So, as if being asked to produce design work for free by a prospective client wasn't bad enough, it now appears that we're giving it away without even being asked!
On at least two occasions in the past few months, following credentials pitches, we've been selected (on the basis of our track record and portfolio of work) to submit a fully costed design proposal. Now, we put a lot of time and effort in to these documents. There're crucial, as they form the basis on which the whole project will be conducted.
On one occasion, having been assured by the prospective client that 'don't worry guys you've definitely got the job' we discover a week later that the contract had in fact been awarded to another Cardiff agency. Why? Well, they'd not only submitted their proposal, but also threw in some design concepts for free too, without even being asked!
A couple of months later the same thing happened, the same agency being the culprit.
Clearly the 'client' has a choice at this point, go with the 'design work' you have in front of you if you think you can work with it. Or start with a blank sheet of paper and an agency you may never have worked with before and take a step into the unknown.
I've since seen the result of one of these particular incidents. All I can say is, I think the commissioning company have sold themselves short. They've missed a superb opportunity to create an intelligent, meaningful response founded on a good, solid understanding of the market and their competitors. They've forfeited the chance of moving forward and adopting a solution that could really set them apart from their competitors and instead have be seduced by nothing more that a 'pretty picture'. More importantly, they've left to chance the possibility of earning themselves a very healthy return on their investment.
I despair at times! It seems to me that there are a whole raft of design companies out there that need to act more responsibly and professionally.
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