OUGD601 - Ethical Considerations

Ethics in practical work:

In any practical work undertaken, it is important to consider the ethics behind it. In terms of my own practical work, the posters are all about creating an engaging and impactful experience for the viewers which aims to potentially change their perception about different design production methods. These posters are to be situated in public transport spaces, particularly on train station advertisement boards, where they can reach a wide range of people. For this reason, it was important in the production of these posters that their content did not use any unethical or upsetting images or content, which people may take offence to. The use of purely typographic content in these posters, however, I feel avoids this problem, although the nature of the quotes in that they are against different design production techniques may frustrate some individuals if they are advocates for that particular method. However, the way the designs have been produced means that this should also not be a problem in terms of ethics if the individuals are to engage fully with the posters, since then they will realise the meaning behind the designs in that they show an aesthetic contrast, using a multi-disciplinary approach to design, which aims to communicate that both production methods should be experienced and appreciated equally as they both bring new things into the realm of design. In addition, the idea of changing people's perceptions through the posters could also pose a problem, however the designs are not forceful in this way, allowing people to think about the meaning of the posters, and then making their own decisions based on this. Therefore, this does not show a breach of ethics.

In terms of the physical production of these posters, ethics in terms of sustainability could also be considered. Both printing processes use chemicals and inks, which if used in large proportions, can cause problems in terms of environmental sustainability. The use of a minimalistic colour scheme which mainly consists of black ink can contribute to this problem. However, for the purpose of this practical project, sustainability was not an issue that needed to be focused on, but for future projects this should be more carefully considered in terms of producing ethical design.

Ethics in written work:

It is also important to consider any problems associated with ethics in written work, for instance if the use of raw data gained from human participants has been used. In my essay I quote one sentence gained from a personal email interview with Anthony Burrill. This may be considered to pose a problem in terms of ethical consent, however before the interview took place I sent an initial email explaining the purpose of the email and that the information gained would be used for a university project (a PPP project which took place before Context of Practice 3) which was then followed by a reply from Burrill with the go-ahead showing his consent. Within the essay this quote has also been appropriately referenced, likewise with other reference sources, showing that I do not claim any of those words as my own. Therefore, no breach of ethics has been shown within this written work.