An overview of professional ethics in the context of graphic design in Turkey

Every profession has some common rules of its own. The formation of these common rules is related to the moral understanding and organizational culture developed by that society and profession over time. Ethics comes into play in the phase of searching for the better by constantly questioning this understanding of morality and organizational culture. Specific to professions, it is professional ethics that undertake this work. Ethics in the field of design is not limited to plagiarism and the designed product as it is thought. On the contrary, every stage of the design process falls within the scope of ethics. This research aims to reveal the status of professional ethics in the field of graphic design in Turkey. In this context, first of all, basic concepts on ethics and design were researched and shared. Then, research was conducted in 3 different branches related to the field of design. First of all, it was investigated whether there are professional ethics courses in associate and undergraduate graphic design education in Turkey. Secondly, a survey on professional ethics was prepared and the designers' views on ethics were shared. Finally, interviews were held with designers who are prominent in the field of ethical design or who produce in this field, and common inferences on the subject were shared. In addition, in line with the information obtained as a result of the research, an ethical manifesto and guidebook in design were designed and published.