Ethical & professional rules

I General rules

1. Designers are responsible to their clients, the users of the work and their colleagues for acting in accordance with honest professional principles. Thus, they must not accept an assignment that violates accepted ethical and professional rules. The marketing code laid down by  The International Chamber of Commerce applies to advertising.
2. The information designers provide about themselves must be accurate and based purely on facts. The information is to be loyal to the client and to colleagues and must not contain anything that could damage the reputation of the profession.

II Relationship between visual communication designer and client

1. When designers accept assignments, they must do their best to promote the interests of their client.
2. Designers are in a position of trust with the client and must ensure that they maintain their latitude in relation to suppliers of products and services and others. They must inform their clients of any relationships that may affect their independence vis-à-vis the assignment. This applies not only to financial interests, but also to family and other relationships.
3. Designers have the right and responsibility to withdraw from an assignment at any time during the assignment if additional requirements are made or if it appears that the assignment violates any valid legal, ethical or professional rules.
4. Designers must treat any information they obtain about their clients’ designs, manufacturing methods, sales organisation etc. as confidential. They must never disclose this information without the consent of their client. They may not misuse this information to the detriment of their client. The same confidentiality applies to any other designers working on the same assignment.
5. Designers may not disclose any information about an ongoing project to the media or elsewhere without the consent of the client.

III Relationship between visual communication designer and colleagues

1. Designers must not undertake work that they know to have been assigned to another designer before they have checked that it has been done in accordance with the terms of delivery or that the other designer agrees.
2. Designers must not directly or indirectly aim to displace other designers by, for example, driving down prices or otherwise acting in a disloyal manner.
3. Designers must always take into account the client’s interests in their relationship with their colleagues. Colleagues’ work must be judged objectively and fairly.

IV Application of Rules

1. Designers working outside their own country must comply with the ethical rules in force in the relevant professional organisations in that country.

Check out Grafia’s international umbrella organisation Ico-D’s professional code of conduct for visual communication design professionals.