AIGA Standards of professional practice

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A professional designer adheres to principles of integrity that demonstrate respect for the profession, for colleagues, for clients, for audiences or consumers, and for society as an entire.

These standards define the expectations of knowledgeable designers and represent the excellence of an AIGA member within the practice of design. AIGA members at the Supporter level and above who have agreed to stick to those standards are denoted within the Designer Directory by an AIGA logo.

The designer's responsibility to clients

1.1 knowledgeable designer shall acquaint himself or herself with a client's business and style standards and shall act within the client's best interest within the bounds of professional responsibility.

1.2 knowledgeable designer shall not work simultaneously on assignments that make a conflict of interest without agreement of the clients or employers concerned, except in specific cases where it's the convention of a specific trade for a designer to figure at an equivalent time for various competitors.

1.3 knowledgeable designer shall treat all add progress before the completion of a project and every one knowledge of a client's intentions, production methods and business as confidential and shall not divulge such information in any manner whatsoever without the consent of the client. it's the designer's responsibility to make sure that each one staff members act accordingly.

1.4 knowledgeable designer who accepts instructions from a client or employer that involve violation of the designer's ethical standards should be corrected by the designer, or the designer should refuse the assignment.

The designer's responsibility to other designers

2.1 Designers in pursuit of business opportunities should support fair and open competition.

2.2 knowledgeable designer shall not knowingly accept any professional assignment on which another designer has been or is functioning without notifying the opposite designer or until he or she is satisfied that any previous appointments are properly terminated which all materials relevant to the continuation of the project are the clear property of the client.

2.3 knowledgeable designer must not attempt, directly or indirectly, to supplant or compete with another designer by means of unethical inducements.

2.4 knowledgeable designer shall be objective and balanced in criticizing another designer's work and shall not denigrate the work or reputation of a fellow designer.

2.5 knowledgeable designer shall not accept instructions from a client that involve infringement of another person's property rights without permission, or consciously act in any manner involving any such infringement.

2.6 knowledgeable designers working during a country aside from his or her own shall observe the relevant Code of Conduct of the national society concerned.

Fees

3.1 knowledgeable designer shall work just for a fee, a royalty, salary or another agreed-upon sort of compensation. knowledgeable designer shall not retain any kickbacks, hidden discounts, commission, allowances or payment in a similar way from contractors or suppliers. Clients should be made conscious of mark-ups.

3.2 an inexpensive handling and administration charge could also be added, with the knowledge and understanding of the client, as a percentage to all or any reimbursable items, billable to a client, that undergo the designer's account.

3.3 knowledgeable designer who features a financial interest in any suppliers who may enjoy a recommendation made by the designer within the course of a project will inform the client or employer of this fact beforehand of the advice.

3.4 knowledgeable designer who is asked to advise on the choice of designers or the consultants shall not base such advice on the receipt of payment from the designer or consultants recommended.

Publicity

4.1 Any self-promotion, advertising or publicity must not contain deliberate misstatements of competence, experience or professional capabilities. It must be fair both to clients and other designers.

4.2 knowledgeable designer may allow a client to use his or her name for the promotion of labor designed or services provided during a manner that's appropriate to the status of the profession.

Authorship

5.1 knowledgeable designer shall not claim sole credit for a design on which other designers have collaborated.

5.2 When not the only author of a design, it's incumbent upon the knowledgeable designers to obviously identify his or her specific responsibilities or involvement with the planning. samples of such work might not be used for publicity, display or portfolio samples without clear identification of precise areas of authorship.

The designer's responsibility to the general public

6.1 knowledgeable designer shall avoid projects which will end in harm to the general public.

6.2 knowledgeable designer shall communicate the reality altogether situations and in the least times; his or her work shall not make false claims nor knowingly misinform. knowledgeable designer shall represent messages during a clear manner altogether sorts of communication design and avoid false, misleading and deceptive promotion.

6.3 knowledgeable designer shall respect the dignity of all audiences and shall value individual differences whilst they avoid depicting or stereotyping people or groups of individuals during a negative or dehumanizing way. knowledgeable designer shall strive to be sensitive to cultural values and beliefs and engages in fair and balanced communication design that fosters and encourages mutual affection.

The designer's responsibility to society and therefore the environment

7.1 knowledgeable designer, while engaged within the practice or instruction of design, shall not knowingly do or fail to try to anything that constitutes a deliberate or reckless disregard for the health and safety of the communities during which he or she lives and practices or the privacy of the individuals and businesses therein. knowledgeable designer shall take a responsible role within the visual portrayal of individuals, the consumption of natural resources, and therefore the protection of animals and the environment.

7.2 knowledgeable designer is inspired to contribute five percent of his or her time to projects within the public good-projects that serve society and improve the human experience.

7.3 knowledgeable designer shall consider environmental, economic, social and cultural implications of his or her work and minimize the adverse impacts.

7.4 knowledgeable designer shall not knowingly accept instructions from a client or employer that involve infringement of another person's or group's human rights or property rights without permission of such other person or group, or consciously act in any manner involving any such infringement.

7.5 knowledgeable designer shall not knowingly make use of products or services offered by manufacturers, suppliers or contractors that are amid an obligation that's substantively detrimental to the simplest interests of his or her client, society or the environment.

7.7 knowledgeable designers shall strive to know and support the principles of free speech, freedom of assembly, and access to an open marketplace of ideas and shall act accordingly.

Adopted by the board of directors of AIGA, the association for design, in 1994; amended November 2010 to incorporate items 7.2 and 7.3.