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Suppose I designed something for Mother's Day typography design using 10 MAY and MOTHER words.

And my friend also designed using same but look and feel is different. Let's say visual design is 80% same.

And then he shares his design on social media platforms. I'm a bit late in designing and I post it after 30 minutes (I'm unaware that he's already made a similar thing).

And he comments on my design, talks to his friends like:

"You shouldn't copy someone else's design. It's not ethical" "You shouldn't post this design as I did it first" "That guy stole my design"

...and shows the frustration.

Are comments like these ethical and moral? If yes, why? If no, how should the two concerned designers respond to this kind of situation?

And how should we respond when I'm aware that he's posted a similar design?

PS: On some occasions, I had to discard my designs when my friends made 60-70% similar designs faster than me, because I was afraid of criticism and negative comments.

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    Unpopular hot take: if you find you have the same ideas for your work as other designers in this way on a regular basis, it is time to become more original and creative. – Vincent Jun 27 '20 at 23:48
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    Another take: How many others joined in this "contest" or assignment using the same limited resources and time? Was the time-stamping one of the conditions? Were you given enough time to prevent plagiarizing or was it a quick job that could be done in time to appear suspicious? Always strive to achieve some interesting variation. : ) – Stan Jun 28 '20 at 0:03
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    I'm 75% sure you're in some kind of pointless, on-going competition & debate with your friends and 99% sure this question is offtopic. – Lucian Jun 28 '20 at 7:54
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    If you display content on the internet.. then you are open to comments on the internet. It is neither unethical nor immoral for someone to dislike what you've created or to be insulting towards it. People are allowed to have their opinion. If you don't like it, don't post stuff on the internet. – Scott Jun 29 '20 at 13:42
  • That answers one of queries @Scott – Vikas Jun 29 '20 at 14:19
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If you display content on the internet.. then you are open to comments on the internet. It is neither unethical nor immoral for someone to dislike what you've created or to be insulting towards it. People are allowed to have their opinion. If you don't like it, don't post stuff on the internet.

I can't tell you how to respond to anything. That's up to you.. me.. I'd ignore it all.

Truth of the matter is, like all creative fields, one needs to develop a "thick skin" when it comes to comments and critiques. There will always be those that test your patience with their comments and opinions. That does not mean they are right or wrong, but you should be able to read or hear less-than-ideal feedback and not react too emotionally regarding it.

As for the internet.. well.. it's common for those comments to be overwhelmingly unfavorable. It's the nature internet comments in general. If you post work on the internet seeking reviews and are expecting only favorable comments, you may be in for a very shocking realization.

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