part 1

Photo by Med Badr Chemmaoui on Unsplash

1a. In the world of graphic designing, there are always questions and concerns about ethics. Around the corner stores in NYC you would see stock photos of burgers, fries, bagels all rip off the internet. There are even times you could find one of these photos with their watermark still attached. Although this seems to be the norm for a lot of the smaller businesses, the fact that this actually breaks the guidelines of copyrights and devalues the person / group that came up with the design, photography, etc
 On top of this, the designs that are found in these stores are normally not very great, as they are often commissioned by a friend, or a family member that has limited knowledge in design. “Design is about the whole, not the parts. If you wear your $2,500 Armani suit with the wrong pair of shoes.” This is a quote from A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process from AIGA Business Ethics. The meaning behind this quote is that although it’s a good photo, it’s how it is used to deliver a good design.

1b. As an intern currently at my site, there wasn’t a NDA to be signed. Non – disclosure agreement wasn’t something the intern cared for as it was more beneficial for the interns to explore and give more knowledge about their experiences. However there are laid out rules to using photos and logos. We have to request to use their designs, getting their approval to work with their design to incorporate them into the projects we are assigned to. Although making some of the mock ups aren’t in these rules. But having to design for a project that involves publishing has to follow the copyrights rules. As students and interns we have used stock images, photographs, clips. “Fair use is a limited exception to  the exclusive power of the designer (or client, if the designer has transferred rights to the client) to control the uses of designs.” This is a quote from Guide Of Copyrights by AIGA Business Ethics. Fair use in terms of stock assets involves crediting the author of the asset. According to Use Of Illustration by AIGA Business Ethics. “Written and signed documentation should be completed before work is begun (even on a rush project) to ensure that everyone has the same understanding.” My supervisor is the one that handles the works from other artists, asking for permission for us, the interns. If this gets approve, then the supervisor gives us the greenlight to use the artwork from that artist.

Sources

Richard, Grefė. “A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process” AIGA. PDF. New York City, 2001

Richard, Grefė. “Guide Of Copyrights” AIGA. PDF. New York City, 2001

Richard, Grefė. “Use Of Illustration” AIGA. PDF. New York City, 2001

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