Re: AIGA Design Ethics Guidelines

The AIGA’s guideline makes clear and good points on design for both designers and the clients. It explains what it is, what it isn’t and breaks down what makes one effective. For instance, it first states that style and “good looks” are only secondary to the main goal of design—communication. I find this important to emphasize as the reverse is still often believed by many. These guidelines also touch upon the purpose of a creative brief to going into detail about the components of a design from software to fonts to illustrations to photography. Although this seemed basic initially, I am not too informed about licensing besides the basic knowledge of needing permission to use/alter someone else’s original work. I was unaware about registering and paying an application fee for copyright protection. I have always been careful about work that is not my own but copyright has also always been cloudy to me so these guidelines really helped answer the questions I did not know how to ask. It discusses the difference between exclusive rights and fair use and licensing when it comes to fonts and photography, all of which are important to know for designers.