Thread: I love this craigslist ad!

Re: Design a Logo - You can thank me later!

Read the photo

LOL!!! I should forward this to everyone who expects me to do design work for free. It is amazing how many people expect designers to work for free. It is really really disgusting.

OMG!!! I love this!!!

Love, love, love this. I'm making my husband read this in the morning- he's a creative director and designer. It's truly amazing how many people think that they are doing him a favor by LETTING him do their website (for free, or for peanuts)- "think of the exposure!" "think of the experience!" "you can put your name on the site!"

Reminds me of all of the people who think that me dancing for their private party in their home, for their family- will be great exposure for me. Huh?

The link says its been flagged for removal :(

Yeah, I missed it too. :( But seriously, the art/design/computer ads have gotten absolutely ridiculous anymore!

Awwwww, does anyone have it and could email it to me? I REALLY wanted my husband to see it, and then I had to re-start the computer and it's gone.

Darn it! I wasn't quick enough!

Missed it too. If anyone saved it, please post it so we can all enjoy! :-D

Here's the attachment it had:
http://yoursite.xtgem.com/designer.gif

Re: Design a Logo - You can thank me later! (Getalifeville)
Date: 2010-03-09, 9:48PM EST
Reply to: gigs-f2q4q-1636857850@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

(check out the graphic) http://yoursite.xtgem.com/designer.gif

Every day, there are more and more Craigs List posts seeking "artists" for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.

But what they`re NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.

To those who are "seeking artists", let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? ...none?

More than likely, you don`t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn`t be posting on craigslist to find them.

And this is not really a surprise.

In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.

So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?

Would you offer a neurosurgeon the "opportunity" to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him "a few bucks" for "materials". What a deal!)

Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?

If you answered "yes" to ANY of the above, you`re obviously insane. If you answered "no", then kudos to you for living in the real world.

But then tell me... why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?

Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.

A few things you need to know;

1. It is not a "great opportunity" for an artist to have his work seen on your car/`zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a "great opportunity" for YOU to have their work there.

2. It is not clever to seek a "student" or "beginner" in an attempt to get work for free. It`s ignorant and insulting. They may be "students", but that does not mean they don`t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a "student" once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.

3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it`s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their "portfolio". They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It`s not compensation. It`s their right, and it`s a given.

4. Stop thinking that you`re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.

5. Students DO need "experience". But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the "experience" they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother`s house when they were seventeen?

If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.

6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to "submit work for consideration". They may even be posing as some sort of "contest". These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the "contest", or be "chosen" for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or "spec", work. It`s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit NO!SPEC.

So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are "spec" gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.

And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free... please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you`re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.

-- Anonymous from craiglist

* Location: Getalifeville
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay



PostingID: 1636857850

Now, I completely agree that everybody should be properly compensated. However, designers and illustrators are a dime a dozen on Craigslist, and it takes a lot of effort to filter through the available candidates. My husband posted an ad to hire an illustrator, for an interesting and properly paid job. He got a dozen of responses within minutes and it took him a long time to go through the responses. He was in such a strong bargaining position, he probably could have gotten the job done for a bargain basement rate. (He did not go that path.)

Originally Posted by RaqOn

So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are "spec" gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them.

And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free... please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you`re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.

-- Anonymous from craiglist

* Location: Getalifeville
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay



PostingID: 1636857850

AMEN!!!! As a designer myself, I cant tell you how many of these "opportunities" I am offered. Truth be told, designers can never charge enough for the amount of work they do.

That was awesome!

OMG. After a hellacious week of being haggled and straight-up insulted by three different prospective clients, I NEEDED to read this. Right on.

Originally Posted by RaqOn

There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.

There are more of them because computers are everywhere.

I got taken advantage of last night to the tune of 5 hours and 1:30 a.m. this morning. That crap will not happen again.

Another casual friend bald-facedly asked me for copies of every bellydance DVD I had, and I've got several dozen. No matter that you're not supposed to be doing that anyway, but to ask somebody for their entire collection that they spent $100s on and you want it free is just blatantly obnoxious. Even my closest friend of years and years now has has never asked for anything like that.

That is a great ad, and it is funny how often your friends and sometimes people who aren't your friends ask you to dance at their party, fashion show, hair show etc. All to the tune of oh you can hand out your fliers and get other business. When i first started dancing i would do it... then i learned that people do not appreciate what they got for free. It is a very important lesson to learn... and all of those potential students and business attendees never called i don't think a near one even when they said... "oooh i want to learn how to do that where do you teach" so i do not do it anymore.