Ethics in Design 1A

During my internship, I have diligently fulfilled my responsibilities as a designer and adhered to all ethical principles outlined in the AIGA guide. For every project, I have been conscientious in my selection of images and designs to ensure that the final result is satisfactory to the organization. Receiving resources from the organization, such as their logos, branding colors, and other design assets, required me to blend these assets with my own creative flair in order to craft cohesive works that effectively conveyed the organization’s message. A constant source of communication was present between the supervisor and the designers, as there will be times when they want to change things. For my internship, our colors were divided into a “main” and “sub” category. The “main category” held colors that were mandatory and defined the company. The “sub category” had colors that weren’t used as often and were very situational. We were informed to always use the main category of colors for all projects and to ask permission for the use of the subcategory. As of now, there hasn’t been a project that required the sub colors and there might never be. This shows how important it is to be in contact with your client.

As a designer, it’s your job to take the client’s ideas and design a proper piece to present. A piece that will fill them with satisfaction, but in specific situations, you may also want to include your own input on certain design choices but not outright tell the client that they are wrong. It is their project and they have the last say. “A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get The Most Out of The Design”, by AIGA, states, “A professional designer shall acquaint himself or herself with a client’s business and design standards and shall act in the client’s best interest within the limits of professional responsibility.”

I ensured that my design was in sync with the styles of previous designers who had worked on similar projects. To achieve this, I reviewed their Instagram profiles and promotional artwork for past events and seminars. After sharing my work with my supervisor for evaluation, they advised against using the sub colors frequently and recommended sticking to the main color scheme. My supervisor provided me with a Google Drive file containing a comprehensive collection of pictures they have utilized over the years, eliminating the need for extensive search on the internet to source images. This was greatly beneficial in our quest for visuals. In case there were instances where the pictures in the file did not serve our purpose, we could readily refer to their Instagram or Flickr accounts for suitable alternatives. The supervisor assured us that they want the design journey to be as smooth as possible and all images that we use are owned by them.

Citation(s)

• “Use of Photography” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard Grefé, AIGA. 
• “Guide to Copyright” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard Grefé, AIGA.
• “A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process” AIGA. (2001). PDF. New York City; Richard Grefé, AIGA.