What traits do you think a professional in the graphic art industry must have and why?

They should be moral, ethical, and responsive. I see a lot of designers who don’t communicate with their clients and it forces the client to look elsewhere for help. They also should be moral and ethical to help them and their clients stay out of trouble in terms of copyright infringement and to stay out of the court system.

What is ethics in graphic arts? Do you think ethical responsibilities fall on the shoulders of the artist, the client/company stakeholder or both? 

Both. It’s the client’s job to provide proper materials to the designer and it’s the designer’s job to double check to make sure the materials are OK to use in marketing materials. The bottom line is, if the client approves the artwork, the client should be responsible, but it’s the designer’s job to lead them in the right direction.

Have you ever used your work as a tool for advocacy or to bring awareness to a specific topic negatively impacting society? 

No, but I have used artwork I’ve seen on the internet as a tool in presentations to networking colleagues on what to do and what not to do with their marketing materials.