Say No to Free Designs, A whopping $50,000 is what I have lost till date, though it is just a rough estimation. I wonder why did I even agree to work for free? Say no to free design, yes you should!!
If I hadn’t worked for free, I could’ve been a millionaire by now. I was under the misconception that working for free and helping others would bring more opportunities for me. I have been into this designing career since years now, but trust me, it never has! What has happened the most is that I’ve ended up working for free. Being a nice guy, I’ve never wanted to disappoint people. A designer must, however, know how to say no to the client and refuse bad projects and decide what is best for him. But now I realize that people have made an emotional fool out of me and got their work done.
Say no to free designs
What is the worst part of the story?
You’re right, money is. But there is one thing that actually hurts me being a designer.
I have hardly seen people respecting the free work. We, designers, know how much time and effort has gone into creating that one free design also, but a person who hasn’t paid for it does not value it at all.
How many of these designs have been actually used or printed??
I can say, none!
Clearly because when people haven’t paid in money for your design, they do not value it; neither do they value the effort that has gone into preparing it.
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What is the reason behind this? Why say no to free designs?
We should say no to free designs because the things people get for free or the things which they acquire easily, they do not appreciate it. And so all the efforts that a designer puts in, go in vain.
Your clients do not appreciate you either…
If someone asks you a favor, asks you to work for free; they clearly haven’t understood all the effort that you have put in. The efforts that you have made to acquire the knowledge and the practical know-how to be there; all the sleepless nights that you have spent to date; all the brainstorming that you have required. Nothing can actually equate to your efforts but being a designer you definitely deserve to be paid for your work. Your clients would also not appreciate your work if it available for nothing.
Getting an apt compensation is like a reward for designers in today’s world where people want to get their work done, but do not want to pay for it.
Say no to free design fellas!!
It is not the ten minutes a client pays for… It is the years of hard work that has got the designer working!!
The emotional drama
Maybe your client is facing a financial crisis and he really doesn’t have any money, but what does that have to do with you? No compensation – no work!
Have you ever been to a doctor and asked for a free prescription? Or does your client go to a restaurant without money or ask for services for credit?
Designers are often asked to work for free, work in return for some favor in future, prospective business opportunities etc. But this is definitely not justified. It is also hurtful for a designer when his work is undervalued.
These 10 bad habits are killing your productivity.
Then why should a designer work for a free? So this is the time to say no to free designs.
The false promises
A person, who is asking for your services to promote his own business, promises you more clients and more business. What an irony!!
I do not deny the fact that word of mouth is the best form of publicity, but again that is just not what you should give in return for someone’s services. Money along with some publicity is cool. What say, designers?!
You know what, we all know that these promises are never fulfilled but this is not just it. There is another problem that it is also not possible to work without commitment.
When there is no monetary commitment, commitment to work also lacks; there is also a lack of sincerity. The only way to be committed and to get your work valued by the client is to charge them a handsome amount. And the more they pay, the more seriously they will take your work and value your time.
When you buy an outfit worth thousands you make sure it is the best, best in all aspects. And when you buy something not so expensive, you replace it soon.
Do you get my point designers?
Volunteering
Volunteering means working for a cause and also it might not involve any money in most of the cases. This is like working for free.
Don’t get confused here, while volunteering you have a lot of freedom to create designs at your own will and also your work might be helpful for the society. So, when we live in the society, volunteering is like giving something back to it!
We do not support free work but we do support volunteering for the obvious reasons I just mentioned above. It also gives a lot of experience and exposure to the designer.
But again it is important to utilize your time to its best. People also take up volunteering since they enjoy going out, meeting new people over a cup of coffee and conversing with them.
Guess why this happens?
When no one is paying for your work and time, nobody cares if it is utilized well.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against volunteering. Absolutely not!
Rather I believe that you can change the world while at work also. And trust me, there’s nothing like it!
Family and Friends – Say no to free designs for them too!
When someone from the family or friends asks for free designs, it actually becomes an awkward situation for the designer. There is absolutely no way to avoid them and working for free becomes a compulsion there just to avoid any unpleasantness in the relationship.
But I would still stand by what I said earlier, Say no to free design and say no to your friends and family as well. There are always polite ways of denial.
You and your work might be taken for granted if the client does not pay you well. And this is most likely to happen in the case of friends and family. The fact is that they will never appreciate your job the same way as a paying customer does.
When no one is paying for your time,
nobody cares if your time is properly used.
So…
Say no to free designs and create value for you and your work. Don’t let your hard work end up in the trash!!
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