Doing Free Design Work During COVID-19? Read These 12 Vital Points First!
2020 has been quite the year! There has been so much happening, with COVID-19 being just one of the prominent things on most people’s minds. It has completely upended the way that we work, and likely will greatly impact the way we will continue to work.
During these crazy times, companies have gone out of business, employees have been left unemployed, and there are many contractors struggling to find clients who can actually still afford to hire them.
So it really begs the question:
Should you be doing pro-Bono design work right now?
There are many considerations to think about before you commit your valuable skills and time for free. Let’s jump right in, and take a closer look at them!
1. Affordability
Can you afford to work for free? Unfortunately, this is not a privilege that everyone has. You might need to continue working your day job while you do free work to gain experience or skills, or maybe you’re lucky enough to have other means to support yourself?
Whatever your financial situation, it’s going to be a massive factor in whether you can accept unpaid work or not. Ultimately, the decision is yours.
2. Your Value
Do you know the value of what you do? You probably have a pretty good idea of what other designers are making with your skillset and experience. Designers are extremely valuable, so if companies start soliciting you to work for free, they might see you as less valuable because you’re willing to do free work for the sake of exposure and experience.
Sure, they might consider you for a paid project in the future, but will they still be willing to pay you what you are truly worth if you’ve already shown them you’ll willingly work for nothing? It’s something to consider.
3. Exposure
Will you gain any valuable exposure from this free work? There are a couple of things you can think about to help work out the value the free gig could have for you in your current situation.
Are they going to mention you anywhere? Will they write a blog where they drop your name, mention you on their website, or will they put your name in tiny font somewhere that no-one will ever see?
Find out about the audience your work will be shown to — the smaller the following, the less the exposure for you; the larger their following, the more exposure. If the company has amassed a considerable following and has the funds to pay you for your time, question why they are asking you to work for free. Companies that do this are taking advantage of junior designers, so think carefully about what you need and don’t be afraid to question them.
4. Non-Disclosure Agreements
What happens if you agree to work for free, and then you’re asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA)? How you react to this situation will differ based on the perceived benefits you were looking for from doing the work.
If you were looking for exposure, that rug has just been swept out from under your feet. No longer will you be able to add the work you’re doing to your portfolio, but it may also be time to reconsider your decision to work for free.
Before entering into any work agreement, whether it be a pro-Bono or paid project, make sure that the company will allow you to share insights and takeaways from the project in future interviews. If the company requires you to sign an NDA, note that this removes the ability to openly showcase your designs on your portfolio or website. Keep in mind that having solid case studies on real-world projects might be more valuable than the experience or exposure you might get otherwise.
5. Experience
If you are in a position where “lack of experience” is one of your main barriers to securing a paid role when applying for opportunities, then the hands-on experience could actually end up being extremely valuable to you in the future.
Taking on this free gig could be that bit of experience nervous hiring managers need so they can see that you’ve rolled up your sleeves, and can ultimately do the work you’re applying for.
Make sure the experience you’re getting from this free role is directly relevant to the work you’ll want to do as a full-time designer. If the work you’re doing is busy work or doesn’t allow you to apply what you’ve learned from your course or Bootcamp, it’s time to consider whether free work is worth your while.
6. Time
It’s important to not overcommit yourself, especially when you have other obligations. When you are discussing the prospect of working for free, make sure you include specific stipulations around the amount of time you can give to them.
If you don’t set limits in the very beginning, you could end up getting asked for more and more. You don’t want to end up in a situation where a small project you started on has snowballed into a massive undertaking with no end in sight.
7. The Organization You Work For
The nature of the organization asking you to work for free is a massive consideration. If you feel that giving back to your community is important and you want to do pro-Bono work for a small local store or non-profit, then absolutely go for it!
However, if you're not really that invested in the cause, then maybe see if there are other opportunities more aligned with your own values and goals first.
Are they able to provide a reference for all the work you do for them? Can they speak to how your contributions improved their website or mobile application? Make sure to consider whether the organization you decide to work for can help you springboard into your next role.
8. Network
Closely related to the last point around selectively choosing your organization, ask yourself whether taking on free work will give you access to a network of others that can vouch for the work you do.
Will you be building your current network by committing to this work? Networking is so valuable, and many designers have landed new jobs or contracts through connections in their network.
Having a large network means you’ll be more likely to find out about less highly-advertised positions. Not all companies will spend money listing their openings on all of the major job boards, so keep your eye out for people in your network looking to refer new designers to open positions at their companies.
9. Resume Gaps
If you’ve been laid off or furloughed during COVID-19, and have been struggling to find a new job, taking on some free work could have the benefit of keeping your resume and work experience from looking patchy or sporadic.
Large gaps in unemployment can often be looked at negatively by recruiters and hiring managers, even though there could be personal or justified reasons for them.
Showing potential employers that you’re still an active designer and you’re not out of the loop on the latest design trends, knowledge, and tools is very important.
10. Hurting The Profession
If too many businesses think that they can just ask a designer to work for free/exposure/experience rather than pay them a fair salary, can it eventually hurt the whole industry? Many would argue yes.
Once that small business you’ve helped grow becomes large enough to hire a design team, will they value the designers enough to pay them fairly, or just offer the lowest they can get away with?
In addition, across the industry, if companies are hiring designers for free, how will companies perceive this trend? Will other companies also expect to be able to hire designers for free? By taking on free work, in a way, you’re helping the industry devalue the work designers do and normalize not paying people for their time.
11. Job Title
Are you able to negotiate a job title that will look good on your resume? Being called an intern or volunteer might not have as much impact as a fully-fledged designer title.
Since you’ll be working for free, you should try to get as many benefits from the situation as you can. A reasonable title is something that you should easily be able to negotiate.
12. Mentorship
If a company approached you and asked you to work for free as an “intern” where you can learn from senior designers and gain a ton of valuable learning, that’s great. Make sure the company you decide to work for has mentors you can learn from; do your due diligence
Beware of “fake internships”, where you will be the only designer doing all the work, whilst being called an “intern”. If you're doing all the work, you’re the designer. It’s as simple as that.
Internships should be a structured experience where you work with a professional from the industry who can help you develop your skills and knowledge. Companies that seek out unpaid interns to work on a revenue-generating product for free is an unethical and immoral business practice that should be frowned upon.
So, Should You Take Free Work?
Ultimately, the decision to work for free is yours. The 12 considerations above are merely just guidelines and suggestions on whether it’s worth it to take on free work. Especially during this time, where everyone is looking for work, make sure the positives you can take away from this opportunity are enough to outweigh the bad. Although not everyone has this luxury, working for money is just one of the facets you should consider, although it is an important one.
If you want to learn how other job-seeking Bootcamp graduates and designers are finding paid work and gaining experience for their time, sign up for The Handoff’s newsletter. Each week, we send out tips and tricks to get you closer to that first UI/UX job.
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