Make Work Projects
I recently received a graphic design job that could have been 100% avoided.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the work, nor do I mind the money that I will be paid for my time BUT it's the frustration that there are some designers out there that fail to follow through with their projects and therefore put people like myself into business all the while giving all designers in general a bad name.
So what's the job?
Recreate a logo. A logo that was already designed, approved and just needed a word changed. That's right, a word change, that's it. So what could've resulted in a 15 minute (tops) effort or approximately $25-50 in fees now took over an hour and cost my client over $100.
I know, I know, I shouldn't be complaining because I'm on the "Win" side of the spectrum on this one, I even managed to gain another client for more jobs out of this however, it's just not right.
When you, the client, hire me, the designer, to do a creative job - be it a simple letterhead or a complex multi-level visual marketing campaign, you own the creative. If you paid the bills in full without issue, you 100% have right to the working files, no questions asked.
This is to help you out in the long run.
What happens if said designer falls ill, moves away, or worse, vanishes? What do you do then? After putting X amount of dollars into a campaign that could've been updated and used for an extended period of time, your project now has an immediate expiry date and a graphic history that can't be retrieved.
Next time you hire someone to do your graphic work for them, always ask for the working files once the project is 100% wrapped up and complete. ESPECIALLY if it's your logo!
You paid for it, you bought it, you own it. And if the designer tries to sell you on "Copyright" stuff... look them square in the eyes, tell them you grant them full Creative Commons rights but when you paid them to do the work you bought the main copyright. It's yours. Take control of it.
Plus when you try to send a logo to a printer/embroidery company/etc you'll be asked for files called "vector" files that you won't be able to open on your computer without specific programs but the printer needs them to best produce your logo.
The internet speaks in jpg, png, gif and bmp but the print world speaks in Vector (eps, ai) and that is your Golden Ticket!
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the work, nor do I mind the money that I will be paid for my time BUT it's the frustration that there are some designers out there that fail to follow through with their projects and therefore put people like myself into business all the while giving all designers in general a bad name.
So what's the job?
Recreate a logo. A logo that was already designed, approved and just needed a word changed. That's right, a word change, that's it. So what could've resulted in a 15 minute (tops) effort or approximately $25-50 in fees now took over an hour and cost my client over $100.
I know, I know, I shouldn't be complaining because I'm on the "Win" side of the spectrum on this one, I even managed to gain another client for more jobs out of this however, it's just not right.
When you, the client, hire me, the designer, to do a creative job - be it a simple letterhead or a complex multi-level visual marketing campaign, you own the creative. If you paid the bills in full without issue, you 100% have right to the working files, no questions asked.
This is to help you out in the long run.
What happens if said designer falls ill, moves away, or worse, vanishes? What do you do then? After putting X amount of dollars into a campaign that could've been updated and used for an extended period of time, your project now has an immediate expiry date and a graphic history that can't be retrieved.
Next time you hire someone to do your graphic work for them, always ask for the working files once the project is 100% wrapped up and complete. ESPECIALLY if it's your logo!
You paid for it, you bought it, you own it. And if the designer tries to sell you on "Copyright" stuff... look them square in the eyes, tell them you grant them full Creative Commons rights but when you paid them to do the work you bought the main copyright. It's yours. Take control of it.
Plus when you try to send a logo to a printer/embroidery company/etc you'll be asked for files called "vector" files that you won't be able to open on your computer without specific programs but the printer needs them to best produce your logo.
The internet speaks in jpg, png, gif and bmp but the print world speaks in Vector (eps, ai) and that is your Golden Ticket!