Applied ethics and graphic design

The relation between art and ethics is not merely a transitory consequences of today's media advertisements.  Plato's criticism of all forms of imitative art can be cited in this regard, since they incorrectly stimulate emotions and feelings that cause untruthful understanding in humans. Ethics and ethical systems are so important and sensitive those are considered not only in art but also in other disciplines that are somehow tied to human life.  Examples include medical ethics, media ethics, visual ethics, photography ethics, advertising ethics and graphic design ethics.         Ethics is one of the fundamental elements of culture. The moral system is derived from the basic ideas of the units of living life and has broad implications for life. Humans seem to believe that most moral systems are based on reason and logic. Usually, the people who live within a moral system think that it is a global system. But those who do not look at the system from the outside can usually relate its principles to cultural norms. It is vital that designers understand how their effects are embraced or influenced by a culture, because design is linked to culture and social practices cannot be understood outside of cultural contexts. The subject of ethics and graphic design can be examined and defined within the framework of the moral system that governs any society. Graphic designers should not act in an immoral manner against the norms of society under the pretext of better communication with the audience, or should not become passive economic slaves. Some of people believe that moral principles are largely personal, and are best determined by self-processing. However, moral principles are, to a considerable extent, also public because they affect or are influenced by other people and their activities.         Recently, the awareness of graphic designers about their social responsibility has increased, and they are becoming more aware about their influence on the people and the surrounding world day by day. While these specialists are trying to accept their social responsibility in their works, the relationship between the performance of a graphic designer and the ethical principles is yet questioned. Having discussed the relationship between ethics and graphic design, this paper tries to answer the research questions using descriptive methods and analyzing selected case studies in graphic design. The received data are in form of word and image which are collected from documentations and observations. The statistical population is graphic design works and the visual samples are chosen purposefully. The research achievements indicate that ethics and graphic design in the framework of a predominant ethical system in a society can be defined and discussed. Today, graphic design is highly impressive and influential in design techniques and visual characteristics; however, ethics is less observed in the implementation and function of graphic design, and we might have to face a worse situation with the absence of governmental impediments. Therefore, defining ethical regulations for graphic designers is necessary. It is also essential to provide students with ethical principles apart from professional trainings in their curriculum.