Value

Just one little observation I've noticed over the time I've been doing design as a profession..

Would you ask your dentist friend to do free extraction/whitening/braces for you?
No.
Why?
Because it's his profession.

Would you ask your doctor friend to operate on you for free and tell him you don't have the budget to pay for the fees but you're giving him exposure and experience anyway, so that's totally okay.
No, you wouldn't.

You understand the value in his work, and so you know its only right if you pay for his time and skills.
After all, you only pay for things that you think have a value.

So.. why would you think that its normal and fine to ask a graphic design to design your 'simple' collaterals for free?

'Oh you can just whip up a design in 10 mins, if I pay you $150 for it then won't you be cheating me off my money?'

Sure I could whip up a design in 10 mins, and a lawyer can send you his bill for 10 mins of his time.
What makes you think my 10 mins doesn't deserve a proper payment and the lawyer's does?

The thing that just irks me is the level of respect they give to good design and to designers.

If designing is that easy and deserves such a low budget, then why don't you save the money and do it yourself on Microsoft Word?

Because you know it is harder than it looks.

Way harder.

Designing involves a whole lot of planning, practice, concepts, late nights, deadlines, colour and type customization, time, and software proficiency.

So why would you, in the first place, want to approach a graphic designer to do your collaterals and what not?
Because you know the importance of a well-designed campaign.
Because humans are visual creatures, and because before you can even sell your products, your designs will represent you first.

So why aren't you willing to set aside some money if you understand its importance?

Angst-y designer rant aside, as I have this certain skill set in my hands, I definitely wouldn't mind helping a friend out if I really believe in their products/ideas.. but to those people who are just looking to get a free bargain or value deal because they don't value the work of a designer, then please don't waste your time cos I ain't running no charity organisation.