Not allowed to show work?
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- Leigh
I know two designers at different agencies who are not allowed to show any of the work done in their Portfolio?
One guy left to go freelance and was threatened with legal action and the other friend still works for the agency but he can't show any of his work.
Now i understand if it's pitch work... and the client hasn't decided yet. But why can't you show the work you've done as long as you credit it correctly?.
Has anyone else had this problem??
- scpgt0
i was told the same thing after leaving somewhere..
i waited a month and showed it anyway. with proper credits of course. they don't seem to care anymore.
- 7340
they most likely signed some agreement without realizing it saying that all design etc. is the intellectual property of the company. therefore, anything that is designed on company time is in fact the property of the company. they can do with it what they will i guess. a company i worked for had a clause like that but they didnt bther to enforce it... and the company folded anyway so now no one cares
but to answer your question: yes, ive seen it before
- mrdobolina0
I don't know how any agency would ever enforce this.
- < exactly. Just be wary about putting screenshots on your homepage.detritus
- jamble0
I've been asked to remove work from my portfolio that I've done while working for agencies as a freelancer even though I've credited the company and made it clear it was done as a freelancer. I think a lot of them tend to object because I get better search engine results than they do.
I still have the work on my portfolio but it's behind a password protected page that I send to clients/prospects on request.
It's far from ideal but I guess it's about as good as I can get at this time.
- ivanb0
yes. this is more-less what i had with 40% of places i worked for. but, most of the work i did for them i wouldn't show anyway, so i don't care.
i did have a reverse situation actually, when a client asked me if i want to put a link to my portfolio from his website and i replied "no". that one took some explaining on what design IS and what designers actually DO (apart from following orders from customers that think a designer is their DW/Flash/Photoshop slave).
- neue75_bold0
Should be in your contract, a lot of places have this in their contract..
With online, it also depends on your url... it's generally ok if the url is your own name, but if you have a personal/freelance company name you work under, then it's actually falsely representing the client..
- Spookytim0
Yeah don't worry about it. They all have a clause like that. Most companies also have a contract clause that says you can not work on any related business for 12 months after leaving their employ. I personally wouldn't even bother with giving a company any credit in any portfolio presentation, its enough to say "I did this project whilst working for Chardass&Wipemore".
- harlequino0
It may also be dependent on specific clients as well. I worked in a place where I could show folio pieces A, B, and D, but holy shit don't show C. There are some client situations in which no one is allowed to say they work for said client. I've encountered it twice.
- Drno0
same same
- chossy0
I don't give shit about that stuff, they can fuck off in my opinion. If it a DVD I have created and it goes away to get printed up or osmething I just ask for a copy of the final prodct so I can hand it to people and say I fucking did that for fuck sake just look at it jeesus!!!
- monoboy0
Standard contracts usually state that all work created whilst working at an agency belongs to that agency and cannot be used to win freelance work or work with a competitor. That would be passing off. And is legally enforceable.
You can however, use their work to secure a position at another agency. I think the law states you are entitled to keep one copy of anything you create for your portfolio. As long as you are the sole creator of that work. But probably impossible to enforce.
- yaphi0
I've always wondered about this. At some agencies I've been to they've wanted to add my work to their portfolio with an asterisk claiming "this work done by agency x" or whatever.
I've always said no way.
- Leigh0
read latest post http://www.keepsmesane.co.uk
- neue75_bold0
not surprising...
- ximeraLabs0
Yeah its quite normal to have those things happen... Most companies will allow you to show the work after a period of time has passed and with proper credentials...
Personally, I don't care. If I want to put something on my site I'll do it - but always with proper info & credits.
- czawada0
This is pretty common practice at a lot of companies.
- YAYPaul0
I have experienced this in the past also, now i specifically have in my contract (or at least in writing) that i can put anything i do in my portfolio. Of course this is within reason, i've had requests for sensitive systems not to be shown in full (telecoms billing systems, etc), IPR, NDA's etc, which is understandable for online viewing.
- creative-0
I don't see what the problem is if you put a credit/disclaimer somewhere with the work. Pretty harsh if they do kick off about it.
- neue75_bold0
I think it's totally understandable if you're putting work on a personal site that is branded as a freelance company... That company didn't hire you, they hired the company you did the work for...
- StratusGD0
Actually, I just got dinged for this I had some work up on my portfolio that I had done, and only the parts of the site I had worked on. My contract with my last job said that I must ask for permission before posting work. I didn't. I figured, hey - the site has been viewable by the public for over 2 months. I'm not stealing anyone's thunder. So, I put it up.
Last week a got an email from them saying, "Hey, remember that contract you signed? We don't have permission to show the artwork as our own. Neither do you, and you haven't asked for permission. Take it down, because you're putting yourself and us in a bad legal position if said client finds this."
I took it down. Why? Because I signed the damn contract. I hate to point it out, but NDAs, contracts, and other legally binding documents will win out over 'they can fuck off.'
Now, if they didn't sign a contract or NDA and they're still getting nasty emails... well... no need to do anything?