Ethical guidelines

As a professional, I am responsible to clients, users of the design and colleagues for acting honestly, ethically and transparently in my profession and not damaging the reputation of my profession.  

I will not accept an assignment that does not comply with the professional and ethical guidelines. I have a responsibility to maintain and promote the integrity, values and appreciation of the profession. 

I acknowledge that design work affects equality and equity, human health and safety, quality of life and inclusion, environmental sustainability, accessibility of products and services, and cultural diversity. As a professional, I can convey the value of design to clients, end users, authorities and the general public.

My professionalism allows me to obtain the necessary information about the context of my design and the anticipate the impact of its contents on its recipients. 

As a professional, I constantly maintain and develop my professional skills and respect the achievements of the built culture and strive to improve good quality and sustainable development of the environment.  

The offer must be based on sufficient information about the nature and extent of the assignment and clearly state the services covered by the reward. I provide my employees with an appropriate working environment and adequate compensation, and give them opportunities for professional development.

As a professional, I have a responsibility to commit to a given task, to perform it responsibly and in the best possible way. 

Before accepting an assignment, I will ensure that I have sufficient technical, financial and technical resources at my disposal to carry out the assignment. I have the right and obligation to resign at any time during an assignment, if I am presented with requirements that violate applicable laws or ethical and professional guidelines.

Competition between professionals must be open and honest.  

I will not misrepresent myself or my competitors, take credit for work I have not done, or make false or misleading claims about my experience, qualifications, or status. I base my professional reputation on my own merits and acknowledge the contributions of others. 

I have the right to simultaneously accept other assignments to the extent permitted by legislation and other agreements, provided that this does not interfere with the proper performance of my employment or assignment. 

As a professional, I must receive adequate remuneration for my work.  

Offering prices below market value to the client is unethical, as it undermines the value of the work of other professionals. Design creates value for clients and end users. I need to be fairly compensated for a part of the value I create, not just for the cost of providing the service. Pure price competition weakens the value of the profession, the ability of the designers to produce good design and ultimately reduces the opportunities for creating value.  

I clearly state the costs related my design services in advance. In contracts, I clearly describes the scope and nature of the project, the services to be performed and how these services are invoiced, including all possible payments, in clear and comprehensive terms.  

As a professional, I do not accept other benefits in addition to their salary, remuneration and employee benefits, and their solution is not based on financial benefits outside of the assignment. For example, l do not accept commission from a supplier unless they have communicated this clearly and openly to the client and the client has accepted the procedure.

I understand and respect my own intellectual property rights, as well as the intellectual property rights of other professionals and creators, and also pass on information about these rights to customers.  

I respect intellectual property rights, regardless of the country in which I work. As a professional, I do not relinquish the immaterial rights of my work without appropriate compensation and appropriate legal documentation. I do not allow copying or unauthorized use of my work, nor do I use the work of others without their express consent ​​and appropriate recognition. I do not take credit for the work of others and do not copy the work of others. As a professional, I adhere strictly to these values. 

I follow the laws governing my professional activities and am aware of the social and environmental impact of my activities.  

When practising in another country, I comply with the laws and national rules of that country. I am obliged to keep confidential information received in my assignment confidential as agreed. I will not misuse confidential information to the detriment of my client. These obligations also apply to my employees.

As a professional, I identify the environmental impacts of my design process by taking into account, among other things, the possibilities of materials, manufacturing processes, energy use, recyclability and reusability throughout the life cycle of the product or service.  

I strive to steer the sustainable development of both production and consumption by designing products and services that, among other things, reduce the need to replace products and direct towards replacing tangible assets with services and other intangible assets.  

I value and respect cultural diversity.  

I am aware of the social impact of my work and apply the richness and diversity of the world’s cultural heritage in a dignified and sensitive manner in my work. As a professional, I take particular care to interact with cultures that do not represent their own culture, in order to avoid cultural appropriation and abuse.  

In the design process, I take into account and involve different users and give room for diversity.  

I am aware of my own privileges and strive to minimize my impact in the design process, for example, by assembling a as diverse a design team as possible. I cherish human dignity and treat all people with respect, taking into account the different situations and backgrounds of people (e.g. different gender identities, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, awareness of body image issues, etc.).

I recognize that people’s needs and capabilities are different and change as they grow and age. People have different ​​physical characteristics and cognitive limitations, mobility challenges and special needs. As a professional, I carefully adapt different models to the needs of each project and to different users.  

In my design process, I take into account, among other things, the safety of materials, the addictive effect of operating models, the right to privacy and personal safety. 

Design has several direct and indirect impacts on all stages of production and transportation, as well as the use of products and services during and after their life cycle. I take these points into account in my work and comply with the laws on product safety.

As a professional, I improve the value of new technology for users, clients and society.  

Technological development drives innovation, but it can also lead to unforeseen consequences, such as the ethical consequences of using artificial intelligence or data protection issues related to data mining. As a professional, I consider these possible outcomes to the best of my ability, and strive to protect end-users and communicate the consequences to my customers.