OUGD505 - Ethics and sustainability

E T H I C S

What does ethics mean?

• moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity
• the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles

Roberts 2007 'Within philosophy, ethics is the branch of knowledge concerned with moral principles. This is not primarily in order to develop strategies by which to judge one another. It is about the pursuit of truth – questioning whether there is such a thing as the property of ‘goodness’ and testing the resultant ideas against various models.'

Roberts 2006 'every decision made as a design has an ethical 

Do you think ethics is important in graphic design? why?

• The sole purpose of being a designer is to communicate to an audience, so if you are communicating unethical ideas should you really be designing in the first place. 
• intention to make it environmentally sustainable often depends on the design topic and need for the deliverables
• work you produce as a designer could lead to people drawing conclusions about what you believe as an individual
• do you design for clients, or only for what you believe in?

What defines "good" in graphic design?

• interesting concept driving the design ideas

What does ethical practice entail in graphic design - what principles?

• maybe wouldn't design for a company that sells products that I as a designer do not use or agree with
• as a vegetarian, maybe wouldn't choose to design for a meat company or restaurant, but if I was to look at it as purely as a piece of graphic design then maybe I would

On being citizens ...
'A designer must be professionally, culturally, and socially responsible for the impact his or her design mason the citizenry.'

• different views within society, so different people may be offended by different things
• the client should be responsible because they said yes to the work and ideas
• culturally, the designer should be responsible because part of their job is to research into the topic and avoid any design choices that may be sensitive to the audience
• an example of this is the H+M recent advertisements that had a black child and racially insulted him with the phrase that was on the jumper that he was modelling
• sensitive topic within society as being politically correct is at the height of everyones concerns as there are now so many dos and don'ts in regards to this
• it could also be seen in a positive light, suggesting that there was no element of racism within the design team as they failed to notice the suggestive manner of the photo until it was pointed out

On who to work for ...
'Even if you don't personally agree with your client's message, if th message is a legitimate one, do you take a stand based on your own personal morality or do you act as a professional and continue to provide a service? Professional interests and obligation are perfectly legitimate, and the value of free speech and the value of alternative points of view are so great that it must surely be up to individuals to decide what moral stance they take. It is a matter of personal conscience and degree. But all that said, it remains the case that if something were really such a serious matter for you ethically, then, even if it meant financial loss or other problems, the answer is very, very simple. If it really is a moral make-or-break issue for you, you don't do things that you don't agree with.'

• your work published will influence peoples opinions on you and may prevent future briefs being offered to you 
• depends on individual designer as they may not be in a position to turn down work as money may need to be earned
• future clients and audiences may question the authenticity of the designers works if it becomes know that previously they had designed for a cause that they did not believe in or want to promote (Perfect Day and the Conservative logo)

On having an influence ...
'When it comes to graphic design, isn't it better not to walk away from jobs on ethical grounds, but to ask if there's some way that you can have influence, something you can bring? Otherwise, I would have said that the law is racist and sexist, and not had anything to do with it. Your job and mine are about influence and persuasion. A judge may well have certain views at the beginning of the car and different ones by the end. Most certainly those views are not going to be challenged if i'm not there.'

• if it is just the production methods that are unethical then as a designer you may be able to try and pitch an alternative production method that would improve the ethics and sustainability, but still produce an outcome to the same standard
• if it is possible to suggest a change in the way a company does things or the messages they promote then try that if it will not cause too much damage to the company as an identity
• depending on how major or minor the previous ethical concerns with the company were may depend on whether or not you take on the job to design for them with their new ethics in place

On self and aesthetics ...
'I've always thought that if you want to live a good life, and to do good in the world, you've got to be good to yourself. You have responsibilities to be a good steward of your own gifts, and you've got to take care of yourself in order to be a more flourishing effective person [...] If one sought to be altruistic at the expense of one's ability to be good to others. Ethics is an inclusive notion. It's about the whole quality of life. The aesthetics becomes really vital to that because to live in a social and political setting which is pleasing, enticing and attractive, and which is full of interest, detail, colour and movement increases the quality of our experience. So there is a deep connection between the aesthetic and the ethical.'

• both ethics and aesthetics can have an impact as awareness will be spread further if something looks good because people will be more engaged by it

On Value ...
'There is a current philosophical debate in the arts community about the difference between and instrumental and in intrinsic good. An instrumental good is something that's goo for something else, whereas an intrinsic good us something that's good in itself. The argument around fine art is that its value lies in its being produced for its own sake not for social regeneration or social renewal - but in fact it has always been both, it has never been just one. Good art is also good for other things. So good design will please your client, it will maybe help a product sell better, but it also improves life for everyone because it can become something that's lovely in its own right.'

• designing for good reasons is likely to be you designing for your happiness swell as the viewers because it is promoting a positive message

Steven Heller - Designers are born propagandists, trained in the art of persuasion. As Heller asserts, now is the time to dig even deeper—designing alternative streams for credible information—and making propaganda designed to bring out the best side of human nature.

"Good design is good citizenship." Milton Glaser - "So, is bad design bad citizenship?" 

"An elegant logo can legitimise the illegitimate; a beautiful package can spike up the sales of an inferior product; an appealing trade character can convince kids that something dangerous is essential. The graphic designer is as accountable as the marketing and publicity departments for the propagation of a message or idea." 

• the impact of design.

Katherine Mcoy 'Remove our freedom of speech and graphic designers might never notice

Themes

- being a good citizen

- who to work for

- influence and persuasion

- aesthetics and ethics

- value and purpose

The designer's responsibility to audience members and users (AIGA)

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y  

Social Sustainability - being able to sustain a common good. "The overall question posed by this agenda is whether the finishing design benefits society as a whole."
Economical/Financial Sustainability - "Creating financially viable work focuses on the design issues that affect the costs of distribution and production [...] But, if designers focus too much on cost cutting or profit making, the danger is that the results will be uninspiring and bland."
Environmental Sustainability - "Environmentally responsible design is about considering the natural resources depleted in the production process."
Personal Sustainability - "Creating personally desirable design work is about fulfilling the dreams and desires of the individual consumer."

The relationship between sustainability and ethics: 
- all sustainability aspects/issues require an ethical stand point
- its ethical to design and produce in a sustainable way
- ethics succeed sustainability, ethics comes first and then sustainability is as a result of it
- sustainability really depends on what ind of project you are doing, whereas ethical design will always be a consideration and main thinking point of anything that you as a designer will produce 

Eric Benson (2008) - designing sustainably:
1.
Is this the best method to communicate the message?
What is the impact of making this piece?
How can we lessen the impact if we produce the piece?
2.
Respect and care for the community
Improve the quality of life
Conserve earth's vitality and diversity
Minimise the depletion of nonrenewable resources
Change personal attitudes and practices to keep with the planet's carrying capacities
3. 
Design for re-use/longevity
Design cyclically, not linearly 
Choose recycled/nontoxic materials
Minimise waste
Minimise ink coverage
Choose vendors that use renewable energy and employ socially equitable and Environmentally friendly business practices
Educate consumers about the lifecycle issues through messaging/marketing 
Encourage others to design sustainably 

AS AN ETHICAL DESIGNER, YOU SHOULD BE A SUSTAINABLE DESIGNER

Creative Concern, Manchester
Foot Print, Leeds
Cast Iron Design, Boulder, USA
Re-Nourish