Young Designers Eat Food
It’s okay to do voluntary work for non-profits or charitable organizations or even start-ups that don’t have a lot of funds at hand.
But something bothers me in terms of how organizations allocate funds towards any sort of creative work (i.e. videos, design work, etc.). Most organizations say that they don’t have enough funds to pay a designer - yet they’re willing to pay the print shop. They’re willing to pay to rent equipment. They’re willing to pay for the gas reimbursement, the administrative overheads, the stationary store where they get their pens. They’re willing to pay a monthly fee for server space for their website. Yet paying someone to do creative work? They ask them to do it for free.
The argument of course is “well there are costs involved with printing” for example. Then why isn’t the conversation with the printer to get the prints for free? “There are costs involved with the materials printers need, electricity used, equipment usage”. Then why not contact the distributor and get them to donate their materials, the hydro company to donate electricity? And the cost to use equipment - why can’t that be donated as well?
The assumption is that young designers and artists are so caught up with wanting to further their portfolio, that organizations genuinely believe they are helping students by providing a great opportunity. But the problem in this, is the assumption that there are no costs involved with design work.
Designers and artists, surprisingly (it’s shocking I know) need to eat, and pay rent too. Sure developing your portfolio is a big part of finding your professional voice - but when organizations are willing to fund print shops out of respect for their operation costs, it’s just difficult to fathom that they aren’t able to allocate funds towards a young designer as a simple matter of respect. And you can’t use the argument “it doesn’t cost a designer anything to design” - the time put in exhausts energy, takes away from other potential work, requires incredibly intellectual and creative stimulation, equipment usage costs, the need to feed yourself, pay rent in your apartment… the time of a young designer incurs its costs as well.
I don’t mind helping out in voluntary situations when everyone is voluntarily sacrificing something in terms of their own costs. But as soon as one party gets paid - whether it’s the venue the organization was willing to pay for, or the equipment rental costs that they comfortably dished out $200 for, but not pay the photographer. That’s when things start to get uncomfortable for me.
Volunteering is about voluntary time - if a designer is willing to knowingly make their sacrifice, then that is understood. Same with a print shop - if they’re willing to knowingly contribute to the cause at their own expense, then that’s cool. But when it is in reverse - if an organization needs things printed, they pay the printer. So if they need something designed, or need an event photographed - pay the damn work you’re asking for.
Otherwise you get what you paid for.
You can’t ask a young designer to do free work for you - they can only volunteer at their own sacrifice. Trying to manipulate them is like justifying theft from the local retail store.
(Oh and to clarify, this isn’t a commentary to the photo-shoot I did on Saturday (aka the last post) - which I volunteered for and thoroughly enjoyed! Everyone involved contributed personally on their own voluntary will!)
