Quick thoughts on doing “free work”

This but also this for some clients that pay far below your usual rates. Mostly no. Sometimes yes and it makes you. I had a HUGE brand project earlier this year that went super mega viral and they put 100x the spend in what they paid me into boosting it and it had the most insane outcome I’ve ever seen for a client. I was vastly underpaid but I don’t have any regrets because it basically “made me” as a filmmaker and I launched an agency from it. But you gotta know when to hold and when to fold with rates.

great video, agree with everything wholeheartedly. doing free work and working for free are often very different things.

thanks man. i like how you phrased that "doing free work" vs "working for free." going to use that!

Eloquently put, Dann, and I absolutely agree. Do free work only out of a personal choice, and only when you control the path which that piece of work takes. If that path is in someone else's hands, chances are you've wasted hours and potential.

"when you control the path" i love that.

Totally agree here Dann. I’ve got similar stories especially from my starting out days. Part of it brought me great projects, or put me in a stronger positions that’s played a part in the puzzle to where I am today. Also 100% with you on free work for yourself as part of continued learning and self development. It’s not for everyone, and if you do that be careful for burnout.

Glad to see you bring up the burnout part. So true and something to be aware of.

It’s only because I’m going through one 😔 I’m getting better though. Just slowly.

It's so hard to get of man. Thankfully for us we can do side projects and things for fun to help. I found doing things like making medals for a baseball team and custom engraved bats, things I'd usually never do, helped spark the creativity again. Just needed something diff.

@mrblackstudio Beauty. I’ve been slowly building an art studio for Mrs smith. Bought power tools and now have 6 ways to remove my fingers.

@DannPetty Hey at least you’re having fun and working towards something. Just try to keep your thumbs. They’re important.

I did free work a couple of times. It was mainly logos and design work for some of my friends who decided to open a business or had an idea for an app. They wanted to pay me I refused.

sometimes the payment is just feeling good and helping others get on their feet.

It genuinely feels good, I designed this badge in 2020 for a trucker friend of mine and he was so happy with it, still in use.

🤝

What a interesting point of view! So helpful for me that I'm just in my 4th year into design. Thanks for sharing Dann! 🙌

let's go!

Valuable insight! Thank you Dann

Dann we are missing you! You are wise words always help the design community!

The whole concept of “you’re working for ‘free’ but in reality the work is for you, not the client” is the best analogy to explain this. Couldn’t agree with you more.

As always the best guy on design twitter to simplify matters & state points much love Dann < 3 couldn't have said it any better!

I’ve done plenty of work for free. I’ve also said no to doing work for free. It’s extremely nuanced, and as you said, context is important. There isn’t a one size fits all solution

My take on free work is full creative freedom.

Man I've recently sent almost more than 5-6 companies cold emails with their revamped website but I still haven't got any replies from them 😭 Guess the competition is too high in web design market 🥲

Love this. I think doing a vid was necessary, often people misinterpret the tone in which stuff is said.

so true! my personality gets misread a lot in text.

Eyes Chico , they never lie :)

Thank you for posting these typa things

I agree with almost everything you said. Please tell us what gear you used to record the video, it's very high quality.

just iPhone 17 selfie cam

😳 amazed at the quality

The answer, which has worked for me at least, is: I create free work only to showcase my abilities, and when I do it. I choose what kind of free work to do to demonstrate what I'm capable of. However, if a company comes to me asking for free work so THEY can see or be sure how good a designer I am, then I don't do it. I think what I'm saying is very similar to what Dann is saying

Well said, Dann, and that's how FREE Work should be 🫡

Thank you, Dann!

Thanks for explaining the context Dann.

Thanks Shane. Still so many other contexts to consider but already felt like I was rambling.

When Sensei speaks, listen. 👏👏👏

I agree. But one thing often overlooked in the “company asking for free work” discussion is how certain kinds of value are being commoditized at the edge of technology. i.e. when a company asks you to write or debug some code live during an interview using the latest tools, it’s usually to gauge your familiarity with them, especially if those tools are core to their projects. Some developers push back, saying “I won’t do that for free, that code is worth $X”. But in *some* cases, the actual code is now so quick and easy to produce that its standalone "price" has dropped sharply. What’s truly valuable is demonstrating that you understand this shift and can use these tools effectively. One could argue the same about *some* design stuff.

makes sense! The work for yourself is more of a personal brand development that pays dividends in the future. It builds that awareness for potential clients that's worth paying for. If anything, doing personal work has higher value than working on low paying jobs in the long run.

if playboi carti asks me for free work i will 100% do it.

If you're just starting out, you should definitely do free works. I'd say it's better than "passion projects" because it involves real people.

Thank you, sir 🙏

I agree with you on dream brands - I would work with some out of pure enjoyment. We took the free work approach, maybe to (literal) or, I don't know, (fiercely?) at the beginning of our journey. It was a good lesson and helped with the portfolio but I would recommend caution with this. Thanks, Dann.

WHo's Burton?

In a sea of “hype” you just talk real things. Cool!

Always love hearing/reading your take on anything design related Dann, you're a treasure!

I’m doing 2 rn just to add to my portfolio and hopefully the companies I did them for like them

Adults talking. Thanks

Well said man! I rarely ever give a piece of art to anyone for free but there have been times I’ve sent work to companies or collectors I’m a fan of and it later materialized into cooler projects.