To give away creative work is to give away all

I want to support David Gregory’s views on free-pitching as expressed in his letter (Letters, DW, 1 May).

As a member of the Design Business Association, Needhams endorses the DBA’s view that to give away creative work is to give away all. In any case, the best work stems from teamwork resulting from a firm commitment by both the client and the design company.

Even so, I find that major City companies still seek a free pitch because there is “nothing in the budget” to pay for it.

When taking a brief, I always ask if a free pitch is expected.

Yet, having prepared a thoughtful proposal, Needhams often finds that, despite assurances that a free pitch is not expected, the job is placed with one of our competitors because “we could see what they would do”.

Last year, one major railway company told us we were unprofessional because we didn’t do a free pitch. They still expect free pitches.

Where do we go from here?

Sheila J Needham

Managing director

Needhams Design & Print

Rivington Street

London EC2