Posted by 16toads in • 16toads Design • Opinion • Business • Issues
Posted on 11/20/08 at 09:47 AM • (3) Comments • Forum Discussion

Turning over source files as a "bonus" is bad business and it winds up making it more difficult for all independents.

The expectation that freelancers and small firms WILL include source files for ALL jobs is one that is becoming pervasive in the industry as a result of freelancers and small firms believing that "the more we give this client, the more likely we will retain them as a client". Nothing could be further from the truth.

• When you order a meal at a restaurant, you don't automatically have a right to the recipe. 
• When you purchase an photographic print, you don't become owner of the negative. 
• When you purchase a dress from Versace, you don't get the dress pattern as a "bonus".

Why should independent creatives and small design studios be held to a different standard?

You are NOT holding a client hostage by retaining your legal rights as creator of the source material. You are protecting the integrity of the designs you created and you are protecting your methods of working (your trade secrets). This is just good business. 

Clients will always want "everything" for nothing. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all professionals to educate clients about our business and to establish standards that don't make it harder for small creative firms and independents to operate.  Turning over source files as a "bonus" is bad business and it winds up making it more difficult for all independents.

If a client "expects" to be given something for free, you probably don't want to work with them again anyway. Once that rock starts rolling downhill, you will not be able to stop it. Does this mean that you should protect every source file you create? Not at all, but understanding how the materials are being used is one of the methods by which professional creatives estimate and ultimately invoice for work.  If you are not considering how and where a creative asset [that you create] is being used by the client, you are short-changing yourself, your business, and the industry. Not every project is a flat fee assignment. Not every logo ends it's life on stationary.

How then do you retain a client?
Simple. Always do fabulous work, provide top-notch service, and treat your clients with respect. Not only does this approach allow you to retain your creative and professional integrity, but this is also how you remain a "go-to" designer.