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Seven Sins
By: Art Javid
At American Design Awards we emphasize ethical design practices, and spend a good majority of our time voicing our concerns against companies or institutions who exploit graphic designers.
Unfortunately we also realized that a small group of self-proclaimed designers are single-handedly responsible for a lot of the problems and misconceptions which have affected the rest of us.
Below you will find a short list of what we consider unethical in the field of graphic design. We ask you to join us, and the likes of Creative Latitude, NO!SPEC, AIGA, and other organizations which support the betterment of the design industry.
I . DO NOT DISPLAY YOUR PRICING
Creativity is not a tangible product, rather an extraordinary gift. The design process isn't a pre-defined series of events and timelines, rather a collaborative series of calculated and creative steps based on the client's specific needs and objectives.
Having said that, how can some designers advertise a logo design package (for example) on their home page for $500 without first knowing who the client is, what their objectives are, and the extent of work and time requirements? What if the client turned out to be a multi-million dollar company who was thinking of spending $25,000 on an identity package and required a designer's uninterrupted attention for two months?
Not only will posting prices on web sites, brochures, or marketing collateral tie a designer (or design firm) into an uncomfortable and sometimes disadvantageous situation, but it will devalue the designer's time, creativity, and efforts - not to mention devaluing the entire graphic design profession and community.
So what should you do? Price out each design project based on specific needs of the client. That means taking the time to contact the client to discuss creative options, timelines, and processes. Your price should be a reflection of your findings, as well as in line with that of the design industry.
II. DO NOT TAKE PART IN SPECULATIVE WORK
"Speculative Work" is the unfortunate practice in today's society by certain companies or organizations that put on a "contest", asking hundreds of graphic designers to participate by designing, and sharing their ideas or work specific to the project, and promising the "winner" a meager payoff if their work is selected or used by the company.
Often hundreds of younger, inexperienced designers put in countless hours of work and creativity designing logos, web sites, or marketing collateral for these types of contests, without knowing if they will ever be compensated fairly for their time and efforts; 99% of these contestants never will.
So what should you do? Refuse participation in such contests, even though you think your chances of winning are great. You need to send a message to companies who don't value our time nor understand the design process. These "contests" devalue the graphic design industry as a whole. Graphic design professionals worldwide have worked too hard to maintain fair pricing and ethical standards, and speculative work undermines everything we stand for.
III. DO NOT UNDER-PRICE YOUR SERVICES
There are a set of standard pricing guidelines in the graphic and web design industry (whether you are a beginner or professional), and it is expected that designers charge at least near the minimum amount for their time and services.
Imagine you called upon a plumber to come to your home and fix a ruptured pipe in your kitchen. The first two companies you call charge between $550 and $600 to fix the broken pipe. You decide to call a third plumber and to your surprise he says he only charges $100 for the same service.
As a customer you are elated to save over $450, but after you hang up the phone you ask yourself "Why so cheap? Will the quality of work and material be comparable to the other guys?" Let's say you hire him anyway and he seems to have performed a satisfactory job; would it be fair then to question the pricing of the other plumbers and expect to pay no more than $100 for your plumbing problems from hereon?
So what should you do? It is good idea to be a little flexible with certain clients in regards to pricing, if let's say you can line up more projects from them in the future, but only to a certain extent. If you break your price, or under-price your services compared to the rest of the design industry, you will not only be taken advantage of, but expected to work harder and cheaper in the future. Price out various services online or through industry-relevant publication to get an idea of how much your services and time are really worth. For those clients that you decide to be flexible with in terms of pricing, put a limit to the number of changes / comps / and revisions. The basic idea is that people need to understand that the less they pay, the less they should get in terms of quantity (not quality).
IV. DO NOT COPY DESIGN WORK
One of the most disheartening aspects of being a designer in today's world is having to deal with the possibility of cyber thieves stealing your work with just one click of a button, and then passing it off as their own.
All those countless days spent brainstorming, designing, and coming up with just the right verbiage to invite visitors and potential clients to your web site, becomes part of another company's identity in just a matter of minutes - most often without any remorse whatsoever from the companies or "designers" responsible.
Unethical "designers" nowadays aren't just happy with taking your designs and modifying them slightly to meet their own needs - they copy your entire web site, including photos, copy, meta-tags, client lists, and even design portfolios and only changing the contact information on the site, and viola! - They are in business.
So what should you do? Don't copy other people's work! "Designers" with no design sense, imagination or any morals and ethics are nothing short of thieves, who have no place in our industry.
V. DO NOT USE TEMPLATES
Templates are pre-designed web site ideas, logos, brochures that have been created by either cheap labor, or money driven designers who make a business selling the same half-finished work to scores of unimaginative, lazy, or "wanna-be designers." What is wrong with this notion? Again it comes down to how clients will perceive the graphic design field - if there is no imagination, no creativity, no market research, then why pay a graphic designer? Furthermore, wouldn't it be frustrating for a client to see his or her exact same web site somewhere on the web with another company's logo stamped on it?
In today's world, everyone who owns a computer and a free trial edition of PhotoShop Elements thinks he or she is a graphic artist. Templates only encourage these "designers" to call themselves a design firm, and take business and value away from those who are passionate about the process, and enjoy everything from concept development to designing the final piece.
So what should you do? To avoid legal headaches and the possibility of your customers finding out your dirty little secret, steer away from templates. They were designed with little or no thought, and sooner or later you will face the consequences.
VI. DO NOT GO FISHING IN MY LAKE!
With the competitive nature of graphic design (or any business for that matter), it is one thing to market your services to expand clientele, but it is immoral and unethical to target another design firms' clients specifically. As graphic designers, we build long lasting relationships with our clients, know their company inside and out, understand their taste, objectives, and budgetary constraints. We work hard to maintain relationships, and for a new graphic designer to call up our clients and offer them a better deal without knowing the intricacies of our-already established relationship, is unacceptable and unethical business.
So what should you do? Do not go through your competitor's web site and steal their clients. Do not call or send them information about how you can improve their collateral, because you are in no position to offer a solution. Most clients think it is presumptuous and immoral, and will probably refuse to work with you anyway.
VII. DO NOT WORK WITHOUT A SIGNED CONTRACT
A well written, executable working agreement not only protects you as a designer and minimizes the chances of participating in speculative work, but at the same time dictates your responsibilities in black and white. Having a bulletproof agreement ensures you are getting fair compensation for your time and efforts, and eliminates any misunderstandings and legal issues which may arise from working without a mutually agreeable set of circumstances.
Discussing all your terms and fees with the client before diving into a project portrays your professionalism and business ethics, and almost always drives off those clients who would have wanted to advantage of you.
So what should you do? Spend some time researching various contracts and working agreements online, then refer to a business lawyer / professional to draft a bullet-proof document. Discuss your key terms ahead of time with your client, such as price, timelines, and responsibilities even before you hand them a contract. Who knows, maybe you will save paperwork in the client had other ideas in mind!
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Art Javid is one of the co-founders of the American Design Awards, an international design awards organization with over 30,000 active annual participants based in San Diego, California.
Art is also the co-owner of Graphicwise, Inc. (with his twin brother Kevin) an Orange County, California-based creative design firm specializing in attractive and effective web design, corporate identity and packaging art since 1997.
Besides graphic design, Art has been responsible for co-illustrating 5 published children’s books for a Los Angeles area television personality, and enjoys playing basketball whenever time permits.
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