Original Spirit Design

Where: Pondering over a cup of camomile tea
What: Morals in Design? Who has them…

I started designing around three years ago, doing freelancing on the side. Since September 08 I decided to take this on as a full time thing and since then the amount of self discovery that has taken place is unimaginable. Morals that I never knew I had have been questioned, feelings being summoned from within so strongly they make that pit in my stomach crumble with pain. Is it possible to have so many emotions conjured up about issues you don’t consciously think about? Honestly I’m privileged enough that I can turn down a job if it makes me feel sick inside. Not because I’m earning a fortune and money doesn’t matter, but rather because its important to stand one’s ground for what you believe in and yes its cliché to say but when one door closes another one will open… you just need to be standing there waiting to welcome the opportunity in. I know that not many people have this luxury when working for an Ad agency or design studio.

Last year I went to this talk about marketing, design and the clients you deal with. The speaker went on to tell us how their company refuses to take on work for casino companies whether it be for R 1000 or R 10 000 000. I was excited by the fact that a company would do that as I know many designers find themselves in a place where saying no to a job means losing theirs. So when I was faced with the request from a client to copy someone’s complete design I was shocked at the fact that this did not bother her one bit from a moral standpoint. Ultimately I turned down the job and was left to question how many people put their wallets before their morals.

Some people may believe that you get compromised for sticking to your morals while others would say that you gain a good reputation for putting your foot down.  Some clients I have found respect my choices while others just don’t…

I’d be interested to know how many designers face this internal struggle on a day to day basis and whether in or out of an agency if they choose to say no?