I former student of mine contact me on Linked In Recently. She was asking if I’ve ever had a client ask to not be put into their portfolio. This is scary for an artist/designer. It’s YOUR work, YOUR portfolio… but it’s also THEIR work, THEIR image.
While this isn’t common, it’s not uncommon either. Let me show you a couple of examples, and how it can help you make a decision on whether you want to work for that company or not.
I’ve also seen this explode, where a large project that was worked on by 4 or 5 people was taken credit by a single person. When they couldn’t perform, the second company thought ill of the first company. Unfair, yes, but it happens, and needs to be protected against.
A Tale of Two Companies
Some companies are like that. In Central Florida we have several major theme park companies. One of them (name not mentioned to protect the guilty) is known for not allowing people to use anything they did in their portfolio, whether it is as an employee for freelance work. This includes not only the theme park, but also related properties like hotels the own/run, and merchandise etc. So if you worked in for them in their Marketing, creative, or other departments, you couldn’t show others your work. Rumor has it, they don’t want artist/digital media people to have their own websites or do freelance work.
However, I had a student that worked for (another company) as a traditional artist. He had designed a couple of billboards while working for them. In his portfolio he had these images from the billboards, and along with them was a signed letter stating what he worked on, that he created the artwork shown, and what his role in the team was. The letter was signed off my his manager. The letter was like gold to both him, and a future hiring art director/manager. It showed that the work wasn’t a “fan” piece, it was professional work of well-known characters.
My Experience
While I’ve personally not had a freelance client say that, I’ve talked to employers who have said things like they don’t want work to show up online. I have also had a project that was under NDA, so I couldn’t put it in my portfolio until after it was publicly released. But most of my work has been open so I could show it to who ever, and when ever I wanted to.
The Value to You
You have to ask yourself what the trade-off is. Is working for the name itself going to help you? In the earlier examples, everyone in town, and in most cases the country, would know those names. They are very largely known for movies, theme parks, and more. Maybe being able to say you worked for them, and discussing what you did will be enough. Maybe it won’t. You have to ask yourself this.
Will you meet good contacts? Learn new things?Especially early on in your career, there are still lots of things to learn, and people to meet. Knowing the right people can really help you excel in your career later on. If you’ve been in your career 2 years it’s different than if you’ve been in your career 20 years. So ask yourself, will you get more out of working there than what you might get for a few portfolio pieces years later?
Of course, if you are looking at what will you be getting out of it, don’t forget pay. Will you be paid enough to make up for not having additional portfolio pieces, which can help you get your next job/more freelance work?
When working for an employer/client you need to think long-term, 5 to 10 years, not just this paycheck.
For myself it depends. Will I find this work fun, will it be worthwhile, will I like working with these people/company etc. This is especially true since I have a full-time job and freelance. Since I have something that pays the bills, my freelance is more “fun money” for me, so I look at enjoyable work, and focus on the short-term. When I look at long-term work, I focus more on other aspects, like portfolio, and 5 to 10 year goals.
Of course you have to make your own mind up as to which you want to do. What you do if you are out of work, and need to make rent may dictate differently compared to when you are just looking to freelance, or for a new job, while you still have a job.
What if a client ask you not to use their work in your portfolio? was originally found on Access 2 Learn
