I’ve worked for free fabric.
Last year I designed a tutorial for Timeless Treasures to post on their blog. It took me about four hours to design it, sew it, photograph each step, take the beauty shots, and write the instructions. I was paid in fat quarter bundles and several yards of flannel. That post was Timeless Treasure’s most popular blog post of the year. It was their most popular Instagram photo, too.
And that wasn’t the only time I’ve done it. I’ve designed butterflies, hibiscus flowers, and sheep, all for free fabric.
I took on these projects because they were fun and it was flattering that a big company or site would ask me to create something just for them. When the packages of fabric arrived in the mail I was so excited to open them, and that excitement was underlined by feeling like I’d gotten the fabric for free. Working by myself is sorta lonely. It was exciting to get emails from these companies, and to get their feedback on my work.
Over time, I’ve begun to think more carefully about whether I should do work for a company that pays me in product. This careful thinking emerged when my sewing and blogging hobby became a real business, with real bills to pay. When I looked at what I needed, it wasn’t fabric. What I needed in exchange for my labor was $50 to pay MailChimp and $61.89 to pay my Etsy fees for the month. I only have so many working hours each day and need to be more careful with how I use them. How many projects can I really take on that don’t pay in money? When Timeless Treasures came back to me to design another project for their blog this year I decided to say no.
That’s where I am in my thinking, but not everyone is in the same place. There are still lots of people who will work for free products and there always will be.
Companies in the craft and sewing industry will always be hungry for visual content. With Pinterest boards to fill, blog posts to write, and Instagram and Facebook followings to grow, they have an ongoing need for fresh tutorials and free patterns that show their products in use.
How should they get this content? Sending out free product to bloggers in exchange for a tutorial is by far the cheapest and easiest way, but is it best business practice for the company and for the blogger?
Let’s look at a specific case in order to think about these questions.
On October 24 I saw this post from Glue Dots seeking applications from bloggers to be part their Design Team:
Join the Glue Dots Design Team
Glue Dots Design Team Call!Calling all Designers! We’re looking for a few crafty individuals to join our Glue Dots Design Team!
Do you love Glue Dots? Are you super creative and looking for a challenge? Apply to our Glue Dots Design Team!
The Glue Dots Design Team expertly uses Glue Dots products for kids crafts, school projects, home décor, decorations, home improvement, DIY projects, and more! As a growing company, you’ll be challenged to design and create outside of the craft room.
However, did you know that you can make your home look great with great home outdoor décor like this house number plaques modern signage here? Check it out for more info! For more resources, visit a helpful site that can make your home improvement project successful.
If you enjoy trying products from other companies, using and testing new products, and enjoy being creatively challenged, consider becoming a Dottess!
Here are a few of the perks of being a Dottess:
Opportunities to be published in major national, regional, and trade publications
Exposure to major national and global retailers and their audiences, including A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Craft and Fabric Stores, Michaels, and more
Exposure to audiences outside of the craft industry
Test and use new products before anyone else
Help us create the next new adhesive
Free product from Glue Dots and other partner companies
So much more!To be considered for the Glue Dots Design Team, designers must be able to:
Produce high quality, high res photos
Submit a minimum of 16 projects* throughout the course of the term
Term length is from Nov. 1 2014 – Sept. 15 2015
Provide clear and concise project instructions and supply lists using a provided template
Support Glue Dots projects and products through the use of Social Media Profiles (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest)*This number is flexible. For example, if you submit projects for our publication partners, these projects count towards the overall total number of projects for the term.
To apply, fill out the application form below. You will receive a confirmation email after your application has been submitted and you will be redirected to our subscription page on our website.
Deadline to apply is Monday, October 27th.
Good Luck!
~The Team at GDI
P.S. We’d rather have too many applications instead of too few, so what are you waiting for? Apply to be part of our team! 🙂
Glue Dots has had a Design Team for a few years and I wondered how the current Design Team members feel about their experience as Dottesses. What value do they feel they’re getting?
I also wondered how Glue Dots perceives the work their Design Team members create. Do they see the Dottesses as professionals? Why do they feel that paying them in glue and clicks is enough?
To find out, I got in touch with a blogger who served on the Glue Dots Design Team for several years and I got in touch with the people at Glue Dots.
A selection of the project tutorials Joy designed while on the Glue Dots Design Team.
The blogger I reached out to was Joy, whose blog is Joys Life. Over the course of about two years, from 2011-2013, Joy created more than 30 tutorials as a member of the Glue Dots Design Team. I asked her how long she worked in each project on average. “Regarding time commitment specifically, I couldn’t say. I often feel like I’m the slowest crafter in the world,” Joy said. “Sometimes it takes me a long time to formulate an idea and other times it’s quick. Then there are the times that I think I’m a genius and start making something and it’s terrible so I start over. I will never be invited to quickly make a craft in a competition. However, I might be invited to sit under a tree and think about it…if that ever becomes a thing.”
Joy actually made many more projects than those she posted on her blog. During her final year as a Dottess she created projects that Glue Dots used in publications. “The projects were published in the Hobby Lobby ‘Scrapbooking’ magazine as part of an ad campaign for Glue Dots,” she explained.
I asked her about compensation. “I received a generous amount of Glue Dots products and sometimes products from other companies,” Joy told me.
I wrote the following letter to Glue Dots and sent it on October 30:
Hi Glue Dots,
My name is Abby Glassenberg and I’m a sewing pattern designer, craft book author, and blogger. My blog is http://abbyglassenber.wpengine.com. On my blog I write about sewing, blogging, and small business and I’ve been writing there since 2005.
Last week I noticed your call looking for bloggers to apply to be members of the Glue Dots Design Team. The perks described for members of the Design Team are publishing opportunities, exposure, advanced use of product, and free product. The work described involves producing 16 projects over a 9 month period with each project including high quality images, clear project instructions, supply lists, and templates, and shares on social media.
I’m writing to you because I don’t feel that this kind of expectation treats designers with respect. In order to create a single project as described it will take a designer at least three hours. This includes time spent coming up with and developing the concept, creating the finished piece, taking photos of the step-outs and beauty shots of the finished piece, editing the photos, creating the templates, and writing and editing the instructions. Three hours per project is a conservative estimate.
In order to create what’s required a designer would also need a good quality camera, photo editing equipment, and craft supplies in addition to the free supplies sent by Glue Dots.
So we’re looking at 48 total hours of work at least, plus use of equipment, supplies and expertise. In addition, the blogger is expected to share the project with their own audience via their blog and social media channels.
In order to develop a significant blog readership and a significant and engaged following on social media, a blogger has to work several hours each day creating original content and sharing it, finding other interesting content from around the web to share, and interacting with their readers.
I honestly feel that your call for bloggers to be on a design team under these terms, with no monetary compensation, shows a lack of respect for the work involved. If a designer creates a project for a magazine, or an advertisement for Hobby Lobby, or just a free pattern for the Glue Dots website, that designer should be paid for that project. Paying someone in free glue and exposure is not real compensation.
Thank you for considering my letter. I hope to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Abby Glassenberg
I was feeling rather heated about the topic, clearly, perhaps overly heated. But I figured the best way to get a response was to express a strong opinion. About a week later, on Friday, November 7, I got a letter back. Here’s what it said:
Dear Abby,
Thank you for your feedback regarding the Glue Dots Design Team. We are currently evaluating our Design Team requirements and compensation due to the breadth and growth of our Glue Dots product line. At the end of each term we request feedback from our designers on how we can improve our team. We take their feedback to heart and implement those improvements, which have brought several of our designers back year after year.
Who is the Glue Dots Design Team? The Glue Dots Design Team is made up of about six moms who are passionate about other avenues of life outside of crafting. They have full-time jobs that are not within the crafting industry and being a member of our Design Team allows them to be creative outside of their daily life. The Glue Dots Design Team was organized in 2011 and continues to improve each year. We encourage our designers to create projects that they enjoy, but they also provide us with everyday uses of Glue Dots products that enrich their homes and their life with their families. Our designers are not required to create professional photos because we do the majority of photo editing in house.
Through growing partnerships with retailers and publications, our designers and their projects receive on average over 1.5 million impressions per month. By taking on the responsibility of publishing their projects through our partnerships, the designers are able to spend more time with their family while receiving credit for their work.
In addition to our Glue Dots Design Team, we create strategic partnerships with creative individuals who meet the needs of our growing product line. These are professional individuals who reach an audience for a specific retailer or industry and provide us with a comprehensive content program to meet our needs. By working with these professional individuals, we’re able to bring other partners into the fold and introduce their brand to audiences they do not currently reach.Thank you again for your feedback. We are currently evaluating our Design Team requirements and the structure of compensation in order to be on the leading edge of design team programs. We take our team’s feedback and your input to heart.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions about our program.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Brunner
Marketing Coordinator
Glue Dots International
E-mail: ebrunner at gluedots dot com
www.gluedots.com
I decided to forward the letter to Joy. I asked her which category she felt that she fell into, the six moms with full-time jobs or the strategic partnerships with creative individuals? Joy said, “I’m a mom and a designer. I enjoyed my time with Glue Dots. It was a great learning experience for me as a new designer.”
I also asked Glue Dots which category they felt Joy fit into, but I haven’t heard back.
Glue Dots isn’t the only company with a design team. These sorts of teams, in which bloggers create project tutorials in exchange for free product, are especially popular in the scrapbooking world.
All businesses are guided by profit, whether they’re big companies like Glue Dots or micro businesses like my own. But great businesses are also guided by ethics. Is it ethical to solicit projects from bloggers and use them in print ads that grow your profits without compensating the designer? Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should.
And as a blogger and designer, even if you’re at the beginning stage of your career, should there be a limit to what you’ll agree to do in exchange for free product? At what point does a great opportunity turn into exploitation?
I stand by my letter to Glue Dots partly because I believe in saying something out loud rather than grumbling privately, and partly because I’m rankled by the implication that the Glue Dots Design Team members are moms who are grateful to be paid in glue and clicks so that they can spend more time with their families.
But Joy has a good point, too.
“I think non paying jobs are a good fit at times, depending on how well a particular brand works with your current style and schedule. I don’t have any complaints about teams not paying because you know that up front and can choose to participate or not.”
Lina says
This is an interesting post, thanks for writing. One thing that struck me as I was reading it was that if you used the term “barter” instead of “work for free product”, it would change the feeling of the article. We are just at the beginning of our small business ventures, but bartering with other people for help is something we try to do. Of course, money is the easiest exchange because it can be used for anything (like coffee! Yum), but if we trade our cut flowers for a few hours of someones time on a tractor, or masonry work in exchange for vegetables, we actually feel pretty good about it. I guess the difference is making sure that each party is happy with the trade and that any deal we take is one that we feel is fair.
Kris in PA says
Good morning, Abby! I am a first-time commenter. As an aspiring softie designer, I have found your site extremely helpful in sorting out the world of online pattern selling. You have become a mentor to many of us, I believe. I have been designing dolls since I was pregnant with my fourth child and first daughter. Now that she’s seven, it seems the time is right to put some of my ideas out there for others to (hopefully) enjoy. My husband and I have purchased a domain name, and I’m working on writing instructions and fine-tuning my designs. We still have much to learn, but this site and your generous sharing of information has been a blessing to us! So, thank you!
I find your business articles fascinating. While I’m just getting started in the online aspect, I have close to a decade of retail experience with a national fabric store chain. There does seem to be a pervasive attitude in this industry that the act of being creative should be compensation enough. Would it be enough for the company owners and executives? I think not. Even so, I agree with you that there will always be those who are willing to work for free product and exposure…beginning designers, especially. The trick is knowing when, as you did, to say, “No, my time is worth more than free glue.”
Thanks again for an insightful article!
Allison says
In the vast sea that is the internet, sometimes to sit and float, just waiting around to be “discovered” can take a very long time. Doing something that draws attention to yourself can sometimes be the exact thing that one needs to be discovered. Even though you were “only” compensated in terms of fabric for your tutorial, I could imagine that such a post brought a significant amount of traffic to your blog. One cannot really put a “price tag” on such things like increased traffic and increased readership, which ultimately allows one to live from creative endeavors.
I do, however, really appreciate such an honest and thoughtful consideration on the matter of compensation for your work in the creative industry. I have gotten “compensated” in terms of advertising for some of the projects that I have done, and while I’ve not reached my end goal of full monetary compensation for my work, I do feel like such things add to my credibility and resume, and are ultimately door openers.
For me, a very timely article in the midst of evaluating my own creative efforts.
Andi says
In my experience, I didn’t start getting requests to work for product until I had a decent sized audience already. Usually brands target bloggers that have a following so the brand also gets exposure. They generally don’t want unknown bloggers because the name recognition and built in audience are part of why they hire someone to put together and manage the unpaid design team instead of hiring one in-house designer to do all the work.
Once you’re big enough that brands start approaching you about this kind of thing, there generally are also other ways of getting exposure that don’t involve working for product for a large company that’s using you to sell something. Exposure alone isn’t really that valuable if it undermines your ability to get paid in the industry you work in, which is what these work-for-product gigs do. If there’s a precedent for not paying the people who put together the tutorials that sell product, it will get harder and harder for the tutorial writers to one day find paying work because what company would pay for something that they know they can get in exchange for products that cost them almost nothing? All of the exposure if the world isn’t going to help you if you’ve effectively removed the value from your work.
Abby says
I was surprised that the Glue Dots Design Team application didn’t ask for blog and social media stats. I agree with you that exposure goes both ways.
I wonder how you feel about submitting blog tutorials to sites like Craftgawker and All Free Sewing. These are sites that are offering you exposure in exchange for you giving them content that brings people to the site to see ads, which the site owners profit from. The difference for me is that Glue Dots is commissioning the designs, but that difference is really not a big one in my mind.
Andi says
I’m usually happy to let a website or magazine use a photo to feature a project that I’ve already done. They do make money off of that content through advertising, but I find that exchange to be pretty fair.
I think that situation is quite different from working for product, though. In the featured work scenario, it’s work I’ve already done for whatever reason, so they’re not commissioning a design from me and putting a ridiculously low price tag on my work, and I’m not giving away all of my work. I’m only giving a photo, and if readers want the rest, they have to come to me. If the bulk of the work is done for myself or for a big company is a huge difference, in my opinion.
Laura Bradshaw says
Abby,
I’m listening to the pod cast with Kathy Mack & Kristin Link and I’m so glad that y’all “came-out” about the difficulties of online fabric stores. I have in recent years thought about quitting “my day job” for a full time creative life and it just never seemed to pencil out. Maybe some sort of grand Co-op using a centralized warehouse for cutting and shipping might be a scale that would work ; -) It’s really upsetting to me that designers are not making a living wage at this. If you know any men who are doing this FIND OUT HOW MUCH THEY ARE GETTING FOR THEIR DESIGNS!
I’d be very curious to know.
Regards and congrats on the stuffed animal book. It’s adorable.
Laura
P.S. I also wonder how many of the big fabric manufacturers have women at the top. Time to lean in?
Abby says
I’m not sure that male designers are getting paid a different wage, but I do think that most of the company owners and major shareholders are male (that’s not true across the board, certainly). I think a study of gender in the sewing and craft industry would be fascinating.
Carol Y says
Two words: Ty Pennington. Ok, so he’s probably an exception, but I’ll bet he’s making more than the average designer.
I’ve made quilts as samples and I was given the choice of an hourly wage or keeping the quilt when they were done with it. Mostly I kept the quilts – that made me happiest.
I’ve also worked retail for fabric and I was happy at the time since a yard of fabric was more than what they would have paid me hourly, but now I’m swimming in fabric (drowning?) and can’t really afford to buy any new. Oh well, at least it wasn’t compromising my creative worth.
Felice Regina says
I have mixed feelings about this.
I work as a full-time graphic designer. Starting back when I was in school, I started getting asked to do projects for free or in exchange for non-monetary goods/services under the guise of exposure. I only did it once or twice because I got really put off by how many revisions people thought they were entitled to when I was working for peanuts. I find it really frustrating how the recipients of the free work act like they’re doing designers a FAVOR by offering them unpaid (or underpaid) jobs. If I’m doing something pro-bono, you’ll take what I give you, and you’ll like it. Be grateful.
I think what rubs me the wrong way is also the whole application process and the idea that people should be competing with one another just to be considered. It’s the same reason I don’t do contests. I won’t do work for the *CHANCE* of being compensated.
On the other hand, the non-day-job side of my self has no problem with this. One of my friends is in the quilting industry and also works full time, and is a mother. Needless to say, she’s REALLY busy. But she’s a total sweetheart and has given me so much advice and insight into the industry, so I’m constantly OFFERING to do work for her for free or in exchange for fabric or a gift card The projects and tasks always bring me joy. She’s also very grateful. I never feel taken for granted when I help her out. Even now that I’m starting to build up my own name, I still like to offer help because I would never have been able to get to this point without her mentorship.
The big difference is my friend didn’t ask for me to do stuff right out of the gate. She actually never asked at all. She nurtured my interest in the industry, took me under her wing, and fanned my flames. When I felt confident in my newfound hobby, I couldn’t wait to repay her. With Glue Dots, they’re asking people to do the work without investing much of anything upfront, and that’s where I have a problem.
Mary says
I think this happens in a lot of creative industries and although barter may be acceptable depending on your situation, “for exposure” is pretty much BS, IMO. Lots of people have written about it too, like in this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/opinion/sunday/slaves-of-the-internet-unite.html?pagewanted=all Appreciate the post, though, Abby, and good to hear different perspectives, and to be reminded.
Andrea says
As always, I love what you have to say. I think there are so many variables it’s hard to say definitively what is right and wrong as far as compensation, but it’s never right to not find value in someone else’s time.
If your blog is a business (and if you take money for it or use it to promote your business ventures then it is) then you should treat it like a business and not work for free unless it’s for a good cause. And a “good cause” is different for everyone. For some it might be working to help promote a friend’s Etsy shop or promoting some small business or charity but there is absolutely no reason to work for free for a large business, as far as I’m concerned. We, as women who don’t work outside the home, need to realize that we have value! We bring value and we should expect to be treated as such. It all starts with treating ourselves as a real business.
Melissa H says
I am usually very in line with your thinking that crafters should be fairly paid for their work but in this case I think I come down on Joy’s side.
I would never suggest a person who makes income from crafting should pursue this (I think the offer is kinda lame because I don’t think “exposure” via Glue Dots is very valuable) but they are very clear about their expectations and they have takers so there must be an audience for this sort of thing. As I see it they are welcome to say what they’re looking for and I would personally just ignore the call for submissions. But I could see that if I was a hobbiest who loved Glue Dots and wanted a little motivation do do more papercrafting over the next 9 months joining this type of thing might be absolutely perfect for me.
In my mind the onus is not on the craft supply companies to always offer money (hey, they need to make money and if they can get folks to work basically for free, well, okay). I trust that the quality will sort itself out in the end. As folks skills and dedication develop I imagine they will expect real compensation for their work and as they are building their skills they can do this kind of work.
Maybe I’ve been listening to too many economics podcasts, I’m sounding like a real free market person here 🙂
Regardless, I always appreciate you raising these issues for discussion in such a thoughtful way.
Abby says
Thank you so much for your perspective, Melissa. I don’t think this topic is cut and dry by any means.
Caroline B says
Another interesting post. While if the parties are concerned are happy then that’s OK for them, I feel that this does smack of exploitation, taking advantage of someone’s desire to get established by promising them exposure and products in return for work that would otherwise be paid for in real money. I have taken on a very few projects for ‘free’ in the past in return for what I thought would be good exposure and have found it not worth the time and effort. Personally, I would not work in return for glue. Would your plumber fix your leak if you promised to tell everyone you know how good he was and given him some of your lovely cakes? I think not…why should design be any different.
Tsoniki Crazy Bull says
Several years ago I used to make cards and I pretended I scrapbooked (that means I bought a few supplies and looked at them LOL) and a really good friend of mine was on design teams for card making companies. I never understood wanting to work for hours to turn something over to someone else in that way. Traffic coming to your site, okay that’s nice, but at the end of the day the company isn’t looking out for you. They are looking out for themselves, their product, and what they are trying to sell. If they can afford so many other business expenses, of course they can afford to pay people. But they know that people will do it for free, there will be competition to be able to do it for free, and they won’t have to pay anyone for anything. It’s a crazy cycle because even if people start to say no, I want to be compensated for my time, there is always another person out there willing to do it for free.
Michelle Frae Cummings says
Great article! I have been on some big name DT companies for the past 5 years. In the beginning, it’s all fun and games. When you are new to blogging/crafting- getting free stuff felt like winning the lottery!
I got to try things I might have never looked at twice. But some of the companies had strict rules regarding how they wanted a project created, photographed and posted. It kinda took the fun out of the creation process. After a while I just got burnt out.
Now days I’m less apt to try out for just any team. Im on a few select teams now. My list has dwindled over the last few years so could focus on my own creativity and liscensed designs.
Abby says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Michelle.
Leslie R. says
Abby, thank you so much for your thoughts on working for free products. Your article is so timely as I have been (up to this point) willing to work for free products and/or a little exposure. I have been really thinking this over and have basically reached the same conclusions. It costs money to run a blog and I think I should be paid for the real amount of time spent on a project. If they could possibly insure enough traffic to my blog that would increase my ad network sales maybe I would consider their free content for free product offer.
Gwen says
Only you can put a value on your time and creative juices.
I just wrote a massive response and then I realized that it pretty much boiled down to what I put above. What works for you, may not be what works for me and we, most likely, have entirely different goals. That is okay. If Glue Dots didn’t have any takers for what they are offering, they would have to adjust. They have takers, the relationship works for some people.
Abby says
It clearly does. I’ve heard from many people who really enjoy being on design teams for various companies, especially in the scrapbooking world. I really wanted to explore the pros and cons of this opportunity and also to show how a company is viewing it’s design team members and their work.
Gwen says
I didn’t mean to sound flippant or that I don’t appreciate how you really are delving into the issues, sorry if my abbreviated answer gave that impression. I am really grateful that you are asking the questions that obviously so many of us want to, but don’t for one reason or another. You are invaluable:)
This issue is a bit like a hydra in that it rears its head and just when it dies down, there is another company coming up with another “program”. Part of what I find so interesting about the discussion is how people from different areas of interest see the nuts & bolts of the, in it’s most simplistic term, “free” issue in utterly different ways. I struggled with trying to explain what I meant by that, which is why I deleted my longer response. There are just so many variables and I am such a “let’s see it from all sides and walk a mile in their shoes” type of person that I end up throwing up my hands and unable to take a firm stance other than hoping that the specific creative people involved feel fairly compensated for their time and effort.
If someone put a lethal weapon to my head and demanded an opinion, because that is what it would take for me, I would say that I don’t see it as a good fit for what I would call a creative professional and yet for those just starting out or the hobbiest, it might be just the ticket to get their creative juices flowing and get their name/brand out there.
Keep asking the questions we all want to know the answers to, fabulous work and much appreciated!
Kristin says
Great post, Abby. Chiming in from the perspective of a business owner who relies on guest contributors…We have always tried to compensate our contributors for their work with either gift certificates to our sponsors shops (about half of which we pay for) or ad space on our site. We would love to go to a system of payment, but we have to reach a level of profitability in order to do that. It isn’t just the cost of paying people the cash, but managing the payroll that is a tremendous undertaking. Even paying people as contractors requires collecting W-9s and filing 1099s, not to mention issuing payments. (probably in the form or a check so the contributor doesn’t have to pay a fee.) When we have over 100 different contributors per year, this is a daunting prospect. Again, I am very empathetic to the position of the designers and I would love to be able to pay people and hope to be able to do that in the near future, I just want to point out that it’s not as simple as offering someone $100 cash instead of $100 in products. Also, I really appreciate Lina’s comments about bartering.
Abby says
That’s a great point, Kristin. When you have so many contributors it becomes really difficult and time consuming to even process all of the paperwork to pay each one. I love Sew Mama Sew because I feel like it’s a way for all kinds of sewing designers, new or veteran, to share projects and ideas with the wider community. As such it truly is a community-wide site and one that I am happy to contribute to for in-kind goods or for no other compensation but the reward of doing it. It’s unique in that way.
Cheryl Kuczek says
Hey Abby,
I love that you are bringing what I feel are unspoken subjects to the table.
I think that this culture of exchange, where designers come-up with projects for free product really puts the designer at a disadvantage.
I believe in the sewing/crafting industry this attitude has an enormous appetite and it really does a disservice to everyone involved. It truly is uncompensated work. The companies get much more out of this then the designers.
If we do not value ourselves as designers, then no one else will either.
I believe that we should get paid.
Look at what these companies get:
1) Fabulous projects that come with…..
2) instructions and material lists
3)Free Advertising from the designer if they post to their social media
4) the projects do drive sales for the companies
What does the designer get:
1)Free product…it sounds like maybe around $30-50 in retail value
2)Advertising that the company choses, there is no guarantees here…
I did a project 18 months ago for a publisher for a book that was using a new material that they had developed.
This was my compensation:
1)I received product to do the project only. I do have some leftover product that I may or may not be able to use
2)They asked if they could buy the sample for around $100.00.
3)My project was published, and it included my profile and my picture, and my contact information
4)I received 5 copies of the book
I spent a considerable amount of time to do the project, and it was lovely that I was able to be published like this, but in no way was I compensated for all of the work that I did.
I believe if we designers quit doing free projects & other free stuff for publishers and other product companies then the companies will start to believe that we should be compensated financially.
Let’s look at a bead store. Fusion Beads (http://www.fusionbeads.com/) based here in Seattle Washington has grown to be one of the largest online bead retailers in the USA.
Fusion Beads has a unique way that they market and sell their products. They have an in house designer that designs the projects. All these projects are free tutorials. When you look at the tutorial they have tabs where you can see all the materials required are, and they can order what they need easily.
Once a year they have an open house at the brick & mortar store where they auction off the free projects/tutorials for charity.
The company does well in sales, the person that dreams up these beautiful projects is compensated.
What if we as designers had more of a paid role in dreaming up fabulous projects for all these companies…..
I am really looking at what I am doing as a designer. Making samples that will hopefully catch the eyes of fabric stores to buy my patterns is getting a bit weary. I was also upset when I heard a story from a well-know designer, she was asked to teach for free at a highly regarded quilting event. The event coordinators felt she would be compensated by students buying her book and whatever else she had to sell.
The whole industry of designers need to step up and asked for fair compensation. Then this is would be one way to change up the “work for free” badge that many of us have a sign stuck to our foreheads for all to see.
And I will be the first to say this would be extremely difficult to do.
Thanks Abby for bringing it on…and great letter too!!
Abby says
The example you describe of Fusion Beads is really interesting. I like that they hire a professional to design all of their projects. That’s one model that can work well.
Nancy says
Thank you so much for your newsletter and the quality of your articles.
The previous ones on the real monetary landscape of fabric design were also information packed and very well laid out without a lot of girly blather.
As other posts mentioned regarding this article: There are lots of times that someone can get some real benefit for doing a project or design etc for free or some materials compensation (good publicity, possibility some art director or book publisher will see it so it’s like showing a portfolio piece,or just the happy encouragement of seeing one’s work out there) but eventually one needs to get paid.
The owners and few highly paid editorial staff (of magazines, card companies, home decor, and fabric companies etc)that remain after the disastrous downsizing of the last few years are compensated with real money.
If a site, a friend, or a company is struggling as they initially start up or are just going through a down time, that could be another reason to do something free for them, to help out. But well established, profitable concerns should pay in coin.
Doing free work for fellow bloggers , charities or friends is admirable and to be encouraged, but when it’s a going concern, there should be some sort of stipend or graduated fees in real money. At least I think so….
Thanks again for your newsletter.
Abby says
Thank you for sharing your insights, Nancy, and thank you for reading my newsletter. You’re right that eventually you reach a point in which it’s unsustainable to not get paid for your work.
Kerry says
Thanks for making us take a macro look at this industry. No one else bristled at the word “moms”? As in, ‘moms are happy that we throw them a bone.’ That was a strange turn of phrase. I love my kids dearly, but “mom” is not on my résumé.
Abby says
I totally did, Kerry. What does having children have anything to do with this? It’s not clear.
Beth says
As always, Abby, this was an excellent and timely article.
I have an anecdote that talks to the same issue – creatives getting paid – but not design teams specifically. I wanted to share because the ending is perfect. Please excuse the length of my comment.
Some women in my town put together a pop-up shop during the holiday last season, selling all local handmade gift items. Many local artisans jumped at the chance to be in the shop. They spent long hours filling out loads of paperwork and taking pictures and developing inventory numbers, on top of shopping for supplies, designing and making items, pricing, etc. They had no say in the merchandising or location of their items in the shop but did not have to work in the shop itself.. They were asked to spread the word, etc. The pop-up shop took 40% commission and returned all unsold items after the new year. Some people sold many items, others very few at all.
When I was discussing the pop-up shop with some of the participating artisans, many expressed disappointment but one woman responded, “I thought it was a good opportunity”. Another woman commented “Why does everyone always assume the word good belongs in front of the word opportunity? Really run your numbers for all of your time and determine whether it is a good opportunity”.
It was great advice that I try to use in my own business. We have to discern whether an opportunity is “good” based on what we want from the experience, what we can afford, where we are going, and whether this opportunity will help us get there or distract us from another better opportunity. It is the process of discerning what works for our businesses that is the real work. But it is such necessary work.
Thanks for always writing such thought provoking pieces!
Gwen says
Beth, you said what I was trying to get across in a much better way!
Abby says
That is a good anecdote. It is undeniably an opportunity, but is it a good opportunity? A great question to ask yourself.
Wendy Ward says
Thanks Abby for yet another well written post on those subjects that very few people ever want to talk about in the creative industries.
I can’t think of many other industries (other than creative ones) where a stance is so regularly taken of: you love your work, therefore why do you need to be paid for it, the pure enjoyment you get from it should be enough. I often wonder if it’s because the creative industries are so full of women and (often) we don’t like to talk about money or argue our financial worth (which is one of the many reasons I find your blog a breath of fresh air)?
There is also a never-ending stream of people ready to work for free (often those who are financially supported or who have another job which pays their way), which undermines those of us for whom this work is a profession from which we try to earn a decent living. I agree with previous commenters that occasionally it’s fine to work for free or very little when helping out a friend or a good cause, but big companies, national magazines, publishers and the like really should take designers more seriously. When was the last time a big company asked their plumber to come in and do some repairs for free?! I don’t see the difference.
I too have started saying no to anything that pays me less than I believe I’m worth and I have to say, the work hasn’t dried up since I took that approach.
Wendyx
Teresa Duryea Wong says
Abby: Another well researched post. As I read this, I was reminded of that popular quote that artists use (can’t remember the exact source) … it goes something like this…. “I have so many opportunities for ‘exposure’, I will surely die of overexposure.”
Joyce Murphy says
Should you work for free product? Yes, if this work is your hobby. No if you are in business.
There comes a time when you will walk up to this dividing line and decide to climb over the fence into the business side or stay on the hobby side. It is hard and awkward to sit the fence. I clearly remember the day I was grousing around the house bemoaning the fact that I wasn’t earning enough as an everyday tailor altering and restyling clothes and it occurred to me my clients would not pay me one penny more than what I charged so I had better raise my rates if I wanted more money.
My business attitude kicked in and I saw things differently from that day forward. This was when I was in the business of tailoring and now I am in the business of writing and teaching and I am up against the same issues and finding it more difficult to put into practice what I say below.
If you cross over to the business side you should be ready to charge fairly for your work. And I mean be fair to yourself and your family first. If you aren’t being paid for your time and the family needs the money your spouse must pick up the slack.
As a business owner it is your job to set the charges vs. the company telling you what they pay. You say to the company who wants to hire you, my services are available for “x” dollars an hour. If the company says we pay “y” (a lower rate) you decide if you are willing to lower your rate or if you will walk away. You can always decide for this particular client under this particular circumstance to not charge them, but as a business person it would be up to you to make it perfectly clear that your choice to work for them for free this time is the exception not the rule.
If you present yourself professionally and sell yourself and your skills to a company rather than accepting what they are offering, they might just raise their offer. Business people negotiate all the time. They go into it knowing they will need to demand a higher rate or they won’t get it. If you are in business it is up to you to call the shots. You take the lead.
In many cases we see men earning more. The question is are they asking for more right up front or is it just being nonchalantly offered? My guess is the ones who get what they want demand it and they take the time to sell themselves and their talents. The company responds by raising the offer. But it comes first from the business person, man or woman. The gender difference may show itself with the woman being called demanding whereas the man might be called assertive, with the choice of words subtlety discouraging women from taking a leadership role.
I speak from experience, some of it painful. I opened my tailor shop in 1979 and I’ve been in business for myself ever since.
Abby says
So today I had an interesting experience that involves working for free. My friend is a blogger and a few months ago she asked me to create a free pattern for her blog. I did it gladly, and for free.
Today, Mollie Makes magazine got in touch with me to ask whether I would rework that pattern a bit for an upcoming issue of the magazine. This job does pay, and fairly nicely, plus I really love Mollie Makes’ aesthetic. So in this instance doing free work for a friend has led to a really fun, and well-paying, freelance job.
So again, this issue is a complex one. I think the best advice is really to evaluate each opportunity separately.
Joyce Murphy says
Thanks Abby for opening up this dialog. Judging by the responses we are all glad you did. I’m thankful (it is almost Thanksgiving Day, after all) for the opportunity to be a part of this conversation and did not mean to preach or judge. I too have experienced the benefits of giving and I have benefited from the volunteer spirit of friends. “What goes around, comes around,” or so the saying goes. At the same time there is a need for women to be more self-sufficient in the work place if we want to be paid on par with others.
Congratulations on landing the lucrative free-lance job with Mollie Makes. The work for free decision did indeed turn out to be a great call!
Joyce Murphy says
One more thought here that is a part of the answer. I gave out dated marketing advice and just realized it as I woke up to start cooking on this Thanksgiving Day. Online marketing gurus recommend giving away product as a way to build trust as a first step in building a community or audience of people interested in what you have to offer. You acted on this new marketing philosophy Abby as you built a relationship with Mollie Makes magazine. What a perfect example that came straight from the heart! Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Fiona says
What an interesting article. I’ve just found your blog (through searching for how to set up patterns), and it has certainly been an eye opener. I am at a very early stage of establishing a set of patterns to sell, I.e. I have a few ideas for patterns, but am looking at to where to sell them and promote them. I naively thought it was as simple as putting a pattern together and putting it on Etsy, but it appears there’s so much more to think about! Before reading this article, I think I would have jumped at an opportunity like this and counted myself lucky to have an opportunity to work for free. Now, I would consider each opportunity separately to see how it would benefit me, rather than just jumping in.