This is a story about people who try to avoid paying a web designer for their work. Since it happens all too often, I wanted to share a real-life example from yesterday.
I received an inquiry via LinkedIn that started out as being very kind. She was extremely flattering in regard to the work shown in my portfolio.
This woman said she “respected my skills” which is why she was contacting me.
Please note: This was from an actual LinkedIn user and business; I did my research on LinkedIn, Google, and their own website.
Their request was quite involved:
“We need a completely new design of our logo.”
“We need a completely new design of our website.”
Sounds good so far.
OK, so here’s where I started laughing:
“We are looking for a 24-hour turnaround and to allocate only 3-5 hours to this project.
“We will only pay if we like the design.”
Yeah, let me jump right on that.
(Not.)
Designing a Logo and a Website
- To design a new logo, I need to collaborate with the client to learn more about their brand. Then I need time for the actual design, planning, and revisions.
- A new website is a huge undertaking. We’re talking hours of design, development, keyword research and implementation, and optimizing all content for search engines.
If you want something FAST and CHEAP, you’re going to get what this company currently has for a logo and a website. (You guessed it, not good.)
If you end your inquiry with “we will only pay if we like the design” then good luck finding someone worthy to do the work and take that risk.
Stop Asking Creatives to Work For Nothing
When you hire a creative person like me to work on your web project, you’re not only paying me for the website, you’re also paying me for my years of training and expertise.
I know my worth. After 25 years, no one knows it better than me.
If I’m not feeling valued, I just say no.
But still, asking creatives to work for free has to stop.
[sc_fs_faq html=”true” headline=”h2″ img=”” question=”What if I don’t have money for a website?” img_alt=”” css_class=””] If you want free work, hire an intern who could use the college credit. Another option is to make your own website using an online site builder. [/sc_fs_faq]