DBA slams consultancy’s free design day
Share
Digital consultancy NS Design is offering its services for free for one day next month, in a move the Design Business Association has condemned as ‘damaging to the industry as a whole’.
NS Design business development manager Kenny Roy explains that the scheme will allow ‘existing or prospective clients looking for design advice or information on how to set up a blog or apply search engine optimisation to their website to forward their queries to us. We will pick them at random and work our way through them’.
Taking place on the 19 December, the day has been organised ‘in the spirit of fun, to spread some festive cheer’, says Roy.
But DBA president Nick Ramshaw says, ‘Free pitching is bad enough, but at least it means that someone has a small chance of winning a significant job. Designers have given their expertise for too little for too long.’
Roy defends NS Design’s position, saying that it will not do any ‘serious’ design work that day.
‘We won’t have time to do pro bono designs for everyone that calls in - the day is just about giving advice for free in the season of goodwill.’
View results 10 per page | 20 per page
Readers' comments (13)
David Carter | Thu, 27 Nov 2008 1:04 pm
DBA's attitude seems very short sighted. Surely there are many potential clients out there who still don't see the benefits of design, or of using professionals to deliver it. Anything that raises awareness is surely beneficial to all and likely to generate more business for design companies as a whole.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Kevin Quigley | Thu, 27 Nov 2008 1:18 pm
What's the big deal? Why are the DBA getting their knickers in a twist over this? One day at Christmas? Let's be honest here shall we. Every design company does this - do we charge for every single minute of time we work on a job? No. This is just a promotional activity.
If the DBA wants to take on real issues I suggest they look at how the HE sector is offering design services for free to SMEs across the UK and how the smaller design companies are losing out. Or how the UK business support network seems to ignore the small design companies in preference to the larger ones or those linked to universities. Those are issues worth getting concerned about for many designers.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Christian Stanley, Crumpled Dog Design | Thu, 27 Nov 2008 1:23 pm
Got the desired publicity didn't it...
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Denise Turner | Thu, 27 Nov 2008 2:58 pm
The DBA has to wake up, get off its pedestal and realise that there is a credit crunch on. This is a top way of the agency in question of getting highly cost-effective profile raising coverage for itself; and of hopefully winning some business for itself.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Tony Dunworth | Thu, 27 Nov 2008 3:24 pm
Come on. What are we all scared of here? Giving advice for free?
This is clearly a promotional exercise aimed at drumming up new business. Nothing more sinister than that.
I think this is an over reaction on the part of the DBA. NS Design are obviously offering their time to talk and discuss creative ideas, something we all have to do in order to drum up new business.
Embracing these type of questions can only be a positive thing in building constructive and creative relationships with clients, something that most tendering processes are making virtually impossible.
Our doors are always open to offer our advice. Who knows. We might get a job out of it?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
malcolm | Thu, 27 Nov 2008 3:33 pm
I think the free day is a great idea.
For NSDesign it will perhaps draw more clients in, and for those that haven't use a consultant it might just get them stared.
Design Business Association should be ashamed of this criticism. I carried out a day of free design work on a health related job last year and it lead to several thousand pounds worth of work. I see it as a good practice if the company can spare the time.
Sometimes innovation and kindness is rewarded. :-)
Kind Regards
Malcolm Lindsay
Mozie Ltd
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
malcolm | Thu, 27 Nov 2008 3:35 pm
I think the free day is a great idea.
For NSDesign it will perhaps draw more clients in, and for those that haven't used a consultant it might just get them started.
Design Business Association should be ashamed of this criticism. I carried out a day of free design work on a health related job last year and it lead to several thousand pounds worth of work. I see it as a good practice if the company can spare the time.
Sometimes innovation and kindness is rewarded. :-)
Kind Regards
Malcolm Lindsay
Mozie Ltd
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Ellora | Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:46 am
Do you see Lawyers, Doctors giving their services away for free to promote their talent? No and that is because they don't need to justify their skill and value. We must not undervalue the service the design industry can offer with free service days, when will we realise that all the hard work to grow recognition around our business through intelligent research and reasoning is put to waste when someone turns round and offers it for free.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Rakesh Davda | Sun, 30 Nov 2008 8:11 pm
consultants have to give away time and free advice all the time - all to get in more work!
its a great move from nsdesign as small businesses need good free advice to get them moving in the right direction. from my experience, those that give a little away at the start are always remembered when the time comes to spend. great idea and great publicity for the day.
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
iamduncan.com | Tue, 2 Dec 2008 1:25 am
Anyone else think it'd be interesting if they measured how much new business they get as a result of the DBA's outrage, and this write up?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment