Explore how and why (or why not) to give away your design and desktop publishing services. Whether you are just starting out and need to build a portfolio or you're an established designer who wants to expand your skills, doing work for free or drastically reduced rates may be the ticket to your success.
Sometimes giving away your work, time, and expertise can lead to paying work.
What's so bad about speculative work? They'll provide you with an earful or eyeful here.
Is the trendiness found in pro bono work affecting (or infecting) corporate design? This article by graphic designer Paul Rand addresses this issue and other design fads, missteps, and modern obsessions.
One is usually a no-no but the other can be a good thing when done wisely.
The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario provides this set of guidelines for designers.
Read a letter that was sent by the executive director of The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (RGD Ontario) to the editor of Marketing magazine, regarding spec work.
By Clare Ultimo and originally published in 1994. It provides a nice outline of what to expect when working with a non-profit organization on pro bono work.
WeWorkForFree is a design community aimed at raising money for programs benefiting global programs.
This job search engine turns up a listing of all kinds of pro bono jobs, including graphic design and web design work.
From John Clemmer. "This is Part I of a series of solutions to pro-bono design by the Washington, D.C. design community."
Cute animated graphic and commentary on working for free. "oh you’re an artist do something free for me."
Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives offers the upside to doing design work for free for nonprofits aside from the warm fuzzies.
