Ethics at the Core of Practice

Designer’s ethical conversations should include a deep self-reflective process related to the decisions they are making, who they are designing for, why, and the social and environmental impact behind the artifacts they are creating.—Juanita LondonoSCAD grad and fellow alum, Juanita Londono, recently completed her thesis as a quest to explore ways in which the practice of design can be redeemed by pushing for a more ethical practice.During her research process, Londono collected data from designers as well as other disciplines, including artists, engineers, and business administrators, about what areas of ethics they thought were most important. Participants were invited to interact with this reflective process by choosing topics and creating bracelets. Londono then took their choices and visualized the data in poster format as well as translucent pieces of artwork. Viewers walked through these data creations for an immersive and interactive experience. The presentation brought to life the myriad of topics that designers are faced with, as well as summarized what issues are most important to them.As part of her research, Londono looked long-standing tenets of a designer's education like the Bauhaus, the premiere school of design during the 20th century that has long been held as the gold standard. She also looked at The Doughnut Economics model proposed by Kate Raworth. The Doughnut provided her with an idea of the complex problems and needs of society that require designers' attention.Londono discusses how much design practice has changed since the Bauhaus and the need for Design Thinking to be the new standard, one which challenges assumptions and revolves around understanding the people for whom designers are designing. She proposes that ethics be the core of a designer's practice, rather than the end result that has been standard practice, and at the core of the Bauhaus model.Londono's thesis discusses current research that has been done about the need for ethics in design. She also discusses the many ways ethics can be infused in design education, including the need to experience them in the field and away from academia and presents several case studies that can be used as models.Her findings led her to believe that an ethical baseline should be at the core of a designer's education. Introducing ethics to designers early in their education and keeping it front and center, is the best way to prepare them to address the complex problems society faces.Londono's project continues and she wants to continue to share the process of creating bracelets and collecting the results. If you'd to participate, please email her for a digital guide with instructions to create your own bracelets.Learn more about her project here: https://jlondi.com/ethics-in-design