The Difference between designing for free and designing for free

Ok, anyone who has is known who is known as ‘a designer’ in any social circle has been asked to do design work for free. You may have sewn your own skirt, once, and then be asked to design and make someones wedding dress for free? Or maybe you made some flyers for your band two years ago so you are asked to design and build a website, but you will get a share of the google adsense income (read free).
Often people think you design for fun (which is often true) and so do not value your time in the same way they would value that of an accountant, lawyer or pastry chef.

David Thorne has posted what is possibly the funniest correspondence between a ‘client’ trying to get free design work and a ‘designer’ telling them no, in the most beautiful way…

But, David’s website of hilarious stories and correspondence I assume he does do for free, with the freedom to leverage his readership into social and financial capital. For instance you can read of how he tried to settle an overdue a debt he had by sending them a drawing of a seven legged spider, sure it did not work but now he is selling t-shirts and mugs of the seven legged spider drawing and has (hopefully) made way more than the of $233.95 he owed. Also interestingly he is using CafePressâ„¢ to sell his merchandise including his book The Internet is a Playground…

An interesting example of empowerment through micro manufacturing and free design…..

Thank you David and thank you Core77