Freelancers & ethics...
-
A question to all the hard-working freelance designers/architects/visualisers out there.
Ever had an ethical dilema about accepting a contract? For example working for a client whose business you found morally questionable - I'm not talking about anything illegal, but just certain industries you feel ethically uncomfortable about.
If so, what did you do? Take the money and run, or take the moral high-ground? I know the "correct" answer is to only do work you feel is right.... ...but in the real world with bills to pay.....?
And yes, I am currently wrestling with this one myself......
A.
-
@andyc said:
... I'm not talking about anything illegal, but just certain industries you feel ethically uncomfortable about.
I had the same problem twice. Both times I chose to do 'the right thing' and didn't accept. The idea of having to work (for a long period of time) on something that made me feel ethically uncomfortable was no option to me. Both times I could just afford financially not to accept and looking back I'm still very happy I didn't compromise my values.
-
Yep, that makes a lot of sense. In my case it's a potential client with a large number of on-going small projects. Each project by itself isn't worth a great deal to me, but the combined value across the months and years is pretty high. The obvious downside is that if I did decide to 'take the money', I'd have to deal with this client, and hence live with my decision for the long term. Which isn't so great.
On balance, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna turn this down and just work harder to find client's I can deal with more comfortably... tricky one though.
-
They want you to design a strip club huh?
-
If only
-
After 9 years as a freelancer I have had many job offers that challenged my principles, however I have yet to turn one down. I cannot justify compromising my families well being for a moral victory.
As an atheist I have done so many churches that I am becoming a go to guy, as a socialist liberal I have done work for very conservative groups and companies here in the south, I may not agree with their religion or politics but I do agree that I need the work and the paycheck. There is a line however and fortunately I am yet to be confronted with a Klu Klux Klan project which I most certainly will decline.
I do have a funny story, a few months ago I was doing images/renders for a church in Arkansas and I needed to populate the Sunday school building with lots of kids, I used almost every kid 3D model I have and some were Asian and black which did not go well with this church committee, they asked me to make changes that I questioned them for a good reason why I should change it, they never responded and paid me for the work and never used that particular render on their website.
-
The main ethics I stick to no matter what is I don't steal other people's work. I don't work on other people's drawing without their knowledge. I don't do plans where people send me someone else's drawings and asks that I use it with a few small changes. Unless the original designer knows.
-
IT is not for sale...
-
It's a tricky subject isn't it. In the past I've adopted Solo's attitude to the problem, but I guess we all have lines we won't cross, and I may have found my line with this latest client.
Solo, as a fellow left-leaning aetheist, I had to smile at you having become the go-to-guy for churches. In the past I've been asked to remove women from visuals for engineering projects because the (male) client thought that women had no place in the engineering world. I "accidentally" forgot to respond to that email...
A.
-
So I shouldn't have designed those
cagesbedrooms in the basement for the kids? -
Probably shouldn't have admitted it
-
From a landscape perspective and in design seen by the public I feel that with some projects if you take them on you can find yourself treading a very fine line between greenwash or propaganda and genuine progressive design (e.g. real sustainability).
One of my only no-go areas would be tobacco companies. Other than that it would be a matter of not wanting to align my company/self with certain individuals, as (aside from the grubby feeling) you risk being tarred with the same brush
-
Well, as I spent this evening making my decision, I may as well say what the work is that I have now decided NOT to take on. Without naming names of course.
The project was to produce some 'artist impression' style visuals for a big circus production. Great work on the face of it, a lot of creative freedom, and a change from the norm. I was on the understanding that this was for a "Cirque du Soleil" style circus - ie. a big theatrical event with high production values.
5 minutes on google revealed that this non-US/ non-European circus company, in addition to it's human performers makes extensive use of animals, including bears and great-apes, in some frankly appallingly demeaning ways. Ways that I'm pretty sure would be illegal here in the UK.
Nope, sorry. Not something I'm going to be complicit in. Decision made, off to bed to sleep well. Tomorrow I'll find a better client!
A.
-
Circuses are evil... Clowns prove it.
-
@andyc said:
Well, as I spent this evening making my decision, I may as well say what the work is that I have now decided NOT to take on. Without naming names of course.
The project was to produce some 'artist impression' style visuals for a big circus production. Great work on the face of it, a lot of creative freedom, and a change from the norm. I was on the understanding that this was for a "Cirque du Soleil" style circus - ie. a big theatrical event with high production values.
5 minutes on google revealed that this non-US/ non-European circus company, in addition to it's human performers makes extensive use of animals, including bears and great-apes, in some frankly appallingly demeaning ways. Ways that I'm pretty sure would be illegal here in the UK.
Nope, sorry. Not something I'm going to be complicit in. Decision made, off to bed to sleep well. Tomorrow I'll find a better client!
A.
If I had 1% of your skill set I'd ask you to pass the work onto me and I'll give you any work the Klan offer me.
-
Just tell the Klan you're African Solo and that should take up their next year scratching their heads...
-
@krisidious said:
Just tell the Klan you're African Solo and that should take up their next year scratching their heads...
-
@krisidious said:
The main ethics I stick to no matter what is I don't steal other people's work. I don't work on other people's drawing without their knowledge. I don't do plans where people send me someone else's drawings and asks that I use it with a few small changes. Unless the original designer knows.
I've seen exactly that end up with people in court, one has to remember the original works are under copyright ownership of the original creator. If indeed one doesn't seek consent to reproduce or modify and original design you can in fact be found guilty of copyright infringement.
So the way you are dealing with it mate is the safest approach!
-
A bit late rowing in on this one as Andy has made his decision.
This particular dilemma a tough situation to be in. I'm not a fan generally of circuses when it comes to treatment / animal conditions and think you were probably right not to do work for them BUT I imagine they will have no problem getting someone that will.
I would be inclined to ask myself the question, "Is there any way I could influence them in the way they treat animals". If I was convinced that I could, by consultation / agreement, make captivity better for these animals I think this may put a different shade on the matter.
In the case of zoos! I have visited some pretty bad examples in the past but I have also seen some more humane examples. The trend these days would seem to be to design conditions that are more humane to animals. If all good designers, point blank, refused to undertake design work for zoos I image they would not be evolving into what we see these days.
Taking the moral high-ground IMO may not always be the best option. Sometimes getting involved and possibly changing attitudes, even by small degrees, might be a better way to go.
Still, if something is stomach sickening its just hard to get involved.
Mike
-
Hey Mike - never too late
I agree with your pragmatic approach to this, and it is a view that I have adopted towards previous projects - better to be on the inside trying to do a little good, than on the outside doing nothing.
But, in this particular case, as I'd have been working purely as a visualiser, rather than a designer, there wouldn't have been much opportunity to influence things for the better. Besides, in this instance the problem isn't so much a question of how the animals are cared for (though I doubt it is good), but also that the act involves animals (bears) being dressed as people and made to perform in ways that in no sense reflect their natural behaviours. The whole set-up just felt very wrong to me, to the point where even if I had taken the work, I'd never have felt able to give it any level of genuine commitment. This would go against my professional ethics, never mind my morals.
In your example of zoos, which I agree can be morally ambiguous, I completely agree with you that being involved and exerting a little influence, however small, is a positive way to wrestle with the ethical dilema.
I was in the fortunate position that I didn't NEED this contract to pay the bills or put food on the table (not that I can afford to turn much down!) And, this morning, I was asked to pitch for a project which looks really exciting and has no moral issues whatsoever... Karma? Who knows!
A
Advertisement