As a copywriter, i think about that often. 100% truth. Many clients should read this.

So true! These comics are so damn awesome! Always spot-on!

Everybody wants things for free. It’s human nature.

However, when the situation is reversed, they want to charge extra for their own services or goods. It’s pretty hard to understand the inconsistency.

What’s the job of Freelancer Dude anyway? I mean, in what field of freelance job he’s in? Isn’t he also a freelance graphic artist?

Thats funny, I just had a client say that to me the other day. He made it sound like he was going to LET me use it in my portfolio.

This is very timely. Nice work!

@Ryan

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Hey Its like Deal or no Deal, the tv show.

If it was for a $1000, then you would’nt even watch it, and it would be off the air by now.

Contests are fine as long as the prize is decent. Craigslist is full with $50 logo contests and the one we started talking about this past weekend was about a NY Publisher’s book cover for a $1000 bucks.

So, If it was for $25.000, I’d be busting my brains out and wearing out the mac and filling the computer with memory of each and every possible version of the cover, trying to WIN.

Not for the portfolio, but for the prize.

The thing is, I do graphic design for the money. I like it, almost love it. But is what i choose to do to make money. What I really LOVE is music, rock music.

So what I think is that there is a lot of people that think that all graphic designers just love what they do so much is like pleasure, and thats when they think you should almost pay the client for the opportunity to work for them.

I’ve heard that in some bars in Los Angeles, bands actuallly PAY the club to play, instead of the bar PAYING the band to play.

But that’s because bands LOVE what they do, but it is because is ART, and is FREE of clients, unless you work for a record company.

Graphic Design is NOT FREE of creative freedom as ART IS. A graphic design job is “limited” by the needs of the client, is restricted by wether or not the client likes it or not, and so the graphic designer has to keep working on the project until the client likes it. And its fair, just as long as you are getting paid for it.

And most of the times you should work so hard that you and the client like the results, but that does’nt always happen, sometimes you just have to finish the job to get paid, and the result is not worth putting in your portfolio cause you dont like what you did.

There seems to be an obsession with the portfolio, not everything you do goes in your portfolio, or is good enough to go in it. Not because you did a poor job, but because you did such a great job your client liked it, but you did’nt, just did it to make the client happy so you could get paid.

Like that tattoo artist cartoon, say the client wants a flower, a cheese yellow flower, well the tough guy tattoo artist on that cartoon will do it to get paid, but that doesnt mean he will do a poor job, he might do his best, but wont necessarily want to show it off on his “porfolio”,- show off the cheese little flower he just did!, NO! he did it for the money, cause that’s his business.

Once you get really busy with graphic design, you’ll do so much stuff that you won’t wanna show off everything you do, cause some of it is done for pushy clients that “know what they want” that have NO taste. So you do it, but for the money, NOT your portfolio, but for the MONEY. Other wise you’d be doing what you really love: Sleep.

Correction: This is very common, and most of those propositions “aren’t” worthy to put on portfolio.

The one person you shouldn’t haggle over price with is a tattoo artist - that ink is damn near permanent!

Rock on NC. Awesome comic. Meanwhile, here’s a comic for those of us still working a day job–>

MyLifeInaCube.com

LOL - I have, like many; had this happen. I return the proposition - and it is like you can see the entire thought process play out on their face.

Wasn’t this one of the arguments justifying the (in)famous FSw design contest?

“While a big-time book cover probably would look good in your portfolio…”

Oh, well.

Beautiful! In few more months the new potential clients can’t use that on me. Just because I am a student doesn’t mean I am incapable of producing professional work.

Nice. I recently found a project offering a portfolio piece as payment on a freelance bidding site. I think the only appropriate time for a free website or free work is for a close relative or friend. Thats it.