Business Secrets for Designers: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Excerpted from Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers, 2nd Edition (New Riders)

by Shel Perkins

In discussing ethics and design, there are at least three different levels for us to consider. The first has to do with professional behavior in daily business interactions. The next level deals with specific professional expertise needed in such areas as accessibility, usability, consumer safety, and environmental practices. This leads us to the third level, which is about overall professional values—a broader framework of moral principles and obligations in life.

Professional Behavior

In your design career, how do you define ethical conduct, and where do you turn for guidance? Ethical guidelines are published by a number of design organizations in the U.S. and abroad. For example:

AIGA, the professional association for design
Graphic Artists Guild
Industrial Designers Society of America
Society of Graphic Designers of Canada
Australian Graphic Design Association

As you read through these various codes, you will see that some of them focus on specific ways to exhibit integrity and respect in your daily business interactions with clients, suppliers, and other designers, while others address much broader issues and present fundamental ethical principles.

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