As a design student, you have so much new content being thrown at you. You are learning a new way of thinking, how to complete and present deliverables, and hopefully, the basic design framework to land you that first gig.
While you are taking in all of this new information and working on becoming a professional designer, it can be easy to put aside thinking about what kind of designer you want to be. What type of projects do you want to work on? What are projects you absolutely will not be apart of?
The most recent assignment in my design program was writing out my design code of ethics. Before this assignment, I was not thinking about what kind of work I would never take, because as a student designer, my main focus is on getting offered work. However, after completing this task, I realized that there is much more to the job hunt than just applying anywhere I can find an opening, and that I have a definite line that I will draw when it comes to accepting or rejecting a job offer.
There is a lot to think about when you consider what your code of ethics are. How do you want your design to impact others? How do you want your designs to impact the environmental, societal, economic, and cultural aspects of life? How do you plan on handling customer data and privacy?
As a design student with little real-world experience, my code of ethics might be much longer after five years in the industry, but to get a better glimpse of who I am as a designer, and a human, here is my code of ethics.
I will always treat others working on my team with the same respect that I hope to receive.
I will never take on a project that doesn’t fit with my values and beliefs.
I will never plagiarize or steal other designers’ work and/or ideas and will always give credit where credit is due.
I will never deliberately harm or threaten the privacy or safety of my users or the community involved in the project.
I will be transparent and honest with users when handling customer data and privacy.
I will always consider the environmental, economic, and social impact of my projects.
I will never participate in a project that discriminates against race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or financial status.
I will give my best work and full attention to every project I work on.
I will always be supportive, positive, and encouraging to all members of my team, as well as all departments and stakeholders involved in the project.
I challenge you to consider who you want to be as a designer and write your own code of ethics!
- Kaity
