Following Your Moral Compass

Follow your arrow wherever it points. Well, sometimes that's easier said than done.

This morning, I came into work, sat at my desk, and began to read my emails. It was a normal morning by every account. Until I received one certain email, which brought me to my latest life lesson.

Long backstory short, I'm working on a co-branded brochure. The other company's logo contains colors that simply doesn't pop on a dark background. I asked for alternate forms of the logo, to which I was sent an all-white version. Upon reviewing the final brochure, the other company wasn't sure how they felt about the all-white logo. They requested to see the logo in its normal colors on the black background. I sent over a mock-up with my advice of printing both before making a selection. Computers are lit from behind the screen, making all colors appear brighter than they are once printed.

Fast forward to this morning. I was told their designer was busy. They asked me to manipulate their logo in a way that would combine the original and all-white logo. I agree that this would look best. The company colors could still be in there, but the visibility would be increased. However, this didn't sit right with me.

I felt conflicted. On the one hand, there was permission to do so from the marketing employee. On the other hand, this could put me in jeopardy. Here's how:

1. I have no proof that this is a legitimate request. Yes, I'm assuming it's the marketing employee that I am communicating with, but there is no way to know. It could be someone who hacked into her email account and is corresponding with me. Would an email even hold us as consent if I were to be sued? I don't know that for sure...
2. I do not know their chain of command. Does this employee have the right to make these alterations to the logo? I simply am not aware of that. By making these changes, I could be getting this employee into trouble as well as myself.
3. There is no time for approval. Even if I were to be sure that this was approved, the meeting is today. There is no time to get the logo edits approved before the brochure was to be printed for today's meeting.
4. The risk is too high. If this is not to their liking or if this was not their request at all, I could be in a lot of hot water. I did manipulate their logo, which is a huge designer no-no. I could be removed from professional associations for design that I am a part of. This could ruin my career in design.

So what did I do? I said no.

I stated that accepting this request would put my career at risk, and that as a company designer, I would not authorize anyone else to make edits to my logo. With that, I offered to change the logo on future prints of the brochure if their designer could get one to me.

Was I being extreme? Some could say that. However, I felt the need to protect myself. This was a request I did not feel comfortable with, and I chose to listen to my moral compass. Even though it was odd and felt like I was refusing a partner, I know that this was the best choice for my career and my future.