I studied graphic design in college. In the years I spent there and even now in the professional world, there are countless occasions on which people will ask me or my friends to design things for them… for free. Here are four phrases that I hear often:
“You can use it for your portfolio.”
“I’ll owe you a favor.”
“I just need something quick and simple.”
“It’ll be great exposure.”
One of the hardest things to learn as a young designer was how to tell these people no. Working for free is alright when you’re first starting out, but it should be severely limited (or weeded out altogether) once you consider yourself a professional. Let’s look at each of the above phrases and see how they hurt designers more than they help them.
PORTFOLIO BOOSTING
People might take on a project for a friend that will look good in their portfolio; but will it sound good? Portfolios are typically used in job interviews or in meetings to get new clients. It would be one thing if these interactions were purely visual, but there’s usually a dialogue involved. So if you do include work that you did for a friend, make sure you refer to them as a client and that you have a clear description of the challenges presented to you by the project as well as how you faced them. If you’re going to include work for friends in your portfolio, make sure you keep it professional.
TRADING FAVORS
Trading favors is all good and well, but favors don’t pay bills. Is a full day’s pay worth a lift to the airport? Designers design for a livelihood; the same way mechanics repair cars, policemen stop criminals, and barbers cut hair. Unless the favor you’re owed is going to help feed you and your family, then you shouldn’t be all that interested in devoting your time. If you’re a designer by career, then you should be trading your work for checks, not favors.
QUICK PROJECTS
In my experience, whenever someone asks for something quick and simple, it’s usually neither. Nine times out of ten, that person is going to want revisions; and then maybe more revisions on top of those. Combine that with a designers natural inability to work at anything other than their best, and “quick and simple” ends up being a multi-hour or multi-day process.
EXPOSURE
If someone ever tells you “It’ll be great exposure for you,” then that’s a telltale sign that they’ll either benefit from it far more than you will or not many people are going to see it at all. Many design firms often charge more for higher visibility. Now that’s kind of a gray area, but it basically means that the more people exposed to the design (be it a logo, website, or any kind of ad campaign), then the more they’ll charge to design it. Think of it this way: a logo for Disney would be far more expensive than a logo for a local amusement park. You have to consider the target audience and the potential return on investment. We’re talking about an investment not only of the clients money, but also of your time, efforts, and resources. If you’re working for free, that investment is far more one-sided. And if design firms can up their prices for higher exposure, why should you lower yours?
It’s alright to do a few pro bono projects in the beginning, and maybe even every now and then; but having a career as a graphic designer means having to charge for the work you do, just like you would for any other job. If you want real exposure then you’re going to have to do real work for real clients who can attest to the quality and value of your work. Your time and abilities are precious. How much do you value your time and how much of it are you willing to give away?
