Take the Pledge

Some of you may recognize this three finger pledge from your Girl Scout days when you were asked to recite the Girl Scout Law:I will do my best to behonest and fair,friendly and helpful,considerate and caring,courageous and strong, andresponsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others,respect authority,use resources wisely,make the world a better place, andbe a sister to every Girl Scout.The three fingers stand for 1) honoring God, 2) helping others, and 3) obeying Scout Law. Graphic designer and author David Berman feels graphic designers should take a pledge of their own—one that focuses on the second principle,helping others. Berman recently released a new edition of his book, “Do Good Design.” Along with its release, he has asked graphic designers to take the pledge and:1. Be true to their profession2. Be true to themselves3. Use 10% of their professional time to create a better placeDuring a live interview at the recent “Voices That Matter” conference, Berman said his mission is to first talk to designers about how much influence the work they do has on our world. He uses the environmental crisis as an example and its connection to over-consumption, speaking about the role that advertising and graphic design have in promoting a consumer culture. Berman believes once graphic designers realize how much power they have in influencing people, they will understand how they can use some of this power to make the world a better place. In doing the math, Berman feels there’s a potential for 8 million hours of time from designers that can be devoted to doing good. He has already has received over 112,540 hours in pledges.Berman’s position is one that is that has been debated widely. What is the role of a graphic designer and what is good design? Is it to simply create beautiful and effective things, or is it, as Berman and many others feel, to do good with? What do you think, are you willing to take the pledge?Sources:http://www.davidberman.com/social/dogood/http://www.girlscouts.org/program/basics/promise_law/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_sign_and_salutehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtnazQE7RPA

Loserville

This ad appeared recently on my local Craigs List job board under the category for graphic design. It drives home the point that working as a graphic designer is as much about proving your value, as it is about creating valuable work.In the article "29 Things Designers Need to Know + 8 Ingredients for Success," author Doug Bartow ranks:

6. LEARN TO SAY ‘NO’ Some of your best design business decisions will ultimately be saying “no” to clients or projects. Unfortunately, it usually takes a few disasters to gain the experience to know when to walk away from an impending train wreck.

Carefully measure the upsides of any project—creative control of your design work, long-term relationship-building and gross billing—versus the potential downsides—the devaluation of the creative process, being treated like a “vendor” and ongoing scope creep (where the volume of what you’re expected to deliver keeps expanding, while the schedule and budget don’t).

Who can argue with this advice? The pitfalls of crowdsourcing, spec work, and unpaid internships have been written about and discussed at length among graphic designers. However,  graphic designers and students might feel confused as they wade through articles that seem to contradict some of this advice. The 2012 info graphic, "The State of Graphic Design," is based on a survey conducted by Smartpress.com who claim aggregated the opinion of dozens of the best and most-talented graphic designers in the industry. Among the results, survey participants ranked Internships as the best way to gain experience with online tutorials as a close second, and design school coming in third. While the article doesn't specify if the internships being referred to are part of a student's education, or are paid internships—one can make the assumption that not all of them are. What's interesting is that many design jobs advertised require a Bachelor's degree; and even more interesting is that many of the participants in the survey are graduates from reputable design schools, like Jessica Walsh, a recent graduate of RISD. This leaves me wondering how many graphic designers are in a state of confusion about how to prove their own value.Recently, I was approached to design a website through a referral from another client. The new potential client was highly complimentary about my creativity and design skills, she assured me she loved my work, and I believe she was being sincere. However, when it came time to discuss the budget, she only wanted to barter. When I explained to her that I wasn't in a position to barter for services, she politely thanked me and told me she had a friend who was a graphic designer who would do the work for free. While she really wanted to work with me, she couldn't pass up the free work—leaving me feeling like I was in "Loserville."How often do you feel like you are living in "Loserville?" How do you navigate these murky waters? And most importantly, what advice do you give students and young designers who are just starting out?Sources:http://newjersey.craigslist.org/med/3722007306.htmlhttp://www.howdesign.com/design-career/29-things-young-designers-need-to-know/ 

Contests—who wins?

One young designer that I've met through this blog asked me to write an article about contests and the practice of "voting" for winners. He says, as many would agree, "that ultimately it becomes nothing more than a popularity contest between the candidates; it's really degrading for us."When companies create contests is it just a guise for crowdsourcing, free advertising, spec work? Should educators encourage or discourage contests? This is a question I've struggled with. My standard rule of thumb is that if there is an entry fee, I don't encourage it or publicize it. I also don't promote causes that I am morally opposed to. However, when looking at all the pros and cons, it can get much more complicated.Many feel that corporations that engage in online contests also benefit from all the free advertising that goes along with them. When Robyn Waxman, of FARM (Future Action Reclamation Mob,) was asked what she thought was one of the biggest ethical issues in graphic design, she said corporate sponsorships. Waxman's complaint was about corporate sponsorship of college courses and humanitarian projects. Sponsoring contests is another way that corporations enter this arena.Despite the pitfalls of contests, graphic design educators often use them as a teaching tool. Not only do they provide real world experience, they often offer the winners a prize, and at the very least, exposure. As students work to fill their portfolios with professional looking pieces, the parameters set by contests are usually on par with industry specifications. In addition to the professional experience students gain, the theme of contests are often in the area of social responsibility—making it a "win, win" for educators looking to include this topic in their syllabus, students looking to show their social conscience, and corporations looking to be seen as a social advocate.Design companies often use contests as a vehicle for self promotion. Communication Arts, AIGA, and HOW are just some of the respected design organizations that sponsor competitions. With a wide range of categories as well as different levels for entry (and fees), winning one of these competitions can bring respect from peers in the industry as well as look great on a resume. HOW even offers their readers tips on How to Win a Design Competition.If it's a "win, win" for all involved, how do you deal with the association with spec work or crowdsourcing? Do you see a substantial difference between contests and competitions? Are either of them degrading? Do you enter them? Do you encourage your students to enter them? 

Do We Need a Copyright & Fair Use Best Practices Document?

While issues about copyright and fair use are not new, our feelings about them may never have been more divisive than they are today. It's also highly unlikely that in today's work environment, graphic designers won't be faced with these issues on a daily basis. Graphic designers looking for art and images they can use are apt to encounter Creative Commons—a nonprofit organization that seeks to offer alternative solutions to traditional copyright. They are likely to see established artists (Shepard Fairey) and designers (Fly Communications, No Labels Logo) find themselves embroiled in legal cases and allegations about copyright violation. They will most certainly see social media sites like Pinterest (who many feel are stretching the boundaries of copyright protection) being embraced by respected and established organizations like Design Observer.In the midst of this turbulent climate, what's a graphic designer to do? How do they navigate these murky waters and stay up-to-date with current trends as well as maintain a level of professionalism? Designer Dawn Mercurio has offered a suggestion, a best practices document for graphic designers.Mercurio's MFA Thesis research includes surveys with over 100 creative professionals. As a result Mercurio states, “Contemporary creative professionals are split on how they side for the need to protect and license work. From data, it appears to be divided among those who work in traditional print environments verses those who work in multimedia and web. It may be that the ubiquity of the internet has created a leveling of ownership, an acceptance for sharing and a practice of mutual appropriation among those who build around it. And now with the ability of instantly viral content (impossible to fathom in the original rendering of the Constitution) it seems that protection has an even more difficult struggle than ever before.”Mercurio asked those surveyed how they would rate their understanding of  copyright law and fair use. Most said they were familiar with it. A little over 15% chose “hazy," with the majority falling into the "somewhat knowledgeable" category. When participants were asked about the Shepard Fairey case and if the transformation from the original photo was enough to dismiss attribution, purchase, or permission, the results were almost evenly split. A trend in divisiveness and confusion about the issues was apparent throughout the survey. This is evident in the answer given by print and web designers, the largest segment of creative professionals polled, about how often copyright issues arise. They responded that copyright issues arise only occasionally, when handling the content and art of others is endemic to design fields.Mercurio concludes, “One solution to address these divides is to adopt a policy of Best Practices for Creative Professionals. Other industries such as Online Video, Media Literacy, even Dance have established their own doctrines and have built safer, healthier environments to work in without limiting creativity or message." She argues that, "a doctrine built by lawyers familiar with both copyright law and art along with a diverse group of creative professionals, could rule on the Fairey case along with other common practices such as using unlicensed images even as a ‘comp’, that many creative professionals abuse and should be advised on."What do you think, do you feel there's a need for a Best Practices Document?You can download Dawn Mercurio's findings including case studies and surveys here:https://dl.dropbox.com/u/55824/Copyright_FairUse_CreativePros_Mercurio.pdfSource:https://dl.dropbox.com/u/55824/Copyright_FairUse_CreativePros_Mercurio.pdfhttp://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-17/tech/31070312_1_copyright-holder-napster-youtube 

The Cost of Unpaid Internships

Although most would agree that paid internships are better than unpaid, many argue that the experience a student gains during an unpaid internship makes it worth it. In fact a recent article in my local paper stated, "Unfortunately, we cannot pay our interns, but we can offer a great life-enhancing experience, in addition, an internship is a tremendous asset on your resume." (1) Design students are lured in with such promises along with the added bonus of creating professional work for their portfolio.The Economic Policy Institute offers a different view in an article entitled, "Unpaid Internships: A Scourge on the Labor Market." The article makes the point that not only are students denied compensation, the loss of associated Social Security taxes, unemployment taxes, or worker’s compensation premiums deprives these funds of needed revenue. Despite the implication of these tax losses nationwide, the federal government has failed to investigate and enforce laws against unpaid internships. Furthermore, as the unemployment rate has risen, so has the age, education level (many interns these days are professionals), and number of unpaid interns. Ironically, the oversupply of people willing to work for nothing actually damages the career prospects of the students who take them.Research done in 2011 by the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows that unpaid internships do very little for the job prospects of the students who take them. The average student who had taken an unpaid internship in a for-profit firm earned $18,000 less than students with paid internships and $3,700 less than the average student who had never taken an internship. Students who had had paid internships in the federal government received salary offers averaging $48,668; their colleagues with unpaid federal internships were offered only $33,127, on average. (2)What do you think, do you need to re-examine your thoughts about unpaid internships?Notes:(1) http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120604/NEWS/206040330&cid=sitesearch(2) http://www.epi.org/blog/unpaid-internships-scourge-labor-market/Sources: http://www.epi.org/blog/unpaid-internships-scourge-labor-market/ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/30/opinion/30kamenetz.html?_r=1

Encouraging Bullshit

When I was growing up my mother would often yell “bullshit” during dinner time discussions. In fact she used it so often it's become a bit of a legacy for her. Now in her 80s, those who were present for those lively discussions—typically involving politics, the Viet Nam war, women's rights, or other hot topics  during the sixties and seventies—fondly recall hearing her use her “favorite” word. As I remember it what prompted my mother to say bullshit was when anyone tried to use sensationalism, emotional appeal, fear mongering, or other tactics besides hardcore facts to win their argument.The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) medalist Paula Scher recently wrote an article for Imprint in reaction to AIGA's contest “Justified”—a design competition that will select examples of good design that are also described in terms of their effectiveness in meeting the client’s objectives. In the article, “AIGA: Unjustified,”  Scher discusses her objection to the competition which in part is due to the fact that "Justified" is AIGA's only competition and thus sets a standard for excellence that focuses solely in an area that is based on meeting client goals rather than creativity and inspiration. She goes on to describe the many ways that meeting client goals are not necessarily in sync with design innovation. In the article Scher states that “judging design work by the quality of the designer's bullshit as required in this criteria seems pointless. If the work is terrific the bullshit is irrelevant. If the work isn't terrific, but the jury is moved by the entrant's arguments, it demonstrates the dangers of bullshit. Is this something we want to encourage?” (1)Scher raises a very valid question about what the goal of the organization's competition should be— proving the value of design to clients, or inspiring designers. Who should AIGA be serving?What do you think? Should AIGA's only remaining competition be based on the value of design to the client, or by how innovative and inspiring it is to designers?Read the full article along with many comments here and Scher's follow up article, “Unjustified, Part II,” where she addresses comments and offers her own suggestion for a competition.Notes:(1) http://imprint.printmag.com/design-thinking/aiga-unjustified/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aiga-unjustified&et_mid=548293&rid=23821332Sources:http://imprint.printmag.com/design-thinking/aiga-unjustified/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=aiga-unjustified&et_mid=548293&rid=23821332http://www.aiga.org/justified/Photo courtesy of Tristan Nitot via Flickr

WANTED: Jack of all trades (aka Graphic Artist)

This ad is pretty standard in terms of the laundry list of skills required of a graphic artist these days. Design skills, plus technical skills—and being well versed in all the software and hardware that goes with them—is expected. Writing and editing skills are often on the wishlist too. So where does a young graphic designer begin figuring out their worth?The AIGA|Aquent Survey of Design Salaries is a good place to start. The survey does have a category for "Print, web, and interactive." However, within this category it's broken out into senior designer, designer, junior designer, and producer—creating a division between design and production skills which in the "real world" is often not there.This situation is not unique to graphic design, many industries demand a large amount of multi-tasking from their employees these days. What complicates it a bit more in graphic design is the rampant practice of crowdsourcing. Graphic designers have a difficult time negotiating a fair wage in an industry where job requirements are becoming increasingly more complex, on top of this, the median salary has barely risen since 2000. If you throw crowdsourcing into the mix, they are also forced to compete with graphic designers from all over the world—some who can afford to work for a much lower rate—along with clients who use crowdsourcing to find an alleged huge pool of talent with rock bottom prices.The issue is compounded by the fact that many young and emerging designers don't know much about crowdsourcing or why it's considered evil. A comment was recently made on a post about crowdsourcing entitled "How Low Can You Go." The author made the very valid point that she honestly didn't know what crowdsourcing was and it took her 3 days of sorting through angry and emotional outcries to get to the meat of the issue. After her research she came to the conclusion that useful information about the value of graphic design services is sorely lacking. In fact, she realized that a "real client's" low offer made her feel more disrespected than the crowdsourcing sites she had visited (a claim that many of its critics make.)Letterer, illustrator, designer, (and author of Should I Work For Free? flowchart) Jessica Hische wrote an aptly named and helpful blog post entitled "The Dark Art of Pricing" that addresses how to price for image usage. Hische also directs designers to the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines for help. While this advice is useful, it still doesn't address the combination of wide and diverse skill sets that are required in many graphic design jobs.While this issue can be particularly confusing and challenging to young and emerging designers, it causes stress and anxiety among seasoned professionals as well. In an environment where competitive crowdsourcing companies are thriving and the list of skills required of graphic designers is rapidly growing, what's the best advice we can give graphic designers about calculating their worth?Sources:http://regionalhelpwanted.com/Search/detail.cfm?SN=1&ID=62640522http://designsalaries.org/http://www.jessicahische.is/obsessedwiththeinternet/andhelpingyougetpaid/the-dark-art-of-pricing

Does John Williams have no empathy?

The recent Logo Garden scandal has many graphic designers up in arms. From the Action Alert sent by AIGA to warn graphic designers about possible theft and plagiarism of their logos, to the blog post "Love Thy Logo" on RockPaperInk by Bill Gardner, it is clear many are appalled.When Gardner found more than 200 of his own designs offered on the site, he documented Williams' outrageous and unethical behavior along with examples of the slight modifications of well-known logos like the identity for World Wildlife Fund and Time Warner Cable that are also on the site.Clues concerning how Williams' feels can be gleaned from his recent guest post for the entrepreneurs blog On Startups, "No Capital? No Problem. What You Get For Free Is Priceless."  He gives readers a pep talk about starting their own business and the value of organic growth. He never clearly gives them a picture of how using one of his logos fits into this picture, but goes about instilling a spirit of comraderie with them accompanied by the claim that his experience with branding led him to make an easy to use logo maker available to startups and DIYers. As Gardner asserts in his post, these startups and DIYers will most likely have no idea where the work came from or that it is not his to sell.While many may be glad that the slight modifications that Williams made to the logos may actually increase his liability by demonstrating his willful copyright infringement, what bothers some designers most is the question of how he can do this to his colleagues. As Gardner says, "You'll note I avoided going on a tirade about the issues with the $100 internet logo firms. They have foibles that too deserve penance but designers have no forgiveness for theft. Thou shall not steal another designers work."One wonders what led Williams to take this path. Was it lack of integrity, greed, or simply no empathy for his colleagues? A recent article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, 'Why Should We Care?'—What to Do About Declining Student Empathy, discusses educators' concern about a decline in student empathy. The troubling conclusion of a recent study by a team of social psychologists is that American college students have been scoring lower and lower on a standardized empathy test over the past three decades. The article talks about what the reasons for this decline may be as well techniques to improve levels of empathy. Besides the social benefits, research also links empathy in students with better academic outcomes. Educators are concerned because when used with skill, empathy can guide us to balance the needs of ourselves, those around us, and our larger social contexts with judicious care. Taking on another person's thoughts and identifying with their emotions are traits at the core of empathy. Williams disregard for what the implications of his "logo maker" are for his fellow designers makes one think that he has not considered what it would be like to walk in their shoes.What do you think is behind Williams behavior—lack of integrity, greed, or simply no empathy?Sources:http://www.aiga.org/common/newsletter/source/August2011_Action_Alert.htmlhttp://www.rockpaperink.com/content/column.php?id=88http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/54498/No-Capital-No-Problem-What-You-Get-For-Free-Is-Priceless.aspxhttp://chronicle.com/article/Why-Should-We-Care-What/128420/

CYA (or how to ethically conduct business)

One of the listings for the dictionary definition of ethics is “the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group.” Establishing the rules of conduct in graphic design starts with the contract.In her recent article for Web Designer Depot, "Protecting yourself as a designer," Kendra Gaines gives designers concise and common sense advice about setting up contracts and terms of service in order to conduct business professionally and ethically, as well as to protect themselves. Here are some highlights:Contracts and terms of serviceIt's all about expectations—what your client can expect from you and what you expect from them. Be as clear as possible about the terms and make sure it's in a written contract that's signed by both parties. A contract should include (but is not necessarily limited to) the following:

• Deliverables—what exactly will they be receiving from you? PSD files, access to the back-end of their website, training?
• Contributions—what do they need to contribute to get the job done? Copy, images, approval?
• Revisions—how many are allowed? This can turn into a money pit unless it's spelled out from the beginning of the project.
• Payment—how much and when? Do you require a deposit? When do you expect payment? Make sure it's in the contract.
• Cancellations—how much is refundable and at what part in the process does this need to happen? It may not be pleasant to think about, but it's important.

There are many places you can get a boiler plate contract to modify and make your own. A google search yields an extensive list. Another place you can start is with AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Design.) AIGA provides designers with online access to pdf versions of AIGA Design Business and Ethics, a series that outlines the critical ethical and professional issues encountered by designers and their clients. The publication is presented in a modular format and designers are encouraged to download relevant chapters and reformat the information as part of their regular proposals to clients. It includes sections on font licensing, copyright, and image usage rights. At 28 pages, the AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services is just one of the 8 different comprehensive resources available for download and modification.While the contract and terms of service are extremely important, Gaines also offers good advice for when to say no, charge more, and set barriers with family and friends. Read the full article here: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/08/protecting-yourself-as-a-designer/Sources:http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/08/protecting-yourself-as-a-designer/http://www.aiga.org/design-business-and-ethics/

Students on the "Road to Hell"

Graphic design students will wrestle with many ethical issues in their careers. If they aren't already aware of image usage rights, design plagiarism, and issues of sustainability the courses they take will no doubt touch upon these topics at one time or another. However some of the biggest ethical issues that they will face in their careers are the choices they must make in order to make a living.Sérgio Manuel Neves is a recent graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon. He explored the topic of "ethos" and "ethics" in graphic design for one his projects this past spring. The publication that he created, Ethics: Graphic Design In Takes includes excerpts from authors on the topic of ethics in graphic design and designers like Milton Glaser, creator of the chart "12 Steps on the Graphic Designer's Road to Hell."What might surprise some people is that in his essay, "The Road to Hell," Milton Glaser states that he personally has taken a number of the steps on the chart he created. Others, like author Mark Johnson, wouldn’t be surprised. In his book Moral Imagination, Johnson states that we would be morally irresponsible to think and act as if we possess a universal reason that generates absolute rules, decision‐making procedures, and universal or categorical laws by which we can tell right from wrong in any situation we encounter. According to Johnson, absolute moral laws ignore what’s truly important about the concept of morality, to achieve imaginative dimensions of moral understanding that make it possible for us to determine what’s really important in any given situation or relationship and to make wise decisions accordingly. The ability to reach these decisions requires exploration, discussion, and imagination.Where are you on the “Road to Hell” and what do you think is the best way to prepare students for the choices they must make?Listen to the "Design Matters" Milton Glaser Podcast Interview by Debbie Millman where he talks about the road to hell.Sources:http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0802/gla/Mark Johnson, Moral Imagination: Implications of Cognitive Science forEthics (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1993), 5.http://designobserver.com/observermedia/audiofile.html?entry=8927

GAG vs. IPA, or when an advocate sues their own

When you go to the Graphic Artists Guild (GAG) website an illustrator is prominently featured on the left sidebar under the headline "I Am the Guild." This is a bit ironic when reading about the recent New York State Supreme Court case involving the Graphic Artists Guild (GAG) and the Illustrators' Partnership of America (IPA) as well as reading GAG's advocacy policy where they position themselves as an advocate for illustrators.In the Fall of 2008 GAG brought a lawsuit against IPA for defamation and interference with contractual relations, alleging that IPA had interfered with a “business relationship” GAG had entered into that enabled GAG to collect orphaned reprographic royalties derived from the licensing of illustrators’ work. GAG alleged that efforts by IPA to create a collecting society to return lost royalties to artists “interfered” with GAG’s “business” of appropriating these orphaned fees.(1)Judge Debra James recently ruled that statements made by the Illustrators’ Partnership and the other defendants were true; that true statements cannot be defamatory; that illustrators have a “common interest” in orphaned income; and that a “common-interest privilege” may arise from both a right and a duty to convey relevant information, however contentious, to others who share that interest or duty.(2)To put this in perspective, the amount of money that's at stake is substantial. Labor Department filings state that between 2000 and 2007, GAG collected at least $1,581,667 in illustrators’ reprographic royalties.(3)It's certainly not unusual for groups with common interests to be scrambling for the same pool of funds. It makes one wonder how much the stakes affected GAG's decision to sue and how much money effects an individual's or organization's professional behavior.Read the press release on the Daily Cartoonist and find links to ECourt documents submitted in the case.Read Steven Heller's article, "Illustration and the Law," about the recent events including an interview with Brad Holland, one of the IPA defendants.Read the Illustrators Partnership Orphan Works statement.1. http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2011/04/28/judge-dismisses-case-against-illustrators-partnership-of-america/?et_mid=458663&rid=37033452. http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2011/04/28/judge-dismisses-case-against-illustrators-partnership-of-america/?et_mid=458663&rid=37033453. http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2011/04/28/judge-dismisses-case-against-illustrators-partnership-of-america/?et_mid=458663&rid=3703345 

First Amendment Face-off

This story about a small town public art controversy caught my attention for a few reasons. First there was the coincidence that the project involved a fellow Orange County Tourism grant recipient. Second was my curiosity about the controversy because I am currently involved in a project that will be displaying art publicly (YOUTH | ART). However the main reason it caught my attention was when I saw the photo of the art that was displayed on this privately owned building. It was quite tasteful and unoffensive. I found it hard to believe it was at the heart of a First Amendment battle.Melanie Gold, the recipient of the grant, did her due diligence before applying for the grant last April. She was told by local officials that there were no local ordinances saying she couldn't put art up on a privately owned building. She was met with resistance however when she invited the mayor to be on the jury deciding which artwork would be displayed. On November 1, 2010 the village board passed Local Law No. 2 of 2010, which ironically was scheduled to expire the same day that the grant would. The law stated “The creation and or display within the Village of Greenwood Lake of public art is prohibited."During the months that followed Ms. Gold challenged this law for several reasons. For starters, the art would be displayed on a private building. The art was hung and the building owner was fined and told to take it down. Ms. Gold filed a lawsuit accusing the village of violating her right to free speech and promulgating an unconstitutional and impossibly broad ban on artistic expression. Last week the lawsuit was settled out of court, and as a part of the stipulations, the VIllage agreed to rescind both violations served on the building's owner as a result of the art installation. They also agreed to rescind the art ban.Ironically, the latest story in the local paper had some inaccuracies. They misrepresented Ms. Gold as the artist of all the murals. The story also reported that Ms. Gold didn't have a formal plan in place when she approached the village board. The project did evolve over the past year, but it evolved from a plan that was presented and approved by the grants committee and had tremendous support from a large majority of local community members including business owners, and residents. Maybe the paper felt it was their right to free speech to report it that way.Sources:The New York TimesPR News WireTimes Herald Record 

The company we keep

"The company we keep" is a heading often used by graphic design firms when they display their client list. Under this warm and fuzzy title they list clients that they are proud to do business with—and in the process build their credibility and status through association. But what about the other side of our business, vendors—printers, programmers, and other service providers—are we as quick to post that list? Unfortunately for many of us these decision are often driven by cost, convenience, and ignorance; we simply don't have the time, or take the time to find out more about our vendors.David Airey is one graphic designer who is walking the walk. He has decided to boycott GoDaddy because of CEO Bob Parson's big game hunting escapades and inhumane treatment of elephants—and then bragging about it by posting a video of the slaughter.Read Airey's blog post about it here: David Airey: Boycotting GoDaddy. Then find out more about the company that you keep. Is it an association that you want to brag about? 

How diverse is the world of graphic design?

How diverse do you think the graphic design world is? A recent New York Times article, "Design Gets More Diverse," interviewed black designers about their experiences.Eddie Opara, a partner at Pentagram, says that although design has often been called a "man's world," he feels it is more accurate to call it a "white man's world."AIGA medalist Gail Anderson says that she feels it's actually harder to break through barriers of gender than those of race.What has your experience with diversity been in the world of graphic design? Have you personally run into barriers because of your race or gender, or have you run into any other barriers like lack of prestigious education credentials, etc.?Source: The New York Times Read the full article.

Who's got your back?

Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised when trying out a new service professional— whether it's a plumber, dentist, teacher, web developer, or new printer. We've also probably all been burned at least once when going to someone new. Naturally, we ask for referrals from our friends or go to people we know. It may become a matter of "who we know" rather than "what they know."Cronyism is defined as favoritism shown to friends and associates by hiring them for positions or awarding them contracts without regard for their qualifications. When I was doing research on this topic a colleague of mine told me a story about having to testify in court in a case involving cronyism and kickbacks. Early in her career she was working as a freelance graphic designer creating brochures, presentation materials, and other marketing collateral. She was a sole proprietor and luckily for her probably too small to be approached for a kickback. However, she was in a position to witness how the larger media and printing contracts were being awarded—and it was often to the agency or organization that "kicked back" some of the profit to the client. In this case the individual at the top of the chain was found guilty and served jail time. My colleague said that although having to testify in court was unusual, the practice of kickbacks in the industry is not. There is also a kinder and gentler term for kickbacks—referral fee—the practice of giving a percentage of the project costs or profit to the individual or organization referring them.Cronyism also happens when information about budgets and competitor bids are shared. The process of submitting a proposal that includes budget information is standard practice in graphic design. During the bidding process Information about the client’s budget and what the competitor bids is information that is not meant to be shared—when it is cronyism is the result.In her article for Communication Arts, "Where Our Wild Things Are—Part 2," DK Holland discusses the transformation of graphic design from the 1960s and 70s, when it was primarily a "boys club" whose members were elite design icons like Milton Glaser and Herb Lubalin, to today's environment where crowdsourcing has created a global marketplace for graphic design. Ironically, the de-emphasis on qualifications or education in crowdsourcing appears to be in direct contrast to cronyism and many feel it has created an environment where graphic design is undervalued.So back to being burned and who's got your back. Clients feel much safer and less at risk working with someone they know and trust—and why not, who wants to take a chance on the unknown when time and money are involved. Graphic designer, educator, and author Gunnar Swanson feels decisions about whom to work with should be based on a rational measure of trustworthiness. Recommendations from someone you have reason to trust because of their knowledge in the field are a rational measure of trustworthiness. On the other hand, membership in the same social club or graduation from the same school may be a less rational measure.How do you feel about cronyism? Do you make decisions about who to work with rational measurements? Or is it a matter of "who you know" vs. "what you know"?

What's in a name?

Ethics hit home last week when I became personally involved in a case of artistic freedom vs. social responsibility, professional integrity, and branding."East End Stories" is a photo essay about people who live or work in the east end of Newburgh, NY. I was inspired to create the series after reading about a mother who lost her son to gang violence when he was only 16. The criteria for those interviewed and photographed was that they have a connection to the location where the FBI had a major gang takedown in May 2010. Everyone interviewed knew my intentions and everyone was asked about how gang violence has affected them. Throughout the project its name was "Living in Gangland."When I completed the work and the exhibit was announced with the title "Living in Gangland" there was an uproar on a community blog. Mudslinging, name calling, personal attacks ensued - it got ugly. With my professional background in branding, I was accused of intentionally marketing Newburgh as "gangland." Since I don't live in Newburgh, I was accused of being a carpetbagger. I also had supporters who urged me to keep the title in the name of truth and artistic freedom and not cave in to censorship.I sifted through this onslaught of feedback—mean, nasty, and irrelevant, along with some that was intelligent and valid. I debated the ethics of the situation; was I just being honest, or could it be seen as exploitative? Was I unintentionally branding the city negatively, or was I being socially responsible in directing attention to people that might otherwise go unnoticed?The old name certainly passed the "Design ROI" test—it was relevant, original, and interesting. In fact when I changed the name and needed help transferring files to the new website, two separate tech people at GoDaddy were quite interested in "Living in Gangland." They immediately wanted to know what the site was about; that's never happened to me when calling for tech help, ever. Even though "East End Stories" passed the "Design ROI" test for relevant and original—it wasn't quite interesting as "Living in Gangland." I had to weigh whether or not the power and irony of the name was integral to the work, or whether it might be unethical to ignore the community's claim that it would be branding their homes with a powerfully negative label and subsequently lower their real estate values.In the end I decided to change the name. It was a matter of respect—respect for the people I photographed—they don't need the added burden of what a negative label might bring. The new name may not be the attention-getter that the old one was, but the new name is equally truthful, even if it's not quite as interesting.

How to respond to spec work requests

Spec work is a hotly debated topic among graphic designers. Most of us are vehemently opposed to it and for good reason. Spec work  devalues our work and also puts us at risk for being taken advantage of as well as not being paid at all for work.David Airey's recent post sums up the absurdity of such requests quite nicely. Read his response to a request for spec work:http://www.davidairey.com/spec-work-request/Read more:AIGA's position on spec workNo!Spec's Ten Reasons to Ponder

What should you do if your client is a racist?

Last month former NPR correspondent Juan Williams made headlines with his remarks and subsequent termination.  NY Times Opinionator blogger Tobin Harshaw wrote that if you start a sentence with "I'm not a bigot, but..." it's not going to end well. Kind of like "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck."I recently ran smack into this issue when a client of mine made a racist remark during a conversation we were having. It did not pertain to the project I was working on for her; it was a personal story. My first reaction was something along the lines of, "oh no, really? not you..." Disappointment, disgust, and then confusion about how to handle it set in. Should I fire this client? Does she have a right to her opinions as long as I'm not forced to produce work that represents them? Graphic designers are often conflicted about having to work on projects for services, causes, or products they don't believe in. But what about working for clients whose behavior is objectionable?In this case I haven't decided yet. It's not a big job, but she is in a jam. I will either bow out now, or get her out of the jam and then end the relationship. This decision isn't that difficult. Luckily my livelihood doesn't depend on this client. I've seen other situations where the client is not mine alone, but the client of a larger organization that I'm working for. Often the client is a member of a team and it's a matter of "one bad apple." In cases where it might not be easy to fire the client perhaps the prudent path is to tell them you're not comfortable with their remarks. I know someone who tells the offender to please keep such remarks to themselves because his "sister-in-law," "nephew" or some other fabricated relative is of that ethnicity. He assures me this usually shuts people up quickly and also elicits an apology. At first I thought perhaps the lie was unethical, but if you take the world view that we are all brothers and sisters on the planet earth, it makes perfect sense.Most of us have had to deal with instances of racism as well as sexism, agism, and other forms of discrimination at one time or another--whether it's aimed directly at us, or we are passive listeners. It may come from a client, a boss, a co-worker, relative, or even a friend. At the very least it's uncomfortable when it happens and often it leaves us outraged.What do you when racism rears its ugly head?

Ethics and the Byne Group

My friend and colleague Ann Byne willingly shared her experience with ethics in the industry along with a personal story on cronyism when I was doing research for my thesis. As were most industry professionals that I interviewed, Ann is passionate about upholding ethical standards for herself, her staff, and her clients. She asked me to write a guest blog on the topic that you can read here:http://www.thebynegroup.blogspot.com/

Do you think unpaid internships are unfair?

When creative director Florian Bacheda of FB Design was asked "What do you think the biggest ethical issues are that graphic design students can expect to face in their careers?” He responded with the following: “I think the biggest ethical issue will be from a managerial perspective. Some bigger corporations will try to use the recession as an excuse to place more work on the shoulders of fewer people. Creatives in managerial positions that work for these corporations must balance the reasonable requests that some of them make in response to the recession with the ones that are borderline exploitative. The junior designers in the field need to decide if they are being asked to be part of an understandably lean and mean operation, or if they are being taken advantage of.”Bacheda raises an issue that is also being discussed by design educators and practitioners regarding unpaid internships. AIGA Philadelphia has started a movement to support the ethical treatment of professional designers and students in the workplace. They are asking designers to take a pledge to stop posting unpaid internships to their job boards and websites.Students are eager to get "real-world" experience. Design professionals often complain about the skills that design students fresh out of school lack. Education is important, but most designers will attest to the fact that the most critical education they received was on the job. The opportunity for student internships is often a motivating factor when choosing a design school. Is it fair to entirely eliminate the opportunity for unpaid internships? What if during these trying economic times design studios can't afford to pay their interns, won't this limit opportunities available for students?Shel Perkins wrote an informative article entitled "Be Smart about Student Internships" on AIGA's "Center for Practice Management" website. Perkins points out the differences between interns, volunteers, and paid employees and how when set up properly having an intern often results in more time spent training and educating them than work being produced by them, and that this is how it should be. The primary purpose of an internship is the education and training of the student. If a design studio feels they may be asking their intern to do work that does not contribute to their education and training they should pay them at least minimum wage.Perkins' article offers a detailed explanation of the Federal requirements for an internship program. He also talks about the mutual benefits that both students and employers can gain through an internship program that complies with these requirements.What do you think? Are unpaid internships are unfair? Does it make a difference if they are students or professionals?