Posts Tagged ‘ethics’

There is a long standing ethical discussion in the design profession about whether designers should design for products or services that the designer does not believe in. The ultimate worst-case scenario is obviously the tobacco industry. While typically the discussion is based upon the power of design to evoke a perception that is contrary to the product’s true properties, I would like to discuss a different side of the situation. Those with the power to manage their own accounts have the ability to turn down work that is against their beliefs, however what about those designers who do not.

In the past I have written about how SEO is Bullshit. More accurately my distrust of the SEO profession, which is mostly based on the increase in unethical individuals seeking to profiteer off of an uneducated client base and a lack of definitive knowledge on the inner workings of search engines. That being said, I recently came across an interesting article on the blog Epicenter titled “Time to Standardize SEO?” Essentially the article states that there are two sides of the argument for standardization in search engine optimization.

Think about this for a second. Think back to the last time that you had a project in which the client pushed scope. How many times has it happened that they only pushed the scope once? Chances are the problem came to be in the form of what I am now referring to as the “Wave Model.”

This article is a direct response to Andy Rutledge’s article “A Sense of Non-Commitment,” if you have not seen the article I would suggest that you give it a read. The article is well written and though out as is typical of Andy. I have however been freelancing on the side for some time now, so naturally this article peaked my interest. I however have never considered it to be a conflict of interest with my employer and have even discussed the subject with them before. Andy brings up a number of points in his article that I agree with, however I believe that there are some items that he may have missed that also effect such a complex ethical situation.

The one and only area where I do not agree is where Andy states “perhaps things at your real job might get so backed up that you have to leave my project languishing while you take care of your real work.” Now I believe that this is a valid concern of a client you may take on for freelance work, however you should be upfront about your main job, and the fact that you are completing the project in your spare time. If they have a problem with this, then they most likely will not use your services, which at that point you could suggest the services of your full-time employer.

That said, here are some tips that I have compiled to help you remain professional and still utilize your entrepreneurial spirit.

Today I was thinking about what is referred to as the “digg effect” and how awesome it would be if my blog finally made that jump to the digg homepage. Like most people who have came close to making the front page of dig know, as some point fear takes over. “Will I run out of bandwidth, Will my host turn off my account?” Then for some reason I recalled an article I recently read about Denial of Service Attacks, and how your server can be crashed by hackers utilizing these attacks. Where this gets interesting though, is when you think about how a web server could be attacked at the same time that an article of page is pushed to the front of dig or a similar social bookmarking site.

Contrast the Blog is currently running an article titled SEO is Bullshit that has had me thinking. While a little bit more blunt than I would be, I can’t help but find myself agreeing with some of the witty rant:

SEO is using deodorant instead of washing. SEO is masking bad coffee with sugar. SEO is cramming instead of studying. SEO is using pain killers instead of going to the dentist. SEO is taking weight loss pills instead of exercising. SEO is a comb-over. SEO is Scientology. SEO is Paris Hilton. SEO is the Zune. SEO is the morning-after pill. SEO is astroturf. SEO is not the real thing. SEO is cutting corners. SEO is not the solution. SEO is bullshit.

Every year, in the design blogs, magazines, books, and podcasts we hear about the social activism projects of designers and their influence on the design community. Every time I come across one of these articles I read over it and ponder what the end means of the designer are. I believe that we as designers must be ethical in our practices because we shape the end meaning of client’s messages. I believe that we hold this power and we should use it responsibly, however I do not see why we have this intrinsic duty to support activist causes. I believe that to be a good designer I must meet the needs of my clients, and also remain skilled in delivering their messages. However, according to the design press this is not all that I should be doing. I should also be seeking opportunities to raise awareness for all of our nation’s largest problems.