There had been a lot of talk on The Graphic Design Forum, as well as many other places, about the need for ethical standards within the graphic design industry. Catherine (Cat) Morley was one of the biggest voices about this need and I was very pleased to read that Cat didn’t just talk about it, she actually developed a new non-profit organization to help bring about these ethical standards. Cat has also taken the leadership role within the organization. This organization is not only for graphic design professional; it also for educating clients about the ethical standards. Here is the exciting news that was released about the PGDA…

PRESS RELEASE

November 7, 2005 — The Professional Graphic Design Association (PGDA) has officially launched with the announcement of an elected Board of Directors from across the globe. Elected officers to the Executive Committee are Catherine (cat) Morley, (Bangkok, Thailand), President; Robert Wurth, (Lincoln, NE, USA), Vice President; Mark Astrella, (Maui, Hawaii, USA), Secretary; and Jeanette Wickham, (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), Treasurer.

The PGDA is an international non-profit professional organization with a client focus. Through their Code of Ethics and Professional Standards, the PGDA will target members and clients, educating both to the value of ethical conduct in the design industry.

The leadership of the PGDA has set ambitious goals for its first year. “I believe the international graphic design community has long awaited an association such as the PGDA— one that not only focuses on buyers of design, but the ethics and professional business practices of the design industry,” said Catherine (cat) Morley, President. “By providing an excellent one-stop business resource for clients, we plan to develop a top rated community of members who are concerned where the design industry is heading. As a result, we will create a much improved working relationship between clients and designers.”

In the coming months the PGDA will be running surveys out of the new PGDA blog to determine the combined needs of clients and designers. Each month the survey results will be analyzed and posted on the PGDA blog. Participation whenever possible is most welcome, as your opinion is invaluable.

The PGDA’s proposed short term aims and objectives:
• A strategy for creating professional, ethical, client-focused standards and making these standards easily available.
• A strategy for educating clients about the value of marketing and design.
• A strategy for the promotion of the PGDA to both clients and designers (grass-roots, viral-marketing, forum-postings, affiliations, use of membership fees for advertisements, etc.)
• A strategy for making alliances with related graphics and design web sites, organisations and business groups.
• Create a web site that clients can visit for more information about ethical design practices. The site is to be simple, non-threatening and easily accessible to clients.

The PGDA’s proposed long term aims and objectives:
• Present a Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Practices that are targeted toward clients and make these standards easily available. This will form the basis upon which PGDA will be built.
• Create an atmosphere where professional ethics and standards guide the working relationships between clients and designers.
• Develop a range of materials that educate both designers and clients about the value of adhering to ethical principles.
• Develop a range of materials that educate clients about the value of graphic design and marketing.
• Develop plans for the promotion of the PGDA to both clients and designers.
• Develop steps for recruiting students and up-and-coming designers into the PGDA.
• Develop alliances with related graphics and design websites, organisations and business groups.
• Develop an easily accessible website that clients can visit for more information about ethical design practices, designers can visit for membership information, and members can visit for discussions, promotion and information.
• Develop branding materials for the PGDA that allow members to announce their affiliation and declare their adherence to the ethical standards that the PGDA promotes.

PGDA Committees
The Design Organization Research (DOR) Committee, is the first committee to be established (created on 28 October 2005). It is researching details of the present design organisations worldwide to enable the PGDA to liaise for the benefit of all organisations and designers. The PGDA is not in competition with established design organisations, but has been established to complement them. DOR Committee members are comprised of Catherine Morley (Chair), Alina Hagen, Chris Gee, Chris Gonink, Danita Reynolds, Elisabetta Bruno, Erin Harris, Matt Beazley, Kenneth Paul Buras Jr. and Ruth Farrugia.

If you would like to volunteer your skills in any capacity, please contact the PGDA.

© 2005 Professional Graphic Design Association (PGDA)

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 10th, 2005 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Printing, Graphic Design, Industry News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.