Queen’s Golden Jubilee should have design budget

Reading Mark Elgar’s comments about the Queen’s Golden Jubilee logo: Does free design also have to be dull design – of course not (Opinion, DW 12 July). But should people decide to give away their skills, it is entirely up them how much effort they put into it.

The problem comes from perception: Nicholas Jenkins Design decided to give away its time on the project presumably as a gesture. Good design invariably takes time and that means money. How much ‘free time’ can you put towards something when you still have to pay your staff to do the work? And now we are criticising Nicholas Jenkins Design for something that cost it money, not the client.

It is a shame that perhaps the graphic doesn’t meet expectations, but at the same time why was it done for free? If the Queen’s Golden Jubilee is such a big deal shouldn’t there be a budget for letting people know about it.

We all have staff to pay and that means that we have to charge for the work that we do – work provided gratis as a ‘charitable gesture’ is entirely up to the individual, as is how much effort he puts in.

It is only to be expected that if you do something for free it is not going to have much thought, creativity and passion (the usual argument against free pitching). Commercial reality versus good will – tough decision.

Max Eaglen

Partner

MED

max@med.co.UK