Pernicious New Kind of Panhandlers: "Free Art, Please"
JP Kabala
You folks now me by now.
You know that I have no problem with helping people
who make reasonable requests. "Help me find something"
"Help me learn something" "Help me find the solution to
a puzzle or problem" "I don't understand. Explain it again"
Such things, if they are in my power, will always be offered freely.
But the professional Usenet panhandlers have gotten on
my last available nerve.
***Businesses*** posting messages saying "I need a logo,
but I can't afford an artist. Will you do one for free? I'll give
you a link on my website!"
or "I need a website, will you do it for me for a pat on
the back and a link?" I have seen a few dozen of
these in the graphics newsgroups over the last few weeks....
In the Photoshop groups, they are handed their heads on
a platter in very short order. I used to think it was incredibly
rude....but I'm beginning to understand that the people
who make these requests aren't just clueless, they're
insulting and manipulative. They are taking advantage of you,
and they're undermining the integrity of the art and
design professions.
And, folks, the most insidious of these are the ones who
offer you "professional experience" or a chance to "build your
portfolio." They sound so nice and reasonable when they're
being manipulative and cheap.
In business, several things are incontrovertible facts:
--Advertising and marketing materials are not "fluff" or
"extras" They are an integral part of a realistic business plan. If the
company in question has not budgeted for a logo, a website, for
stationery, business card, or flyer design, I'd be really worried
about their long-term stability and how much planning went into
the establishment of the business.
--Good logo design is a whole lot more involved than just drawing
a cool image. To be effective it has to work as a bare bones line drawing
or carved into Waterford crystal, or embroidered on a polo shirt, or reduced
to 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch on a business card. It HAS to be able to be
rendered
in vectors, at least in one version. It can be a 4-color image, but it also
has to work in grayscale and one or two colors, because
even AT&T and IBM can't afford to print every scrap of paper collateral
in 4 color process, and even if they tried, they still have to be able to
fax it.
You need to understand the cross cultural implications of colors and
symbols.
The pointing finger gesture, for example that is used in many western
ads and images, (including Artist Mike's logo-LOL) is obscene (the
equivalent
of flipping someone off) in other cultures. (of course, maybe Mike knows
that
and doesn't care. ROTFL) Now that we live in a global village sensitivity
to
such things becomes more important. Even some animals,
like owls, that western audiences view as being symbols of wisdom and
education are unspeakably sinister in other cultures. You want to use
a star as part of the design? How many points should it have 4? 5? 6?
Each one of those configurations has implications. Think I'm nuts? Ask
the folks at Proctor & Gamble what happens when your logo contains
images that are subject to misinterpretation. Ask the folks in charge
of the mascot for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics what happens if people
start laughing at your logo. (Whatizit, better known as Izzy, was
often called the Olympic Sperm in the press)
--Relying on a business which has gone under due to undercapitalization
and/or poor planning for a reference is not a good career move.
And any business which cannot afford to pay for a logo *is*
undercapitalized.
--People pay for the services they value. Your mechanic, doctor,
plumber, grocer, etc. would not do their work for a link and a pat on the
back. Neither should you. If cash is an issue, the least a **business** can
do
is offer a trade-- database design for graphic design. A shopping cart
programmed in exchange for web templates. Free advertising
space for your business for doing the layout for their flyer or mailer. Web
hosting for site design. Royalty-free stock photography in exchange for
photo retouching. Whatever THEIR skill sets or assets are that YOU can use.
For example, I have a client for whom I do a little work about once a month.
It's a small nail shop owned by a husband and wife team and cash is scarce.
I do their flyers, ads, in-shop signage, etc. Not a big job, or a lot of
work. A couple of hours or so. They do my nails for me in exchange, and
we call it even. Given that my pink and whites would be $40 twice a month
and my pedicure would be another $25 if I had them done elsewhere, for the
amount of work I do for them, everybody is happy with the deal. My time,
expertise and supplies for theirs. When I lived in Atlanta, I had a similar
trade
deal with a cleaning service.
--There are better ways to get experience and build a portfolio
than to provide unpaid services to a for-profit business who
(literally) places absolutely no value on your work, time, and skill.
If you want or need to do pro bono work, offer your help to nonprofits and
community organizations, churches, schools, charities, etc....At least
there your work will get presented to the "shakers and movers"
within the community who have the potential to help you find
real (paid) work, and, if all else fails, you can feel good about your
contribution. I'll bet there's a humane society, a senior citizen's
group, an inner-city daycare, an environmental group, or a
hospice organization near you who would love to have your help.
Please, do yourself and all the rest of us a favor and ignore these
requests. Just treat them as internet noise --like pop ups for products
you neither need nor want. As long as one student, one fledgling designer,
one
hobbyist feeds these predatory panhandlers they will continue to
pester and insult us.
Have a good day all!
Uni
> This is long, and something of a rant, but it's not OT.
>
> You folks now me by now.
Yes, we KNOW you by now; you can type :-)
Uni
lafnsu
as bad as the ones who steal other peoples work. Any business plan
presented for investment capital would be thrown in the trash without
adequate planning for advertising/marketing (and probably be the butt of
jokes in the coffee room for some time).
It happens in every industry, but I agree that giving in to the temptation
to give it away "for exposure" is bad news.
Sue
"JP Kabala" <jka...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:oZRCa.28050$rO.25...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Sally Beacham
"JP Kabala" <jka...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:oZRCa.28050$rO.25...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
month.
> It's a small nail shop owned by a husband and wife team and cash is
scarce.
> I do their flyers, ads, in-shop signage, etc. Not a big job, or a lot of
> work. A couple of hours or so. They do my nails for me in exchange, and
> we call it even. Given that my pink and whites would be $40 twice a month
> and my pedicure would be another $25 if I had them done elsewhere, for
the
> amount of work I do for them, everybody is happy with the deal. My time,
> expertise and supplies for theirs. When I lived in Atlanta, I had a
similar
> trade
> deal with a cleaning service.
My sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I get in on that deal...
Don't you truly subscribe to the theory that if everyone on the planet had a
pedicure once a month, there would be no war, poverty, pestilence or
disease? And we'd all look FINE in sandals!
/me admires her iridescent violet-burgundy with hand-painted floral design
on my big toes. I know, it's a fashion risk.
Sally
p.s. Don't do French very often, usually it's a solid colour on my
fingers... but always a different colour, change is a good thing.
JP Kabala
For close to a half dozen years now, every two weeks like
clockwork, someone does a French manicure on my hands
The sole exception is that during the month of December
they are painted a deep blue-red that is nearly burgundy.
For the nearly 10 years I lived in Atlanta, I had the same
manicurist. He was an incredible airbrush artist and
did great miniatures on my hands (pinkies only) I never
had to make an appointment or tell him what I wanted,
or needed....The guys at the office used to tease me about
my nails (I used to wear some rather outrageous nail art
back then .....(my favorites were the tromp l'oeil cameos
and the time he painted my nails to match the opal ring I wear)
and I explained that I had a man in town who held my
hand and gave me his undivided attention for an hour
and a half any time I asked him to. And all he wanted from
me was money. LOL It was so much fun watching him work.
Pedicures and massages, along with an occasional facial
are not only the secret to world peace, but they keep me from
beaning people with my cordless mouse.
"Sally Beacham" <p...@tension.you> wrote in message
news:bbh1q...@enews3.newsguy.com...
bert
news:oZRCa.28050$rO.25...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> This is long, and something of a rant, but it's not OT.
So you tell us.
> You folks now me by now.
How could we not know you. Not a PSP group that has escaped your
condescending lessons and admonitions.
JP Kabala
If you have a real e-mail address and something
specific to discuss, you are welcome to contact me privately.
I am freely accessible.
But this board has had quite enough personal sniping, TYVM.
I prefer not to feed trolls or engage in a pointless argument in
a public forum.
I would have contacted you directly to address your concerns
but you chose to post with a fictitious address.
JP Kabala
Uni
Does she yip yap in the Jasc groups, too?
:-)
Any friend of Sally's, Ron's and Porter's can't be much good.
:-)
Uni
>
Queen of Denial
thier time and expertise with "lessons", that while you may feel are
condescending, are very popular and take the time to teach a tool rather
than using canned selections, tubes etc. If you give a man a fish, you feed
him for a day, if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime. So
there is an admonition from me just so JP doesn't have to do it alone.
--
PSP Private Beta tester and all around wild woman.
PSP Art Resources
http://www.digitalartresources.com/PSP/ArtResources.htm
JP Kabala
Since I've yet to hear from "bert" I assume he's
either just annoyed because I encouraged folks to "just
say no" to people who would take advantage of them and
truly value their work--- (which is 180 degrees from
the condescension he accused me of, BTW)-- or he
was just being provocative for the fun of it. In either
case, further discussion with him here makes little sense.
He knows how to reach me if he wants to do so.
PSP users are at all skill levels. The stuff I've posted so far
is pitched somewhere in the middle of the range, and I have been
reading the Usenet groups to determine which features are most
requested and least understood. Maybe Bert knows those things
already, and, if so, my current stuff may not be appropriate for him.
If he really wants advanced stuff he'll either have to wait a
while for me to finish writing it or he can try books by
Wendy Krumpler on Digital Painting, Bert Monroy on
Photorealism, and Katrin Eisman on photo retouching.
Unfortunately, all three write about Photoshop/Illustrator/and-or
Painter on a Mac, not PSP on a PC. My personal dream is to
bring that same sort of approach to PSP8. It is a killer app
that is woefully underrepresented on the bookshelves at
Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Books a Million. To explain the
why as well as the how. To teach basic techniques that
every reader will employ in their own creative way.
But my e-mail indicates that many folks from a dozen
countries around the world have not only read and understood my
tutorials, but actually took the time to write and say thanks.
The notes from them, and you, make it all worthwhile.
"Queen of Denial" <digitalar...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:vdspft...@corp.supernews.com...
Sally Beacham
> thier time and expertise with "lessons", that while you may feel are
> condescending, are very popular and take the time to teach a tool rather
> than using canned selections, tubes etc. If you give a man a fish, you
feed
> him for a day, if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime. So
> there is an admonition from me just so JP doesn't have to do it alone.
>
The poster smacked of jealousy, but you know how I feel about anonymous
remailers who sandbag competent people - highly suspect, but not really
fooling anyone.
--
Sally Beacham / www.dizteq.com
www.lvsonline.com / PSP, Filter Frenzy, Xara X
FilterMunky / www.psppower.com
reply to sbeachamATdizteq.com
Sally Beacham
> Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tracy!
>
> Since I've yet to hear from "bert" I assume he's
> either just annoyed because I encouraged folks to "just
> say no" to people who would take advantage of them and
> truly value their work--- (which is 180 degrees from
> the condescension he accused me of, BTW)-- or he
> was just being provocative for the fun of it. In either
> case, further discussion with him here makes little sense.
> He knows how to reach me if he wants to do so.
No, bert is a jealous individual who can't seem to get enough recognition
for "his" own work. Doesn't fool anyone who's been around. Don't worry
about it, JP. "He" won't contact you, trust me.
Queen of Denial
Kerry Pierce
>>Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tracy!
I was gonna reply to the wanker, but didn't figure it was worth the time.
You know you've always got a fan in Detroit. :-)
--
My gallery of so-so photos.
http://www.pbase.com/kerrypierce/root
Uni
> "JP Kabala" <jka...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
>>>Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tracy!
>>
>
> I was gonna reply to the wanker,
Shadowfax or Kiri?
:-)
Uni
JP Kabala
Thanks.... did you see this?
http://home.earthlink.net/~jkabala/links.html
(page down)--- hug everyone there for me--
and I suppose my having to explain the meaning of "wanker" to
the ESL contingent is going to *my* shining moment of the private
beta experience? LOL Right up there with the Velveeta Elvis
and giving Jon a "stroke" about the pen tool
Hey, while I think of it, do you have any killer pansy pictures
in your archive??? The traditional dark purple and yellow kind?
Let me know.
"Kerry Pierce" <kerry...@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:3p7tdvkpsffq6r6df...@4ax.com...
Sally Beacham
> And you have one in Tampa!
> Thanks.... did you see this?
> http://home.earthlink.net/~jkabala/links.html
Sniffle. Sniffle. Sniffle.
Stop it. I have a reputation to live down to.
>
> (page down)--- hug everyone there for me--
> and I suppose my having to explain the meaning of "wanker" to
> the ESL contingent is going to *my* shining moment of the private
> beta experience?
Oh, they already know what a wanker is in here, I told one of the troll
contingent quite succintly he was one.
> LOL Right up there with the Velveeta Elvis
> and giving Jon a "stroke" about the pen tool
Heheheheheh... the Velveeta Elvis is safe, and so is the world.
Kerry Pierce
>>And you have one in Tampa!
>>Thanks.... did you see this?
>>http://home.earthlink.net/~jkabala/links.html
Haven't had much time to play on the web lately, so I hadn't seen it
until now. You're gonna ruin my reputation with that....
>>and I suppose my having to explain the meaning of "wanker" to
>>the ESL contingent is going to *my* shining moment of the private
>>beta experience?
Nah, I wrote it, I'll explain it if necessary. :-)
>>Hey, while I think of it, do you have any killer pansy pictures
>>in your archive??? The traditional dark purple and yellow kind?
>>Let me know.
ummm, I have purple and white, I think, and several others. Also have
been playing with some white carnations that I'm coloring with food dye
that have turned out a little interesting. As usual, you can have
whatever you want. I'll see if I can find a purple and yellow pansy to
shoot. Of course, I'll have to make sure that I know what a pansy looks
like.... :-)