Charity clients profit from reliable relationships

Dick Powell’s notion (Letters, DW 13 May) that design work undertaken for charitable organisations should automatically be done for free or at a reduced cost concerns me. Our company specialises in design for the charity and not-for-profit sector, so this suggestion would send us out of business.

The concept of free-pitching, whether undertaken for charities or corporate clients is unethical. How can clients be expected to respect design when it is so readily given away for free?

We’ve tried to educate our clients that design should be a valued resource – to offer this service for free undermines this concept and the design industry in general.

We strongly believe in respect, honesty and relationship building. Our company has succeeded as we have specialist understanding of the charity sector, the financial constraints and audience of this market. I’m sure all our charity clients would rather develop a reliable relationship with a consultancy such as ours than have one-off projects completed for free by different designers each time.

In this type of relationship, how long is it going to be before a consultancy doing work for free will turn down a charity project because a more financially rewarding job comes up?

Perhaps some design consultancies salve their consciences doing free work for charities?

I am sorry to say that there will always be consultancies that will do work for nothing. However, I believe our clients appreciate that our creativity, knowledge and dedication to the charity sector, as well as our ethics, are something worth paying for.

Holly Dyer

Partner

Bananadesign

London N5