1) According to the AIGA Guide on Standards of Professional Practice, “ A professional designer adheres to principles of integrity that demonstrate respect for the profession, for colleagues, clients, audiences or consumers, and society as a whole”. Interns at OpenLab are provided with comprehensive ethical guidance in the design industry from the start. They are taught about workplace etiquette, which provides a solid foundation for their ethical conduct. Interns are expected to remain professional and respectful in any online interactions throughout their internship. They are also expected to be attentive and responsive in communication, strongly seeking and welcoming constructive feedback. This comprehensive strategy ensures that interns have the required skills and values to succeed in the design industry.
1a) Managing the procurement of images and handling trademarks/logos
Working with OpenLab taught the importance of obtaining images ethically and making sure there are no copyright restrictions on them. We were given the responsibility of sharing useful facts about OpenLab on the Buzz as part of a task assigned to every intern. Mentors gave us resources to a variety of sites where we could obtain images that were either free or paid for and that complied with non-copyrighted and fair regulations. They also gave us instructions on proper citation techniques, emphasizing the significance of correctly attributing sources. This demonstrates OpenLab’s dedication to ethics as they carefully educate interns on how to properly source and cite information.
1B) Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement
Interns were not required to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) with OpenLab. We were urged to have open discussions about OpenLab and to help students and faculty navigate their OpenLab sites. It was emphasized that while sharing insights, we must maintain respect and professionalism in order to maintain the image of the company. A key component of a strong work ethic was emphasized: being mindful of what we say and do. Our OpenLab mentors encouraged us to use every resource in the OpenLab system for the blogs and they actively assisted us in blogging about our internships.
