Do to others as you would be done to

The free pitching debate has kept me amused for years.

In my previous life as commercial director of Wood and Wood Signs, I used to turn straight to your Letters page each week to see which of our graphic or interior design clients would be writing eloquently about payment for creative thinking.

The reason it amused me so much was that often those same designers would be asking us for signs to be designed, samples provided, prototype storefronts installed, way-finding reports to be produced… all for no money.

We would be told that there was nothing in the budget for this initial work, but that, as the contract would ultimately be extremely lucrative, surely we would be willing to pull our finger out and do these things for free.

Alexandra Wood

Innes Sutherland

London SW11