420 Design Blog
Why We Won’t Give You Samples of Your Project Before the Agreement
15 Sep 2005 | Angie H
From time to time we get an interested company or individual that wants to see what our ideas for their particular project are before they make a commitment to hire us (or any other design studio for that matter). In the design industry (and other industries too I'm sure) this is called speculative presentation. And 420 Design always say no. But it's difficult to do so since very few people understand why. And more importantly, there are designers who cave in to this (much to their own detriment) simply because they want the work so badly. Such designers, unfortunately, makes those of us who politely say no to such requests seem like complete snobs or that we're difficult to work with. As far as design and business is concerned, it's unfortunate, to say the least.
So why do we say no? And why should every designer say no? And even better yet, why should clients be cautious of designers who say yes to such a request?
It's more than just a pretty layout
Let's start with a quote from the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines:
While "true partnership" may sound like bunch of crap, it really isn't. Creating a website, a logo, a brochure, etc., is so much about image, visual communication and problem solving that not taking the time to get to know a client and their business will almost always result in an unsuccessful project. As influential designer Jeffrey Zeldman puts: "Design is only partly decoration. Mainly it is problem solving. Unless the [proposal] spells out site goals and user needs in phenomenal detail, you can't create an appropriate design because you don't yet know what problems need to be solved." The only way to know what needs to be solved is by meeting with and talking to the client... more than once or twice.
How desperate is the designer?
In everyday commerce what do we often buy? What's popular, of course. If something is flying off the shelves a la iPod, then it must be good. But does Apple let you keep the iPod for free before you buy it so you can try it at home and such? Of course not. They let you play with them at their stores, sure. But that's just enough to get you intrigued and to create desire. Professional design services are no different. We have portfolios to get you intrigued and to create a sense of want or need for you to hire us - they should speak for themselves. But if a designer is willing to give away time and energy so easily, the message he/she sends is that work is slow (even if it's not), needs the work badly (even if not), isn't in demand and thereby isn't very good.
Perpuating the myth
Too many people still believe that design is just about how something looks. Designers who do spec work only reinforce the myth. In reality, a company who hires a professional designer is getting much more than that. They are getting strategic, creative thinking that doesn't just happen at a moment's notice. It's a process that can be pretty powerful for a business' bottom line. In fact, it's (appropriately in my opinion) been said that if "the entire business community understood the value of good design, and saw the effect we can actually have on their bottom line, there wouldn't be nearly enough design firms to handle all of the business."
It's just plain unprofessional
Would you ever ask a plumber to fix your plumbing problem for free and then decide if the work was good enough for you? Of course not. Design should not be any different.
It makes everyone look bad, not just the designer
Yep, I mean the prospect, too. While the designer may look desperate for work, the prospective client is essentially saying that they want something for free - without the promise (i.e. agreement) that they'll even hire the designer. And frankly, that's a clear message that he/she wouldn't be a very good client to work for. That can't be good for the client's business image!
Without going further (such as touching the topic of copyrights), speculative presentations are just bad. They're bad for the designer. Bad for the design industry. Bad for clients. Just plain bad business.