…to society and the environment
Everyone wants to do the right thing for the environment, but whose got the time? In all fairness, consumers are not the real problem when it comes to climate change, but that is a different discussion. My point is that most people are not in the position to spread useful information on a wide scale. In the 21st century, we have learned that garbage often comes in the form of bad information. Graphic designers do not create that information but they are charged with communicating and explaining it. We have a broad obligation to improve society by rooting out disinformation. Our compelling designs should never compel people towards lies.
This means that graphic designers must always stay abreast of good information on current events as well as historical significance. Designs made with good intentions can perpetuate bad stereotypes. We must gracefully steer clients away from distasteful ideas and values by supplanting them with better, more realistic ones.
We must also be knowledgeable about physical manifestations of design, i.e. paper. Posters and fliers, business cards and stationery all have their own environmental impact. We must advise clients on the ideal choice that minimizes carbon footprint. We should also consider the physical location of supplies to ensure all local options are utilized to their fullest.
Society also comprises individuals of all abilities. Clients are not expected to be up to date on the most relevant codes and policies regarding accessibility. Designers are obliged to inform clients about violations and necessary revisions, and they should insist on the problems being corrected.
The most interesting part of this rule is the encouragement to donate 5% of a designers yearly work to pro bono clients. There is an infinite supply of companies and organizations that deserve good design work but have no budget for it. “Exposure” is a laughable term, but choosing a good pro-bono client can have big rewards in this way. One key point is to always itemize your work and present the client with a full invoice that concludes with a -100% discount. This way they must respect the time and value of your work.
… to competition and fees
Spec Work is a real dirty word in the design world. It can be very hard to argue that a designer should never engage in these spec work competitions while so many amateurs do it every day. This is where a company offers a reward for the best logo design and posts the challenge on social media. It can take many forms, but this encourages amateurs and freelancers to do work for potential pay. Even the “winner” of such a contest is unlikely to gain a repeat client or useful reference.
As designers, we need to help end these spec-work challenges by not participating in any aspect. We may be approached with real contracts to judge or promote these contests. These jobs must be turned down unless the client is intending to compensate every single competitor. Any bad practices should be reported to the RGD so that other designers will not fall victim to their unreasonable requests.
This rule becomes a bit sticky when you consider nonprofit organizations. These companies have revenue and payrolls and expenses and investments, etc. Designers must not feel pressured to donate their work to an organization simply because it is a nonprofit or other charity, church, or social group. RGD advises limiting our pro bono work to 5% of our annual revenue. Remind clients of this whenever necessary.
…to my intellectual property
Acknowledge collaborations and do not piggy-back on others work. Even the most subtle choice can lead a viewer to believe you were the primary creator of work. A designer should always put all the relevant credit on any work so the viewer can easily see. Collaborations are important and they can highlight a designers ability to work on a team, so one should never pretend they had sole authorship of a group effort. Furthermore, it is silly to insert yourself into team successes when you had no real part in the project.
A designer like an artist must always actively defend their intellectual property rights. The intangible nature of digital media makes it very easy to casually plagiarize content. A designer should always ensure their digital fingerprint is securely in place on all content they create, but this does not fully negate the threat of image stealing. Ensure every client understands their responsibility. If a stealer of content can be linked to a client, then that client should suffer some punishment, at least by losing you as a designer.
The client must always credit your work wherever appropriate, but you as the designer should also take this into consideration when it comes to your reputation. A designer may become associated with a certain product or segment of society which could be undesirable. If you are ashamed of a client, you should not work for them.
Regarding the intellectual rights of other designers, you should always consider yourself in their position. Do not release design files or source images without consulting the creator of those files. Clients may ignorantly give you access to files without considering the designer who made them. It is the RGD member who is required to notice and advise the client rather than exploiting their ignorance.