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Graphics & ethics BA (HONS) GRAPHIC DESIGN Critical Studies | CRIT3.P1 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry? Student – 303659 | Jon Paul Starkey | Silent Distraction York College Graduating year of 2014
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Contents p. 04
p. 10
p. 05
p. 14
p. 07
p. 15
p. 09
p. 16
Introduction | What are ethics?
Where did our ethos come from?
Why do ethics matter in reality?
Ethical design, then and now
Brief history of graphic design
The present day design industry
Ethical reality
Ethical problems and practice
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p. 18
p. 24
p. 21
p. 29
p. 21
p. 30
p. 22
p. 32
Printing and green issues
Personal and professional integrity
Honesty
Photo-manipulation
Advertising
Getting paid by the devil
Conclusion
Bibliography
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Unless you subscribe to the biblical account – that a malicious talking snake tricked humanities two only ancestors into eating a magical apple – then right and wrong must be a purely human phenomenon
Introduction | What are ethics? Definition taken from: Oxford dictionaries (2014) Ethics: noun plural noun: ethics; noun: ethics
1. moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity. ‘medical ethics also enter into the question’ 2. the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles. ‘neither metaphysics nor ethics is the home of religion’
This essay is about ethics, how they apply in the field of graphic design and if they are important. It considers if it is possible to live by a professional code of ethics, while at the same time fulfilling the many duties required of a graphic designer in the commercial sector today. As such, in the first section we are first going to start by taking a closer look at what ethics actually are, beyond just the dictionary definition. After which we look at where ethics come from, and how over the last century they have become increasingly relevant to graphic design. There is then an examination of several areas, particular to the design industry, which raise ethical issues. Ethics are what contribute to our personal ethos, and our ethos is what makes us the kind of person we want to be. Our ethos defines not only ourselves, but also has an influence on our society. Ethics are related to, but different from, Morals. Morals also stem from our ethics but are more specific, concerned with making judgements regarding right and wrong. Unless you subscribe to the biblical account, that once upon a time a malicious talking snake tricked a man made from clay and a woman made of part of his rib into eating a magical apple, thus giving humans the ability to understand right and wrong, then you must accept that humans notions of right and wrong are a purely human phenomenon.
It is something found universally in all human societies the world over. Ethics are an intrinsic part of us both personally and of our culture. In a lot of ways having ethics define what it is to be human. Without a perception of good and evil there would be no ethics. Whether we have a consciously worked out a system of ethics or not, everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Pro actively considering personal ethics is not a pre requisite for having them though. There are things everyone would and would not do. Everyone has some sort of ethical code. We instinctively know certain things to be good or bad. We feel it to be so. It is thus with all of our ethics. They are true to us because on a very basic level we feel it is right. Some religious groups argue that atheists must be missing morals and ethics, because without the guidance of God or Allah how can they know what is right and wrong? Not accepting a top-down ethical code of conduct laid down by an omnipresent overlord, how they wonder, can such people know what is right? This belies a fundamental failure to understand humanity. Having a moral code, having ethics, is so central to the human condition that it is literally impossible to be alive without them, at least it is without a serious mental illness or brain trauma.
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Where did our ethos come from? Accepting that the talking snake and apple didn’t give us a sense of right and wrong, then why do we have one? Well, Humans are social animals and have been since pre history. Archaeology and evolutionary science tells us this beyond all reasonable doubt. It is my opinion that ethics originated in the evolved social rules by which the groups of our ancestors lived. It is the instincts that let them live in relative harmony with each other, enabled them to hunt, reproduce and survive that have evolved into the ethics we have today. As self awareness evolved, these instincts became amenable to analysis by the very animals (people) experiencing them. Actions that where previously taken without thought, through pre-programmed instinct, could now be analysed. What remains of our instincts today is what gives us a sense of right and wrong. For example letting one of the group die is wrong or bad, helping fellow tribe members is right or good.
These days of course we are not bound by the same constraints as our distant ancestors. Back in pre history if a member of your group was removed for some reason they could no longer help to physically defend you or assist in the hunt for food. Your life and continued survival was a lot more dependant on the other members of your group. In the modern era everyone you personally know could die right now and you would still be able to go down the shop and buy food, and absolutely zero tigers would maul you to death while you were dong it. This freedom coupled with self awareness has made our instinct to help others in our group an intellectual decision, not a matter of survival. Our privileged status today as undisputed rulers of the world and the relatively safe society we live in, gives people the opportunity to revel in doing bad with no terminal consequences. Thankfully only a small proportion do do this, but it is clearly possible and we put people in jail who have chosen to do bad things.
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Our privileged status today – as undisputed rulers of the world – gives people the opportunity to revel in doing ‘bad’ with no terminal consequences
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
There is no underlying divine ‘ absolute god given morality w Ultimately there is no right and
The ability to ‘think’ brings many complications with it, and lays us open to manipulation by others in ways that animals without self-awareness are not. Ethics and notions of good and evil are powerful things and can influence every aspect of our lives. Our innate desire to help and protect our group can be subverted by religions, governments and many groups to serve their own ends. History shows us time and time again how easy this appears to be. Just turn on the news and you can see it happening today. If you can get a group of people to believe your set of rules are right, to accept you notions of right and wrong as a substitute for their own ethics, then you can get them to do literally anything. Even to the point of overriding their own instinct for self preservation. These are obviously extreme cases and everyone’s ethics are created in part by other
people. We all grow up with, and then continue to perpetuate, the social norms of the culture we are part of. Not necessarily all of them however. For example we no longer consider slavery to be acceptable. This is evidence that cultural change through a conscious reassessment of personal ethics is possible. But there will be some things we accept as right only due to our culture, this is part of human nature and unavoidable. There is no underlying divine ‘truth’ to guide our personal ethics, no absolute god given morality woven into the fabric of reality. Ultimately there is no right and wrong, good or evil. As far as the universe is concerned, there is only action and reaction, choice and consequence. Morality and ethics really are all in our heads.
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‘truth’ to guide our personal ethics, no woven into the fabric of reality. d wrong, good or evil
Why do ethics matter in reality? So why, if there is actually no right and wrong and it is only in our heads, do ethics matter? Well, we do all live within our heads, and within a society of other people living within their heads. Subjective reality for human beings is a perceived reality created by our minds and our minds come hard wired with a set of rules and judgements we call right and wrong. So for all intents and purposes our reality does indeed contain good and evil. It is a reality that really does involve making important ethical decisions that have to power to change the society we live in. Everyone we come into contact with throughout our entire lives will experience their subjective reality and behave as though there is right and wrong too. The notion of good and evil continues, and has genuine power for us.
With our increasingly complex lives today the ethical decisions we are required to make have also become more complex. It is no longer simply a case of one caveman physically helping another to safety, these days there are a cornucopia of influences and consequences that lead from any action we take no matter how well intentioned. A certain action or event has consequences that will be good for one person and not for another, ethical decisions are all shades of grey. Indeed Lucienne Roberts (2006, p.6) makes this exact point in her book ‘An introduction to ethics in graphic design’, when she says ‘Ethics is not a black– and–white subject’.
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
For example look at the recent controversy involving the ‘Red nose day’ charity. That charity ostensibly exist to do pure good. To do this though they have invested money in some dubious unethical institutions in order to maximise their profit and hence have the ability to go on and do more good. In many peoples opinion these investments are doing bad, even if it is with the ultimate goal of doing good. So does the ethical benefit of doing the good outweigh the unethical investment made to facilitate it? Shades of grey.
Culture, and social norms have an effect on what we accept as ethically right. In our culture (Early 21st century Judeo-Christian, North Western Europe, specifically Britain, England) eating dogs or horses is not the norm and some, perhaps most, members of our culture consider it wrong. But in other cultures it is perfectly acceptable. So we can see that what we consider right and wrong is not only a consequence of human nature but is also partly learned. We are at once influenced by, and an influence on, the culture which shapes us.
Fig 1: Red Nose Day’s star presenters included Claudia Winkleman, Dermot O’Leary, Lenny Henry, Alan Carr, Rob Brydon and Michael McIntyre. (2013) [Internet] Comic Relief to sell investments in arms, tobacco and alcohol companies. Available from: http://www. theguardian.com/ tv-and-radio/2013/ dec/26/comic-reliefto-sell-investmentspanorama [Accessed 28 January 2014].
Figure 1
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Ethical design, then and now Thus far this discussion has been a philosophical examination of ethics in general. But we will now take a look at the application of ethics in the area of graphic design and why that is important. It is only in relatively modern times that graphic design and graphic designers have started to think about ethics. In historical times the artists – that were, in those times the closest equivalent to graphic designers – often did not have the freedom to make their own decisions. But in more modern times, with increased freedom to make personal decisions, a designers ethical structure and the decisions it gives rise to has started to merit serious consideration.
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...in more modern times, with increased freedom to make personal decisions, a designers ethical structure and the decisions it gives rise to has started to merit serious consideration
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Brief history of graphic design In pre history there was no graphic design as we know it today. There were though, artists and skilled crafts people in early civilisations. These were not what we think of today as ‘fine artists’. Fine artists today are primarily concerned with creating pieces of art to convey their personal reaction to life, or some aspect of that. In the distant past this was not so, the art produced was always for the purposes of codification, documenting or glorification of whatever ruling power was present in that society. Personal expression appears not to be something that an artist in those societies attempted or was allowed. In the modern ere, echoes of this authoritative control can be seen in overbearing authoritarian regimes. Often activities and artistic works considered too decadent or hedonistic are forcefully suppressed.
During the Roman period art was still, for the main part, produced to glorify the ruling powers. Statues and images of great military victories were used as a means to impress its citizens and enemies alike. It was a great tool of propaganda. After the fall of Rome came the dark ages. At least in Europe, religion became the dominant force regarding the production of art. The artists themselves would no doubt have been believers, but any attempt to stray from the accepted doctrine lead to sever punishment. The art from this period was therefore controlled and without any personal freedom for the artist. The only place an artist could express any sort of personal opinion was if it was carefully hidden in the baroque patterns that adorn the decoratively illuminated manuscripts.
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Figure 2
Figure 3
Fig 2: Detail of a marginal illumination of a bear-scribe writing on a scroll, from the Bohun Psalter and Hours, England. (second half of the 14th century) [Internet] Available from: http://britishlibrary. typepad.co.uk/ digitisedmanuscripts/ animals/ page/4/#sthash. gMNaBawF.dpufhttp:// britishlibrary. typepad.co.uk/ digitisedmanuscripts/ animals/page/4/ [Accessed 26 January 2014].
Fig 3: Albrecht Bolza, Friedrich Koenig and steam powered printing press. (1886) [Internet] Available from: http:// www.kba.com/en/ company/history/ [Accessed 26 January 2014]. Fig 4: The Bauhaus design school. (circa 1920) [Internet] Available from: http:// www.core77.com/blog/ object_culture/how_ bauhaus_was_shaped_ into_greatness_8882. asp [Accessed 26 January 2014].
Figure 4
During the Renaissance period in Europe the individual artists began to acquire much more importance. Portraiture and commissioning portraits of yourself and your family was all the rage among the social elite of the time, and they were used as indicators of status, or means of gaining it. Artists were gaining more freedom, and through their particular style and self expression they stood out as unique. The work of individual artists was prized and pursued by the richest and most powerful in the land. During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s the industrial revolution changed a great many things, first in Britain then northern Europe and America. Initially the industrial revolution was seen as a dashing bold adventure, with many scientific breakthroughs. The development of the steam powered printing press, by Friedrich Koenig, increased public education and mass communication.
By the end on the century however there was a distinct dissatisfaction growing in society, due to overcrowded cities, a chronic lack of hygiene with little knowledge of sanitation and no knowledge of what caused diseases, let alone cure them. Diseases such as cholera, typhoid and typhus were devastating. There was widespread distortion as a small group of industrialists grew enormously wealthy on the spoils of new technology. Society as a whole was going through some of the biggest changes it had ever undergone.
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
It was against this backdrop of huge social and economic upheaval that the Arts and Crafts movement emerged. Led by William Morris, this was a reaction to what he saw as dehumanising industrial production methods. He advocated a return to traditional methods of textile production and was concerned that society was taking the wrong path with ever more mechanisation. As Hollis (2004, p.26) says, ‘Morris used domestic visual taste as an index of moral health’ and this was the ‘chief element in his vision of utopia’. Hollis (2004, p.32) states that ‘The first world war established the importance of visual design. The diagram, illustration and caption helped to inform and instruct.’ This was entirely true, and the obvious importance of design during the war led designers and artists to reconsider their role in society. After the war and its repercussions an appetite for change spread through Europe like wild fire. The socialist
ideas of the Arts and Crafts movement and their attempts to create a better world spread to many different groups throughout northern Europe where they evolved and developed. In Germany with the abolition of censorship there was a great release of radical artistic experimentation. The famous Bauhaus design school was founded in 1919. During that time, and ever since, it has had a profound influence on architecture, graphic design, interior design, product design and art. It is hard to overstate the importance of the Bauhaus as much of today’s modern aesthetic has been heavily influenced by its ideals. With the rise of the Nazi’s in the 1930’s the Bauhaus and everything they stood for was no longer viable in Germany. The school closed in 1933 and the staff spread out all over the world where they continued to spread the design ideas and ethical approach that made the Bauhaus the epoch defining organisation.
With the rise of the Na the
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The Second World War again created a tangible need for governments to produce effective propaganda and visual communication. This drove a marked evolution and progression in designers technical ability and creative aesthetic. Post war, many designers influenced by the prevailing cultural desire for change, took openly political stances. They made conscious decisions with regard to political and ethical questions. Over the centuries, the increased freedom of artists, and more recently designers, to express themselves has meant an increased need to examine the ethics of their work. Clearly when an artist lacked the freedom to make personal choices, ethics were not relevant. Today graphic designers have considerable freedom of expression, and so considerable ethical choices face them.
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azi’s in the 1930’s the Bauhaus and everything ey stood for was no longer viable in Germany
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Almost everything we look at was designed by
It is no exaggeration to say th
The present day design industry During the last 40 or 50 years the conscious, intellectual examination of the designers ethics, and moral responsibility to society and culture has received serious attention. People like cite? Ken Garland, Michael J Phillips and Lucienne Roberts, to name a few, have written manifestos, articles and many books on the subject. Though there are clearly other fields in which ethics have greater importance and impact, for instance the armed forces or intelligence gathering professions, graphic design does have an clear and present impact on society and thus moral responsibility too. It surely must influence it simply by ubiquity. The graphic design industry’s product surrounds us every second of every day. Some example of it is nearly always within our field of vision. Almost everything we look at; morning paper, phone apps, credit card, billboards, deodorant cans were designed by a graphic designer. Even the things that weren’t, like tea bags, still came in a box that was.
Human beings are heavily influenced by the things we see arounds us. Even things we see unconsciously can have a profound effect on us. This has been made abundantly clear recently by the likes of Derren Brown, the television entertainer and illusionist who purports to use hypnosis, neural-linguisticprogramming and other psychological tricks to influence volunteers. He can influence, some might even say force, people to bend to his will, apparently simply by placing certain images within their field of vision for a period prior to the event he then controls. I think it is clear that graphic design and indeed all design has an influence over all our lives. With advertising a ubiquitous part of everyday life in the 21st century and the way we all spend more and more of our time looking at screens, this influence is only set to increase. A thousand years ago, when people mainly looked at natural objects, if there had been graphic designers their influence would have been slight. Today however, where sometimes it seems style is all important and actual content a secondary concern, the consideration of ethics in regard to graphic design is important. Even if it not certain how important or powerful graphic design is, I believe it is clear it does genuinely matter.
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y a graphic designer!
hat designers are engaged in nothing less than the manufacture of contemporary reality Poynor, R. 2001
Ethical reality We have learned thus far that, for us, (semi) rational humans living in the early part of the 21st century, ethics do matter and that graphic design has at least some influence and effect on society. Poynor, R. (2001 p,136) says ‘It is no exaggeration to say that designers are engaged in nothing less than the manufacture of contemporary reality’. So graphic designers are therefore morally obliged to consider their effect and assume some conscious ethical stance in regards to their professional lives.
This of course assumes that people are responsible for and have control over their own actions. This is by no means certain but the scope of this essay does not extend to discussing free will versus the idea of a completely deterministic reality. In brief, I have found the general consensus of opinion among those who do think and write on this subject, is that, even if there is no free will we have no realistic alternative option but to live our lives as though there were. I am therefore making the assumption that we do indeed have free will. Further interesting reading on this can be found at: http://www.spaceandmotion.com/ Philosophy-Free-Will-Determinism.htm and http:// www3.sympatico.ca/saburns/pg0407.htm
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
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Ethical problems and practice What does all this actually mean for the conscientious graphic designer of today then? Clearly you can be technically good a design work without having any sort of ethical personal code. You can drown a whole litter of kittens while wearing a pointy white sheet and shouting vile things about ethnic minorities, it won’t make an iota of difference regarding your ability with Photoshop. Similarly, you can give to charity adopt a whole village of Nepalese goat herding children and plant trees until the cows come home, but it won’t make you any better at type setting.
You can drown a whole litter of kittens while weari shouting vile things about ethnic minorities, it won regarding your ability with Photoshop
Being good won’t make you any better at design that much it obvious. But is it even possible to have integrity, be good and have ethics, while at the same time fulfilling all the implicit duties associated with being a successful technically good commercial graphic designer? This is not just a semantic point but a real issue for graphic designers working today.
When asked if an ethical code of practice could be arrived at, Anthony Graylings said in his interview with Roberts (2006, p.36) ‘Yes, absolutely.’ and continues ‘A list of strict rules would be very difficult to observe in practice, which is always the problem with top-down ethics. The alternative idea of ‘a way of being’ is bottom-up, which rests on individuals being conscious of their involvement in society and the impact they have on it.’ This is in my opinion an immensely sensible stance to take. If you follow a set of pre-ordained top-down set of rules, you are guaranteed to come across a situation for which the rules are not applicable or inconsistent. Either that or if the set of rules is so loose as to encompass all situations, it must surely be basically worthless.
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ing a pointy white sheet and n’t make an iota of difference
Similarly, you can give to charity adopt a whole village of Nepalese goat herding children and plant trees until the cows come home, but it won’t make you any better at type setting
We can see a myriad of examples documented in the media of our consumerism driven, capitalist society, being manipulated and used by people whose greed has clearly overpowered their integrity. In particular city bankers have only made the news because of the enormous sums involved. Bankers clearly must have more opportunity to succumb to greed as they have their ‘hands on the money’ so to speak. In contrast graphic designers have their hands on logos, magazines and advert campaigns. But who is to say whether graphic designers up and down the country are also brushing their ethics to one side, not for the sake of money, but for the sake of an easy life or the afternoon off? These things will not make the national press, but they do have a small effect and that effect spreads throughout society.
Graphic designers are an integral part of our capitalist system, and being a graphic designer is a paid profession. One of the primary reasons of going to work is to get paid, and for as much as possible. But this should not be the only reason, and definitely should not be pursued at the expense of all other concerns. Thankfully for graphic designers the ethical decisions they have to make are very rarely, if ever, life or death choices. But they do have real choices to consider. In the following section we will take a look at a few of them...
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Printing and green issues Possibly the most important issue facing humanity today. For the continued existence of humankind it is clear we require a planet capable of sustaining us. Depending on what particular evidence you listen to, to varying degrees, we are currently destroying our planets long term ability to sustain humankind. Whether you subscribe to the most apocalyptic of these predictions or not, it is clear the scientific consensus is that as a species we are causing significant changes to our eco system and that to curtail this influence we must all play our part. We must all consider our ‘carbon footprint’ and the long term sustainability of our practices.
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The concerns of graphic designers in this area can be many and varied. The most obvious is perhaps in the use of traditional print materials. We have all seen the ‘do you really need to print me’ notices at the bottom of emails that are there to prompt us to think about our use of resources. The sheer volume of paper a graphic designer can get through in a day can be a significant factor in their carbon footprint. And that is before considering the amount used if their current job is going to require 100,000 magazines to be printed. If you accept that the quantity cannot be altered, then there is still the papers manufacture to consider. Where has the wood pulp come from? What is it made from? Is it recycled? how toxic or otherwise is it and what process was used to make it? After that the ink used is another factor, again is toxicity and production techniques must be considered.
...we are currently destroying our planets long term ability to sustain humankind
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Greenwashing; Will lead to a loss of credibility and increase the public’s cynicism and scepticism
To see what the actual impact and the carbon footprint is of any given product you must follow its entire life cycle through. From conception, production, shipping and transportation costs all the way to its eventual destruction. Dougherty (2008) advocates in his book Green Graphic Design that designers go through this process in the other direction. Imagining the best possible destiny for their design and visualise the process of every phase from the final destination of the product at the end of its life cycle all the way back to the design studio. He suggests that the designer consider every stage including transportation, warehousing, production and manufacturing. And to consider if at any point there are more green solutions that can be implemented.
To have any real effect, this overarching, holistic view of the whole life cycle of a company’s products, needs to be taken in to consideration. Unfortunately this does not always happen. Some companies market themselves as being green however they only address a small part of the problem, staring with a myopic gaze on only a tiny part of the overall system, while ignoring the bigger picture. Some do this through ignorance, but others are using their apparent concern over green issues as a cynical advertising opportunity. Claiming to be eco-friendly for the purposes of cultivating a caring, positive, but ultimately false, appearance is known as greenwashing. Though it can and does work for some companies, eventually it will lead to a loss of credibility and increase the publics cynicism and scepticism.
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Fig 5: An example of companies greenwashing. (2010) [Internet] The Top 25 Greenwashed Products in America. Available from: http:// www.businesspundit. com/the-top-25greenwashed-productsin-america/ [Accessed 26 January 2014].
Figure 5
There are groups out there taking affirmative action in this area, working hard to spread sustainable practices throughout the design industry. One of them is ‘The Designers Accord’ who started operating in 2007 with three primary goals.
Since 2007 the institution had 939 design firms adopt their principals, 39 educational Institutions, 50 businesses, 19 professional associations, 1000s of individuals and it functions across hundreds of countries in 6 different continents. This is a significant achievement, and with the continued efforts of people like this and if designers make a conscious effort to inform and educate their clients, real change can occur.
The Designers Accord (2014)
Primary goals •
Engaging all members of the creative community in a dialogue about the importance of integrating the principles of sustainability in all practice and production.
•
Evolving design education, and supporting ongoing professional development.
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Bringing the power of systems thinking and design thinking to higher-order strategic challenges.
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Personal and professional integrity
Honesty
This section encompasses a number of sub headings, everything from honesty, photo-manipulation, advertising and pricing. Some of these are specific to the design world and some can be applied more generally. All, though, are important and deserve consideration.
We all know what it means, according to Bibb (2010 p.62) it means ‘Telling the truth, the whole truth and not knowingly allowing people to be mislead.’ She qualifies this by considering intent. ‘There maybe situations when not telling the truth is important for the greater ethical good, for example a police officer going undercover to break a drugs ring’. This type of example is unlikely in the area of graphic design, but honesty does have an important role to play. Honesty is applicable to multiple aspects of graphic design, as it is life in general. From accurate time keeping and billing, to managing staff and client interactions, honesty is an important thing to consider. German philosopher Immanuel Kant (2014) theorised in his Categorical Imperative, that we ought not to lie in any circumstances, even if we are trying to bring about good consequences. One area of the designer’s role where this point of view is hotly debated is that of photo-manipulation.
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There maybe situations when not telling the truth is important for the greater ethical good Bibb. 2010
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
An unceasing flow of retouche cosmetic surgery, eating disor judged on their appearance
Photo-manipulation Though many people think of photo-manipulation as a relatively recent consequence of the digitisation of the design industry, it has actually been common practice almost ever since photography was first invented. Some notable examples can be seen on the Four and Six website (2014) where we clearly see Abraham Lincoln’s head replacing that of the Southern politician John Calhoun’s.
Clearly however the ease and sophistication of adjustments now possible with software such as Adobe Photoshop have seen a great increase in the practice of retouching photographs. There are some who believe that electronically manipulated images in advertising should be banned, or if not banned, then clearly labelled as such. Some advocates of the prohibition of altered or photoshopped images point out the psychological damage done to young girls in particular by the omnipresence of unrealistic and unattainable body image presented by advertisers. According to Duffett, H. (2009) Jo Swinson, a member of the UK Parliament, noted the damage done to women by an unceasing flow of such images, citing rising rates of cosmetic surgery and eating disorders and the anxiety of women constantly judged on their appearance.
Figure 6
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Fig 6: Abraham Lincoln is a composite of Lincoln’s head and the Southern politician John Calhoun’s body. (circa 1860) [Internet] Photo tampering throughout history. Available from: http:// www.fourandsix.com/ photo-tamperinghistory/ [Accessed 28 January 2014].
| An essay by Jon Paul Starkey | SilentDistraction.com
ed images has lead to rising rates of rders and the anxiety of women constantly
Opponents of this though ask that if you applied this to printed digital material you would surely have to apply it to other digital media like video. Adverts would be required to announce whether the sound or the image was tweaked in anyway, and in almost every scenario, that would be the case. The sheer volume of printed material would make policing any policy of labelling prohibitively expensive and impossible to enforce. Clearly there is a sensible balance to be struck here. Real damage can, and has, been done to some vulnerable sections of the community. At the same time most photo-manipulation only serves to enhance the particular aesthetic style a designer is going for. It is not only a question of honesty but also aesthetics. Designers are employed to create aesthetically pleasing images and photo manipulation is a big part of this. Intent, as previously mentioned, is a big part of honesty and if a designers intent is to please the viewer and not to deceive, then is tweaking a photo really dishonest?
I think most designers take these sorts of decisions on a case by case basis. But some designers have a well thought out specific code of conduct they follow. Chris de Bode, freelance photojournalist said in an interview with Roberts, L (2006, p73) ‘I believe I am allowed to change pictures in the way I would have done in a darkroom using chemicals. So, I clean them and change the contrast’, he continues ‘I work within these limits because I think it can make the pictures stronger and more dramatic.’ de Bode’s code of conduct is, I think valid in his particular work due to the nature of his photography. He covers areas of conflict and has traveled widely including Israel, Palestine, El Salvador and Columbia, working with NGOs like ‘Doctors Without Borders’. If De Bode’s work was ever to be shown to have been altered significantly it would loose a lot of its impact. Capturing a shot of real situations is what gives his pictures impact and meaning. This is quite a niche situation though and I think more extensive photomanipulation can be justified in the interest of aesthetics if the subject is less meaningful. Decisions on whether to, and to what extent, to alter an image is down to the particular ethics of the designer and/ or art director. It is clearly not a black and white issue and this is just another example of the kind of complex ethical decisions designers are required to make on a daily basis.
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Advertising A lot of graphic design work involves advertising. Be it on a billboard or magazine, smart phone or website, the many adverts we see have all at some point been designed. Someone has had to make an ethical decision whether to take the job in the first place. Then having chosen to lend their support to advertising this particular product or service they have then had to negotiate any other ethical problem resulting from the job, likely these will include some of the points we have already covered. Graphic designers are the gatekeepers of information in this scenario and the power they wield should not be underestimated. As we have already seen in previously sections, as well as holding a mirror up to contemporary culture, designers also have a definite effect on it.
Setting aside issues of design for a moment though, we will consider ethics in advertising in general. Some people consider all advertising wholly unethical. They see it as nothing more than an attempt at manipulation, lies told to coerce the public in to buying yet more material goods. They consider it deceptive in whole or part and believe it to undermine personal autonomy. Indeed Phillips, M. J. (1997, p.5) said when quoting from a lecture in ‘Advertising and the Corrupting of America’, Business and Society Review 41 (Spring 1982) on advertising, ‘its major function and purpose has been to feed already bloated corporate beasts. They’re discovered that the only way they can keep their revenues up is by paying exorbitant sums to advertising professionals who combine art and psychology to exploit and manipulate the cast range of human fears and needs.’
Graphic designers are the gatekeepe
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| An essay by Jon Paul Starkey | SilentDistraction.com
Is this really true though? Well if an advert was shown to be an outright lie I think we would all agree that is was unethical. But how many adverts do we see though, that are lies? Very few. Adverts for large and/ or reputable companies cannot hope to get away with lies in reality. They not only have to answer to any internal systems of ethical interrogation, but also a number of government organisations and advertising regulators. These regulatory bodies have real legal power, they can prosecute corporations and if appropriate individuals, enforce fines and in extreme cases even custodial sentences. Equivalent bodies exist throughout the developed world and ensure clear consequences of lying to the public. Plus the damage done to a company’s public reputation
if they were found to be lying would be so huge as to make the risk of doing it unthinkable. Moore, C. (2004) gives the example in his speech of one of Volvos campaigns. In a real-life monster truck show, a Volvo was the only car left uncrushed, what a great idea for a commercial someone thought! But to make the advert the film company needed to shoot several takes. So they reinforced the car to stand repeated squashing by the monster truck. Later on when this all came out, Volvo was lambasted in the press. Their ad agency got fired and ultimately went out of business. So was this right or wrong? The advert itself as shot was fixed. But the story it told and message it conveyed was true.
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ers of information and the power they wield should not be underestimated
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Tastes are morally optional, according to a rational standard of ethics, in the sense that they are discretionary, rather than universal, necessary or obligatory, as are moral values Kirkpatrick, J. 1994
There is of course a big difference between outright lying and misleading. ‘Association advertising’, when a celebrity, favourable trait or aspirational lifestyle is linked to a product, is one such example. If we look at fragrance adverts, do the celebrities really use the aftershave or perfume they are promoting? Does the luxurious lifestyle they portray have anything to do with the actual product? The celebrity may have used the fragrance, but it may have been only once, and it is doubtful they use it regularly. The luxurious lifestyle certainly has nothing to do with the fragrance, but it is the advertisers express wish that we connect it to the product in our minds. So is this a lie? The adverts authenticity exists on a spectrum, somewhere between true and a wholesale lie. Fig 7: Jared Leto advertising Hugo Boss Just Different fragrance. (2013) [Internet] Available from: http:// www.designscene. net/2011/07/jaredleto-hugo-boss.html [Accessed 28 January 2014]
Much has been written on the subject of advertising, some attacking it and some defending. The defence sometimes states that it is merely a service, providing mass communication to the public. It empowers the consumer with new knowledge, letting them know of new products and ways to improve their quality of life. Kirkpatrick, J. (1994 p.153) says of it ‘Advertising is just salesmanship’ and goes on that ‘Advertising, indeed, is the intellectual conduit by which everyone can seek the good life. ‘In another chapter he continues to extol the virtues of advertising when he says ‘advertising is, at once, a rational, moral, productive, and above all, benevolent institution of lassiez-fair capitalism.’ Kirkpatrick, J. (1994 preface. Xii) He theorises that some of those intent on attacking advertising as being immoral are confusing immorality with lack of taste. You are quite entitled to be offended by a lack of taste but you are not entitled to not be offended at all. He says that ‘tastes are morally optional, according to a rational standard of ethics, in the sense that they are discretionary, rather than universal, necessary or obligatory, as are moral values.’ and that ‘No one man’s taste can claim moral superiority over any other’s.’ Kirkpatrick, J. (1994 p.58).
Figure 7 26
| An essay by Jon Paul Starkey | SilentDistraction.com
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being aware and complicit with the consumption of information is a pre-requisite to ethical advertising
An example of advertising most among us would consider unethical, is that of subliminal advertising. Subliminal literally means below threshold, and subliminal advertising is advertising that communicates a message below the threshold of consciousness. It is the practice of planting information in the recipients mind without their conscious knowledge of the fact, and it can be achieved in several ways. Flashing images very quickly is the most widely know of these but there are several other methods. Much of entertainer and illusionist Derren Brown’s television shows apparently involve subliminal programming of a subject. Sometimes this is visual and sometimes auditory, specifically neural-linguistic-programming or NLP. This area has received quite a lot of attention in recent years, though its validity is still controversial and Derren Brown’s own explanation of his abilities cannot be taken at face value, he is after all in the business of entertainment and deception, not public education and scientific research. Clearly, sending messages directly into someone’s mind without their knowledge is a fantastic way of manipulating them, and I think we would all agree that being aware and complicit with the consumption of information is a pre-requisite to ethical advertising.
There is significant scientific evidence for the efficacy of some forms of subliminal communication. As Phillips, M. J. (1997, p.114) says, ‘subliminal perception is an established phenomenon’. Dr Bahador Bahrami, UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience has done research into the area and says ‘The brain is open to what’s around it. So if there is ‘spare capacity’, in terms of attention, the brain will allocate that resource to subliminal activity.’ Brahrami (2007) Although subliminal communication has been shown to exist, the actual influence and ability of it to alter our buying habits is a lot less certain. The general consensus of opinion among research scientist seems to be that it is slight at best. Further, subliminal advertising – at least in its most widely known form, the flashed image, is illegal in the UK and has been since the 1950s. Interestingly this is not the case in the United States. The use of psychological tricks to influence the viewer, product placement and the clever use of negative space is not illegal however, although whether this crosses the boundary into subliminal advertising is a matter of opinion. The evidence for the effectiveness of these more subtle forms of influence is slight. Examples of these techniques can be as simple as the connotations of a brands slogan. Take Microsoft and their slogan ‘Where do you want to go today?’ it’s connotations include power, control and freedom. Is this mere salesmanship or a clever attempt to manipulate the virtues we associate with the Microsoft brand? Possibly it is both?
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
It would be very easy to become paranoid, and exceedingly angry about subliminal advertising. Indeed if you spend only a few minutes on the internet you will find many people who have, and are so. I think this is most likely not a productive use of peoples time and effort. Though interesting, I think there are other more positive subjects to concentrate on. I do not believe as Key, W (1993) says that ‘subliminal advertising may prove more dangerous than nuclear weapons.’ At worst, you will buy some things you wouldn’t otherwise have bought.
Whatever you opinion of advertising, it is an integral part of western society and is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. I think it is clear that advertising does have an effect on society and culture, and as this is the case I think it morally beholden on those responsible for producing it, to make it as entertaining, uplifting and as true as possible. For the greater good we may as well accept it and seek to apply a Benthamic principal Bentham, J. (1907) to advertising whenever possible. This will have the effect of changing our society for the better just as lies, poor taste and negativity will bring changes for the worse.
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subliminal advertising may prove more d Key, W (1993)
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| An essay by Jon Paul Starkey | SilentDistraction.com
Getting paid by the devil Who a graphic designer actually does work for is another important ethical decision. As we discussed earlier in the essay, the production of propaganda in war time was considered very important by the governments on both sides of the conflict. The graphic designers responsible for producing this work had an ethical decision to make when they agreed to the job. In agreeing to it they were lending their support to the war effort of whichever side was asking them. Of course there may have been repercussions for them personally should they have refused. If this was extreme enough it would have effectively taken the decision out of their hands, eschewing them the problem of making any ethical decision. Today there is rarely any danger to a graphic designers personal safety if they refuse a job, there is however the lost opportunity for financial gain. It is the tension between financial gain and taking a moral stand that in some cases raises an ethical dilemma for todays graphic designers. If we look at far right nationalist groups for instance, someone must at some point, have done their graphic design work. Did they share some or all of the same ideals of their client? Or did they just take the job for the financial reward?
dangerous than nuclear weapons
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Conclusion Having and living by an ethical code, making good decisions and still succeeding in the contemporary graphic design industry is clearly possible. And I would argue, important. It is important for the sake of the planet, our society and culture. Making positive, considered and ethical decisions for the greater good can improve the quality of life for all.
Summing up; human intellect has given us the blessing and curse of self awareness, we are aware of ourselves, our interactions with others and to a degree our effect on society. How we choose to conduct ourselves in the light of this knowledge makes us the kind of person we want to be and comprises what we call our ethos.
A commercial designer cannot function in today’s market place without having to make decisions with some ethical component. Be it as simple a task as accurate time keeping for fair client billing, or something more involved like choosing a print company and haulage operator that will result in your product having a smaller carbon footprint, ethical decisions are part of the designers job description and here to stay. That is why it is worth a designer taking the time to consider some of the points raised in this essay. These decisions will have to be made in any case, so making them with thought, care and while keeping the utilitarian philosophy of Benthamism in mind, will insure the best possible outcome for all concerned.
With regard to graphic design; My personal ethos leads me to conclude that the right, ethical thing to do professionally, is to take the time to consider the effect of our work on society, and having considered it, act to increase is positivity whilst mitigating is negativity. At the same time we must be careful to guard against hubris and not fall into a cosy sense of self-congratulatory adulation by considering ourselves morally superior to all around us.
Human intellect has given us the blessing an conduct ourselves in the light of this knowledg
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| An essay by Jon Paul Starkey | SilentDistraction.com
Being an ethical designer should be something that people take seriously, and more than just a cynical advertising exercise. If you genuinely consider ethical practices, it cannot help but improve clients impression of you, and therefore increase business. Being ethical is a legitimate business tactic, and as Neil Gaimen (2012) pointed out in his address to the students of the University of the Arts; To be successful in business you need to be three things. You must be able to produce good work, to do it on time, and to be nice! And really you only actually need two of those!’.
I believe that if everyone made a conscious effort to spread good humour and positivity throughout their own world, I fail to see how it cannot succeed in increasing the sum total of human happiness.
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nd curse of self awareness. How we choose to ge makes us the kind of person we want to be
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
Bibliography Bentham, J. (1907) An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Oxford, Clarendon Press.
Phillips, M. J. (1997) Ethics and Manipulation
Bibb, S. (2010) The Right Thing. An everyday guide to ethics in business. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Poynor, R. (2001) Obey the giant. Life in the image world. London, Birkh채user.
Dougherty, B. (2008) Green Graphic Design. New
Roberts, L. (2006) Good: An introduction to ethics
York, Allworth Press.
in graphic design. Lausanne, AVA Publishing SA
in Advertising. Answering a flawed indictment. Westpoint, Greenwood Publishing Inc.
Hollis, R. (2004) Graphic Design. A concise history. London, Thames & Hudson Ltd. Key, W. (1993) The Age of Manipulation. The Con in Confidence, the Sin in Sincere. Lanham, Madison Books.
Kirkpatrick, J. (1994) In the defence of advertising. Arguments from the reason, ethical egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism. Westpoint, Greenwood Publishing Inc.
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| An essay by Jon Paul Starkey | SilentDistraction.com
Websites Bahrami, B. (2007) Subliminal images impact on
Gaimen, N. (2012) Inspirational Commencement
brain [Internet]. London, BBC. Available from: http:// news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6427951.stm [Accessed on 18 January 2014]
Speech at the University of the Arts 2012 [Internet], Youtube. Available from http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI [Accessed 8 January 2014]
The Designers Accord (2014) Designers Accord Moore, C. (2004) Ethics in Advertising [Internet]. [Internet]. The Designers Accord. Available from: http://www.designersaccord.org [Accessed on 22 January 2014]
Advertising Educational Foundation. Available from: http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_ pres/data/300 [Accessed 24 January 2014].
Wikipedia: Kantian ethics (2014) [Internet]. Wikipedia. Available from: Bahrami, B. http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantian_ethics [Accessed on 18 January 2014] Four and Six (2014) Photo tampering throughout history [Internet] Available from: http://www. fourandsix.com/photo-tampering-history/ [Accessed on 12 January 2014] Duffett, H. (2009) Jo Swinson: “Ban airbrushing in children’s adverts” [Internet], London, Libral Democrate Voice. Available from: http://www.libdemvoice.org/ jo-swinson-ban-airbrushing-in-childrens-adverts-15807. html [Accessed 16 January 2014]
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Graphics & ethics | Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry?
07790 535485 Jon@SilentDistraction.com SilentDistraction.com @SilentDDesign silentdistractiondesign.blogspot.co.uk silentdistractiondesign.tumblr.com linkedin.com/pub/jon-starkey/42/aab/211 BA (HONS) GRAPHIC DESIGN Critical Studies | CRIT3.P1 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Are ethical issues important in the graphic design industry? Student – 303659 | Jon Paul Starkey | Silent Distraction York College Graduating year of 2014
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