news & events

Johnny Morgan talks to SCDF Coastal West Sussex committee member and Mint d4b founder Kate Honey about the growing issue of free pitching.

Being asked to provide pitches (and design work) for free as part of the tender process for commissions is, much to the annoyance of designers, becoming an increasingly common request.

However, a recent collaboration by a group of designers in the Worthing area, including SCDF Coastal West Sussex committee member Kate Honey, managed to convince one client that this is not an acceptable way to treat experienced designers.

When a council-related community interest company on the south coast asked local designers to provide a free pitch for a major advertising campaign, the designers in question got together to present a united front in opposition to this approach.

Kate Honey from Mint d4b, one of the designers contacted about the pitch, explains what happened: "The company sent out a brief asking for an expression of interest in and a concept for a banner/poster campaign to appear at a major train station. Basically, they were asking for the design [for free]".

She continues: "This prompted a flurry of emails between the designers about how unprofessional and unfair the brief was and about the need for a no-free-pitch policy. A collective email was sent and after a few days we got a reply from the company apologising for any uneasiness and insult caused."

She recounts how the camaraderie between the designers impressed and inspired her: "What was remarkable was the collaboration. A reason a lot of people don't turn up for the SCDF networking meetings is that they hold their cards close to their chests and don't want to be in competition, but collaborating is to be encouraged".

Collaboration is something that the SCDF is keen to promote and, as this experience shows, it can have a satisfying outcome for the design industry, and raise the status of design among potential clients.

If you have any examples of designers working together in the local area to change people's perception of design, increase the industry's profile or create something extra special, please get in touch. We would be happy to put any interesting stories on the website.

Johnny Morgan
Journalist and Copywriter
www.wordstuff.co.uk
hello@wordstuff.co.uk