Abstract

In an ideal world, graphic designers can pick and choose their clients, avoiding ethically dubious projects and maintaining a guilt-free professional practice. However, we are not always able to say no to work, and in other cases, we need to trust that our employers have conducted due diligence before taking on a client. Furthermore, clients may not always be forthcoming enough for designers to assess the potential ethical issues of a given project. This article discusses these matters, drawing inspiration from the author’s experience as an art director working for a major Icelandic bank that collapsed in 2008, an experience that has since been the instigator of many discussions about ethics with the author’s design students. The article touches on theories of ethics applicable to design practices and discusses how ethical aspects can be included in graphic design education, potentially helping students to identify and avoid ethically dubious projects and clients.