Getting Paid
I have written this article as a preventative measure for all newly launched graphic freelancers out there who are not looking forward to a diet of Ramen Noodles and generic soda. As creative as we are with our art, would-be contractors can be just as creative in coming up with ways not to pay us. Below is a list of these methods (CoughScamCough) that I have experienced or witnessed first hand.
I know this is a touchy subject with creative people. And I understand why. I have never met a truly creative person who was the slightest bit greedy. Somehow greed and artistic talent cannot reside together in the same entity. I guess that is why we have the ‘starving artist’ meme. Unfortunately that meme is true in many cases at various times in every artist’s life.
Most professional freelance graphic artists have spent as much time fine tuning their art as it takes to get a masters degree in any profession. Most of us work with multiple, intricate software platforms, each of which alone can take years to master. And we consistently develop new methods, new designs, and new ideas that take a great deal of effort and creativity. Why people have this strange idea that graphic designers should work for free (or nearly so) is a total mystery to me, but many do. More than in any other profession I have witnessed first-hand.
And here is a list of reasons and excuses that people have used to keep from pulling out the checkbook, and my responses. Please feel free to add to it or share your stories in the comments section below. I would love to hear them.
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1. "Well we thought you would do this first one for free, so we can see if you can do what we want."
Would this person tell his barber to give him his first hair-cut for free, to see if he liked it? Obviously they like your work and know what you can do, or they wouldn’t be talking with you in the first place.
2. "Do this (free) for me and I will hook you up with my relative, (nephew, niece, cousin) the famous (recording star, movie icon, producer) - he/she will love your stuff."
But in the long run they are always ‘in a meeting’ or ‘on tour’ or ‘in another country’ or ‘going through a divorce’ or 'washing thier dog'...
3. "Work on this for me and we can build this business together and both make money."
This type wants everyone to work on ‘stuff’ for them for free, and because of that in the long run they end up owing a lot of people besides you and generally turn out to be total losers who are in debt up to their eyeballs.
4. "The check is in the mail."
Uh Huh.
5. "I don’t have money, but I need something to show the investors. They have lots of money."
Yes, generally money you will never see once the project is finished and the art is in the contractor’s hands.
6. "It’s only a little sign... (banner, website, etc)."
The next time you need an emergency appendectomy try telling your surgeon that it is ‘only a little organ’.
7. "Do this project (free) and it will get you a ton of exposure to the right people."
Just don’t wait with bated breath for the calls to start rolling in or you will need to call for emergency oxygen… right before your phone gets shut off.
8. "I will pay you when the project is finished."
No you won’t, because I actually need to eat and pay bills while I am working on your project, not afterward.
9. "My (cousin, sister, nephew) the (rotary club secretary, auto detailer, dog catcher) would do it for me for free."
Okay! Obviously you don’t need me!
There are other scams out there- generally designed to play on the artists’ ego. What we lack in greed, we make up for in ego. I can admit to that. But it is an ego based on our work - not on our personal selves. Hence you have a plethora of ‘Design Contests’, generally online, that nets scammers a lot of free artwork. I am sure you have encountered those and others.
I remember very clearly the day a fellow professional looked me in the eye and told me, “I don’t open a program without getting paid." That day I went home, heated my Ramen and thought about it for a while before deciding he was absolutely right.
The only time you should work for 'free' is for non-profit entities; when you can afford to.
Or for your grandmother.
Photoshop Gallery on Graphics.com
Graphic Gallery on Graphics.com
Athyrius Design Website
Good timing on this post as we are deep into the NO!SPEC crusade and need everyone to pitch in.
http://www.no-spec.com
cat
Valuable observations.
As the world's first freelance writer, Samuel Johnson summed it up several centuries ago with the pithy saying: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." In fact, I know a freelancer who has a framed version of that hanging in her office, just to remind her to stay focused.
Your observations point to a great problem we have in this country: the devaluing of art and artists. Very few people realize the great service art provides to humanity. Without the refining nature of art and beauty, society would truly be filled with savages. I have spent many years honing my skills as an artist, and like all artists we deserve fair compensation!
Timely post - I've just been feeling guilty for charging for a set of spec designs. Now I feel smart!
In this case, most of the work would have been done by the time I submitted the ideas, and I just didn't want to do it on spec.
Never let somebody tell you that if you do this job for free, he'll send a lot of business your way. If he actually DOES send somebody your way, you can bet his pal is expecting the same great deal the other guy got: free art.
Down through the years I've had people look me in the eye and say verbatim, "I can't pay you, but it'll be good exposure." I stare 'em down and say, "My friend, people DIE from exposure."
The other line is "Give me a discount on this one, and I will come back with lots of business".
If they actually do, then it's "but you didn't charge me so much for the last order"
Your list really does apply to all the arts. As a photographer I've heard every one of those lines and derivations. I still get strangers asking for work, time and equipment they would not ask of their mothers. The best response is to stand up for yourself. Not always easy when money is short.
When you enjoy your work people will try to exploit that. No plumber ever repaired a loo for free.
I once had a client give me a check for work then call me and tell me not to cash it till Friday. Turns out she expected my work to bring her in some money.
It didn't. I had nothing but a bounced check (and a little more wisdom) to show for my work!
Having come here through links surfing I am amazed as how similar the "No spec" movement is to many other professions.
I am outraged at the way some industrial managers and owners nowadays almost expect to have what some call "your point of view" on our systems. My "point of view" gets the bread and butter in my kids plate.
I thank you for your pointers and specifically some of your answers to these requests for free lunches. It is sometimes hard to have an immediate polite reply to them when they ask, in a meeting, with absolutely no regards for my work, a hint on what they should do.
I will be using your "answers" for they are well worded and based on common sense.
While most people are well versed in not giving away spec work--I'm having a completely different problem right now.
A client I am working with is holding my paycheck hostage because of a 'color issue.' I have done the work required by contract and they final invoice was sent last week with the proviso that payment is due in three business days.
Why do people think this is okay to do? When they're done putting their fourty hours in does their boss say "well, you did great work, but I'm not going to pay you because I changed my mind."
I'm almost angry. Okay, wait, no... I am angry right now.
Skyler, I have dealt with exactly that issue in the past. I came to recognize this tactic as a stalling method on payment. This is how I structured my contracts because of this possible problem:
The client needs to give final approval of the design or project by email or certified mail.
Once final approval is given full remittance is due in 3 working days in accordance with the pre-approved payment method.
And here is the kicker- If they want any changes made after final approval it will cost them half of the full amount of the contract. In other words- they pay 50% more. This is only fair as I normally have jobs stacked waiting for me- so as soon as I get final approval it is on to the next project. If I have to backtrack on a project it is costing me money in the long run as I would have to delay a waiting project.
I haven't had any problems like this since I re-wrote my basic contract to include this addendum.
A--
I see. That last bit is something I need to add to my contractual arsenal. I already have kill fees and all the other little financial shepherds but that's only good as long as they still want to pay me or return my e-mails. You can be as assertive, kind, polite, or aggressive as you want and it still doesn't change the fact that they have the checkbook and you have waiting customers who will pay.
The thing that hurts the most on the job I was talking about is that I did it as a favor to a someone in my community. Quickened dev pace, lowered price, all due to the 'right here right now' syndrome. I thought they were really in an emergency or strapped for cash and apparently our definition of emergency (and strapped for cash) is two different things.
When you say 'we need this done by x wendsday, anything you can do' and then three weeks later you say 'well, we're not going to use it now or pay you because we're not happy with it' that's called lying folks.
Yup, still angry. However, now it's 50% more angrier than the previous draft. ;)
"Why people have this strange idea that graphic designers should work for free (or nearly so) is a total mystery to me, but many do. More than in any other profession I have witnessed first-hand."
HA! Then you havent met a software programmer yet, have you... :-) Join the club. My favorite response, lately, has been: "You dont get to consult with an attorney for free, a plumber doesnt fix your toilet for free, a mechanic doesnt repair your transmission for free - why should I develop your e-commerce site for free? Do I look like I can print money?"
I usually let that rip when I know I've lost the client, however, in several cases the client did call back and apologize and we came to agreements for work.
Good luck out there!
I do understand Mike. My husband/business partner is an independant software developer for Apple as well as himself- in fact he was on the original team that created Flash back when it was Cell Animator.
They didn't get paid much for that either :D
I can't let this thread go completely without acknowleging and thanking all of the good clients we have had - and have today. People who have good sense, intelligence and a drive to truly succeed in life understand that when you find talented people who are easy to work with you want to keep them- this is a two way street under the very best of circumstances and we have been lucky enough to encounter this time and again.
So a great big Thank You goes out to our current fabulous clients:
Anita, Bernard, Jp, Lori, Marie, and Dianna.
I wouldn't always work for "non for profits" for reduced fees or for free either.
I got screwed by a small local hispanic organization that always expected "discounts" and 'freebies" through out our relationship. It was such an uphill battle that I finally ultimately discontinued our relationship. I got paid for 75% of what I did but got dumped on for it. Never again would I do this. I let those go elsewhere now.
Another thing, you need to add to your list. Since I do mostly web I love this one. "But I have Frontpage, or Dreamweaver" and if you just get me started...blah blah blah. One of my best websites I tore my heart and soul out for now looks like crap because the client thinks she knows what looks good and "redesigned" my original work into the crap that it is today.
Christopher
This is always a touchy point. From my experience all of us in the creative industry are way too soft with collecting money and either have to pass it to someone else of get to strict guidelines in place. My company, which does 3D renderings and animations, got stung many times before we got out act together. It is was always for large amounts too.
We learnt the following:
1. Ensure your fees are very clear and agreed upon. We actually publish our fees now. Make the client sign an order that has the exact description of work and the final price. Also add some terms and conditions to cover the "grey areas".
2. Get money up front. The clients that wont pay anything up front will also be the ones that shaft you later and are often the ones looking for as many companies as possible that will start work for free.
3. Charge progress payments. If they are late in paying then tell them you may have to move onto another job and wont be able to get back to theirs for a few weeks if they don't pay now. If they still don't pay then STOP WORK. Usually when they face the prospect of losing weeks in their deadline they pay that day.
4. Never even hint that you will do something speculatively. They will see this as an excuse to screw you over. Good clients just want the job done ASAP and don't have the time or desire to mess with layouts they may never use.
I know you don't want to upset what could be a good client, but the fact is (trust me on this) that the good ones pay their accounts. I don't care how nice a guy is or how much work he has, if I am not getting paid then it isn't worth it. I have learnt from experience, and they were tough lessons too. BTW, those slow payers are often the difficult clients too - ones that you will never make a profit on. You have much better things you could be doing than trying to appease them.
Steve Bell
Archiform 3D
To all of the above: Been there, done that. And this is what I've found works for me: "Just say no." Really.
One door closes; another door opens -- leaving you free to do work from paying clients who are honest and reliable. That has been my experience -- once I finally got up the guts to do it.
Once I'd developed a certain level of respect and confidence in both myself and my work (it took some time) it got much easier. Some people seem to have that naturally, but I wasn't one of those people.
Some of the business people I worked with really didn't see themselves as "screwing me over" (which is how I felt.) They just thought they were being "good business people," i.e. if they could get it for free instead of paying -- why not? Save the company some money! Reputable companies generally don't conduct business that way, but when you're starting out, how do you know?
You also have people who are just flakes. Developing "flake antennae"is helpful attribute.
I also "trained myslf" (for lack of a better term) to "de-personalize" these transactions. I would act like the super-rep I wish I had, who worked for a really great client (me.) That was effective in draining any messy emotions I might be feeling out of the discussion.
If you can do this, you will walk away with your self-respect intact, and no longer kick yourself late into the night for spending irretrievable hours of your life on unpaid work.
To the situations described above, I offer my road-tested responses, always delivered in a friendly but no-nonsense manner:
1. - "Unfortunately, I don't work for free. But good luck finding someone who will." (Pick up bag, head for door.)
2. - "Thanks! That would be great! Unfortunately, (see 1., above.)"
3. - "Thank you, but I'm already building a business of my own which -- as I'm sure you, as a business man/woman know -- requires payment for my services."
4. - Until you have a established an ongoing relationship with the client, require payment on delivery. Don't be afraid to ask for it; many other types of businesses do this as well. And don't be afraid to walk out the door with the work still securely tucked under your arm. I've been surprised at how fast a check can be cut when you say,"Well, call me when the check is ready, and I'll be right over with your artwork."
If you do find yourself waiting for a check: nag, nag, nag. Be polite, but be persistent, i.e. every day. It's a drag, but it often works.
5. - "Gee -- that's a problem. Because I can't do the work for you unless you can pay me."
6. - I cannot improve on the author's response.
7. - "Thank you. I expect that my work will get plenty of exposure in the future, but at the moment payment is the priority."
8. - If you really want the job, break it down (Phase 1, Phase 2, etc.) and insist on payment as each portion of the project is completed.
9. - This is so funny! I've used this one myself. This type of individual has no respect for, or understanding of, what you do, and you will NEVER regret walking away from whatever job they're offering.
I hope someone finds this helpful. Cheers and good luck!