There is no such thing as free lunch

You ever notice just how popular this little phrase is in the vernacular of today's world? Sure, it's not as used anymore as "True 'dat!" or "Hella (insert whatever word here)" but it is still said by a lot of people. Which brings me to the point of this post. In my line of work, it is not uncommon for people to ask you to do things essentially, for free. You can call it a sample, a mock up, a comp, a spec ad, whatever, but as my grandpa used to say, putting lipstick on a pig STILL makes it a pig. I think if people were to step back and take a look at what they are actually asking you to do when they couch their request with one of the above little phrases is, in fact, work for free, they might not ask for it as frequently. I don't know any other business where this is accepted or done as much as this one.

I look at it (and explain it to others) this way. When you are getting your taxes done, do you go to 4 accountants, ask them to itemize your deductions, and then only decide to go with (and pay) the one who saves you the most money? Do you go get the oil changed on your car and then say "OK, that took longer than 15 minutes so I'm going to drive away without paying you." No. You wouldn't do either of these things. But asking an artist to do a spec ad which they are not being paid for is doing exactly this, just worded differently.

I ALWAYS say no to specs, mock ups and other like requests. The only time I have ever done them is when I agree with the other party AHEAD of time that I will be paid for it (and many times I ask for that payment up front). Usually the fee is smaller than the project cost and I count those fees towards it if that work is used. Does this cause me to lose jobs sometimes? I'm sure it does. But a better question is...are these clients I REALLY want anyway? Somebody who would ask me to spend 3 hours on something and then not pay me for it? No. It's hard enough to chase people down for money as it is. And I've found this amazing factoid, too. The people who are in the hugest hurry, ask for unpaid "favors", add ons or mocks, are a real pain in your ass and call you 30 times a day are usually the slowest to pay when the bill comes, and the most likely to stiff you altogether because they found some idiot in Pakistan that will do the job for $1, leaving you no place to compete from.

The reason that spec requests exist are the same reason that floppy disc drives continued to be standard on a PC for so many years. Were people demanding them? Not exactly. The computer manufacturers were putting them out there. So the biggest enemy to spec work is actually not the clients asking for it. No. It is the artistic community themselves who continue to say yes and then do it. They are hurting themselves more than they are helping, and they probably do not realize it. Because honestly, if the person was going to give you a job they were likely going to do it (or not) anyway. If you want people to see what you can do, don't put yourself out there by offering to work for free. Get yourself a decent portfolio, Learn to talk the talk AND walk the walk. Then when people say "I'd like to see what you can do." you can point them to that portfolio.

Every day, I see ads and requests on message boards or Craig's List or wherever, asking for “artists” to help people with everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. Many people use the qualifier "To use in your portfolio so others can see what you can do." or something similar.

Let me ask these people this: Do you think it would be ok to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?

Would you offer a neurosurgeon the “opportunity” to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him “a few bucks” for “materials”. What a deal!)

Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?

If you answered “yes” to ANY of the above, you’re obviously insane. If you answered “no”, then kudos to you for living in the real world. Why then, would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are in less in supply than these folks? Do you know what the comparitive ratio is for mechanics to graphic designers, or neurosurgeons to graphic designers, or even IT/web hosting people to graphic designers? I don't know any exact numbers, but I've read in more than one reputable source that there are far less graphic art professionals than either of these 3 above mentioned trades. (and there are, I'm sure a lot less GOOD graphic designers, but that's another matter...)
Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.

A few things that I think those free and cheap seekers need to know:

1. It is not a “great opportunity” for an artist to have his work seen on your car/’zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a “great opportunity” for YOU to have their work there.
2. It is not clever to seek a “student” or “beginner” in an attempt to get work for free. It’s ignorant and insulting. They may be “students”, but that does not mean they don’t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a “student” once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition is JUST as stupid.
3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it’s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their “portfolio”. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It’s not compensation. It’s their right, and it’s a given.
4. Stop thinking that you’re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.
5. Students DO need “experience”. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the “experience” they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother’s house when they were seventeen?
If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.
6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to “submit work for consideration”. They may even be posing as some sort of “contest”. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the “contest”, or be “chosen” for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or “spec”, work. It’s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely.

So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are “spec” gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.

And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free… please wake up and join the real world.

OK, off the soapbox now and going to bed. Fight the power! (I don't know, sounded like a good closer)