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Do your beliefs come into play with your business?

I always thought this was an interesting question to discuss, but does your beliefs (political, religious, etc.) come into play with your design business?

I personally try to leave my beliefs out of my design business. I find that most clients are welcome to experience the success from a great website no matter what their beliefs are. The only two people/organization I swear to never create a website for is Rush Limbaugh and the Westboro Baptist Church. Those two are generally offensive to a wide audience.

 

Discussion (9)

I've never really thought about it, but I'm going to have to say yes.

I don't like dealing with close minded people.
I operate on the liberal end of the spectrum and am open to pretty much anything.
I would never want to be involved in building a site for a cause that I disagreed with.

That's not actively having my beliefs dictate how I work, but they definitely influence what and how I do.

 

I don't like dealing with close minded people.

I operate on the liberal end of the spectrum and am open to pretty much anything. I would never want to be involved in building a site for a cause that I disagreed with.

That's not actively having my beliefs dictate how I work, but they definitely influence what and how I do.

I agree completely. I'm also on the liberal end of the political spectrum, so most of my beliefs are based off that.

The reason I brought this subject up is because it is important to have dignity. To me, my dignity is more important than money. Limbaugh could offer me millions to create him a website because of my dignity and his offensive nature, I would not accept it.

 
 
 

Since I work full-time at a marketing company, I have the privilege of picking what freelance clients I want. And since I'm likely more conservatively-minded than Destiny and Johnny, I thought I'd add my two cents. (Disclaimer: I don't label myself as a conservative or a liberal, so I assume that if someone labels themselves as one of those, they are more extreme in that belief than I am. Some label me conservative, some label me liberal.)

While I haven't had to turn down a project yet, I will never work on a project that violates my beliefs. I draw a very big distinction between a mere difference of world view and a violation of my conscience. It's my preference to work on projects that I believe in and can support whole-heartedly, but I can almost always find something to get excited about in a project even if I don't agree with the entire "mission" of the site or project. That being said, I like to be careful about what work has my name on it. If I'd be ashamed to include it in my portfolio, I'll likely pass.

Am I making sense?

 

Yes, personal beliefs come into every design we do, I believe. Everybody has their own ideas on everything they come into contact with, their own way of doing things.

We as designers/developers are picked by our clients (just as much as we pick our clients) according to what we offer, and the way we do it. And as the way we do things, and why we do them, is influenced by everything around us, then yes.

You can however, design something in accordance with someone else's beliefs and views.

 
 

If your beliefs don't come into play and you are freelance/it's your business... what is the point would be my response. Part of taking that going solo risk is that you can craft things to your own belief system. Personally, I do not have many political or even religious beliefs apart from that of karma and that is probably the single largest belief I use in all of my work. You get what you put in and treat clients how you want to be treated - those are standing stones for me.

I wouldn't really understand how someone wouldn't bring their own beliefs into their own business - to me that's cold and smacks of corporate bs which is exactly one of the big reasons why I don't work in corporate business :P Sure in big business you have to take the self out but in freelance and your own business - I think removing the self is wrong and often the huge mistake people make. I of course do not have any religious or political slant that others may so perhaps it's easier for someone with my beliefs but staying true to yourself is something any should do.

 

If Elton John plays at Rush's wedding, why wouldn't you do his site if the cash was right? However, no $$$ would make me work for Westboro Baptist or similar *actually* hateful groups.

I've turned down business for reasons of belief, but I never get into why. I just say "as a matter of policy, we don't take on this kind of work" and don't explain myself. I had a guy with gobs of cash willing to pay 5x the going rate for a job, but the content...the content I could not live with at any price, which is a belief issue. He knew it, and was shopping around and had to make offers like that because what he wanted rubbed against the grain of so many people he'd tried to get to work for him.

BTW, liberal or not, Rush != Westboro Baptist. I don't listen to Rush, and certainly not Westboro Baptist, but even at a distance any reasonable person would not connect a dot from Rush to the looney, hateful, twisted, and insipid ideas Westboro spews. If you do make a connection, you might be the fanatic and not other way around. I'm only saying this to defend free speech, agree with me or not. Maybe you aren't saying Rush = WB, in which case, I digress...

 

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