Ethics in Practice
After spending almost ten weeks at my internship, I’ve better understood what it means to apply ethical design practices in a real-world setting. The AIGA Design and Business Ethics Handbook outlines expectations for professionalism, including respecting intellectual property and obtaining consent when using or sharing others’ creative work. One line that especially resonated with me reads: “Designers are responsible for understanding the context and implications of the work they create and present.” This insight has been directly applicable to the work I do.
My primary responsibility is photographing events and programs, often including works-in-progress by artists currently in residence. Many of these works are not yet meant for public view, and artists may have strong preferences about when, how, or even if their work is documented or shared. Before photographing anything, I always check for approval from the artist and the residency program manager. This practice of obtaining consent is not just a formality, but a profound respect for the rights of creators, a principle that this organization upholds with utmost dedication.
Another ethical area we navigate is proper image crediting. If I’m using photos taken by someone else for social media or documentation, they require that we credit the photographer in all public-facing content. This level of transparency not only avoids ethical missteps but also honors the labor and creativity of everyone involved, something I now see as non-negotiable in professional environments.
At my internship, they use a few brand assets beyond a single, type-based logo and a bold yellow and black palette. Despite its minimal brand system, the two-person team consistently applies it across all materials and ensures that the tone reflects the organization’s mission. Even simple branding choices carry ethical weight when representing a working artist community, especially in a non-profit organization.
Although I did not sign an NDA for this internship, I’ve taken care not to include sensitive details about artists or their work in this journal or anywhere else. My approach has been to reflect on what I’m learning without disclosing specifics out of respect for the artists and their ongoing creative processes. This experience has shown me that ethical awareness is not just about following rules but building trust.
Citations:
AIGA. Design Business and Ethics. American Institute of Graphic Arts, www.aiga.org/design-business-and-ethics. Accessed 1 May 2025.