Free-pitching is still going on, but it is not condoned

I write in reference to Pure by Design winning the Lee Stafford packaging job by an unpaid creative pitch (News, DW 4 October).

I hope that by publishing such an event doesn’t mean Design Week condones free-pitching as a means of business creation for designers. It would make Marcello Minale turn in his grave if, after the amount of effort he put into his No Free Pitch campaign, we end up working for nothing because everyone else is.

Let’s educate our clients to appreciate that good design isn’t a flippant commodity and in this way we can truly call ourselves professionals and be respected in the marketplace as professionals worthy of being paid for our ideas.

I hope UK designers don’t start the ball rolling around the world, as then we’ll all operate like architects and our fees will go up and we’ll have to wear black.

Dan Pike

Peter Lynch Design

Brisbane, Australia

dan@peterlynchdesign.com

We don’t condone free-pitching and remember Marcello Minale and his passionate campaign with deep affection – Ed