Received a question via email about stocking your portfolio with work you did for an employer. If your employment contract had no clauses prohibiting it or you signed no waivers, can you include graphic design work that you did as an employee in your portfolio (say for changing jobs or going freelance) without getting permission from your employer?
What's been your own experience? Should you ask first? Does it depend on the type of work? I would think that, barring any blanket prohibitions, you should still seek permission for internal materials -- such as employee handbooks -- not meant for the general public. Whereas, ad work and marketing materials are OK.
Share your thoughts, opinions, and experiences.
No, you cannot use work that you did for an employer. How stupid do you have to be to not know that??! You get paid to do some work, you do not own it, it belongs to your EMPLOYER. There is no QUESTION about that. You own NOTHING that you got paid to create. Unless you get written permission to use something in your portfolio, you simply do NOT use it. End of story. Gee, if you are gonna claim you are a writer, at least do your homework or admit you are a ‘web writer’ as a hobby.
Wow, leaving a comment so utterly lacking in decorum as you bash and insult someone about decorum is pretty hypocritical, Tante. Forums like this are for people to get answers and support. If you have neither, perhaps another forum would be more to your taste.
As to the actual question, every employer I’ve had has always told me to be sure to take samples (printed or electronically) of work I’ve done for my portfolio. If the information is not proprietary, many employers are most often supportive of designers doing so. If you are unsure, I would definitely ask.
Tante, are you employed as a designer currently? If so, what did you use to apply for your job? I’m curious about where you got your information. I can understand using self-promotion pieces or things you created for college classes for entry-level positions, but in my experience, unless you are applying for an entry-level position, most employers want to see proof of your experience. Proof, of course, being examples of your work for other companies, such as tearsheets, packages, print proofs, photos, and so on.
I’ve been working as a full-time graphic designer since 1992, and I do freelance illustration on the side as well; in any interview I’ve been on, potential employers have always asked to see work from previous jobs. It is especially important to bring samples of work done if you are applying for something other than entry level, such as a senior designer or art director. At least, that’s been my experience in Philadelphia and New York.
Of course, if your work contains sensitive information, it’s definitely a good idea not to include it, and it is helpful to ask first about any materials if you have questions, but in my experience (as an employee and as someone who has been involved in interviewing others), providing examples of work done for other companies helps a potential employer see what you can do, and also serves as proof that you actually worked for the companies listed on your résumé.
I would think that the main concern to the past employer would be whether the material would be re-published or re-sold, which of course would be wrong – the past employers own the USAGE RIGHTS of such works. But merely showing a prospective employer these works in a portfolio does NOT constitute re-publication or re-sale, and is, in fact, crucial to (and usually comprises the bulk of) most professional artists’ portfolios because it’s the best way to show the prospective employer your style and what sort of work you do. In the portfolio, these pieces serve to help you to sell YOURSELF and your skills, and the employer is evaluating you to hire you for what you WILL do, not for what you already have done for someone else.
Naturally, if you are not sure and are really waffling about it, just ASK the past employer if it’s ok to include the work in your portfolio, but in most cases, unless a non-disclosure agreement was signed, it should be fine.
*cough* I get the distinct impression that either “someone” misunderstood the question, or else has no in-the-field experience yet. It’s a pity that sometimes people fail to “do their homework” before they go spouting tactless nonsense in such a dazzlingly ignorant and unprofessional manner.
I realize this question and the responses were put up over a year ago, but I’ll ask my related question anyway:
If I write an original article for an employer’s edit test, can I keep that article for use in my writing portfolio?
To Alison and others interested… here’s my answer (and hopefully others will chime in) on the writing portfolio question.