by Jacquie Ang
from TAXI Design Network

The industry’s stand on free pitching is clear but it doesn’t resonate deep enough. It is an old debate that never seems to find a resolution. Could it be a necessary evil? Have designers accepted it as part of the business? Would you say no if the client of your dreams, the express ticket you would make your mark with, requests for a free pitch dangling a fat-ass contract because: a. your previous work isn’t enough to appoint you as that doesn’t qualify your capability to handle their needs; b. they are working on a tight budget; c. other agencies have agreed to it; d. [insert another excuse-disguised-as-logic-of-reason here]…

The last point I thought of could be the clue to persistence in free pitches. You can argue till your face turns blue and protest vehemently in the belief you shall stand united alongside your peers in the war against free pitches but surprise surprise, there are, and there will always be, agencies and designers who offer work for free. Esprit de corps never stood a chance.

Maybe the answer to the age-old argument is simply to stop. Andy Budd, the managing director of a user experience consultancy, feels that creative pitches are bad for the client, the designer and the industry as a whole. So if everyone, be it a one-man show, a small start-up or a big agency, stopped giving pitches, clients would realize they aren’t getting any free lunches this way. Right?

Well, I suppose I wouldn’t have to spend three paragraphs coming to a conclusion if the answer was right there all the time.

Visit Click to Open Web Page to read more.

Junior Assistant Editor
TAXI Design Network
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