Working with friends
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- mg33
This should hopefully make for an interesting discussion. I'm interested in those of you who have done work for friends - graphics, sites, etc. especially where they gave you some kind of imagery to start out that really wasn't all that great.
I'm doing some work for a friend who's tastes aren't necessarily the same, but I have an opportunity to really help shape the brand he's creating (well, resurrecting, more on that in the future) and naturally I'm excited about the possibilities. My influences are different, but more so around contemporary design aspects that would put his brand more alongside the brands he would compete with. He's given me some stuff he already had someone else do, and, well, I kind of puked a little.
Any horror/success stories of similar situations?
- slappy0
Be prepared to compromise.
- boobs0
I've found that working for friends is about like working for any other client. A lot of people think things can be left "unsaid" when you're working with a friend, but I find it very helpful to be very clear about everything: prices, deposits, copyrights, etc.
Most problems in business come about not because someone is trying to screw you, but because misunderstandings occur, which people then react badly to. This is just as likely with a friend--maybe more so, because they are "really counting on you."
- caput580
never, and i mean never do work with friends and especially family.
- GeorgesII0
I've a so called friend who just sent me a passive agressive mail,
hey mate, hows the baby?
anyways wanted to send you this documents, I don't get them, maybe you will,
btw did yoy forget about the changes to do on the site?
ciao
-I was like wtf, the cunt paid me €600 to make him a site with cms, because he was broke at the time, now I've to support it 2 years later
NEVER WORK FOR A FRIEND OR FAMILLY
- mekk0
time for a friends from hell thread
- Projectile0
I do freelance work for my best friend all the time. It's usually small jobs, and he briefs me, I do it, he has changes he wants, I make them, he gets changes from his client, I make them, I invoice.
Bang.
The problem is when you assume that because you're being paid peanuts you get full creative freedom. Then they start acting like they're paying you corporate rates, wanting changes and basically not doing the homework you demand like getting some goddamn fucking content up there!!
Working for friends is possible, but you need to have a very hardass conversation, explaining to them that they are already fucking you over from day 1 so they need to be humble. And you need to not see it as an opportunity to do an amazing folio piece, which has been my mistake in the past
- loool0
not good idea imho
- jamble0
Working with friends is fine as long as you treat it in a reasonably structured client/designer way as you would with any other client.
The whole mates rates thing is a tough one and for you to call but I personally don't do mates rates any more. Too much baggage and expectation for too little money. If I do things for friends these days I'm happy to do it for free because they're a friend or I bill them full whack if they expect a full on commitment.
- dijitaq0
when working for a friend it's especially annoying when they use "being friends" as a reason get discounted price.
- ItalianStallion0
It all depends on how much money your friends have.
- Ambushstudio0
Working for friends or (specially) family has given me the worst stress and bad experiences ever, DO NOT DO IT.
- detritus0
Not timelining you here, mg33, just pointing you in the direction of a few existing thoughts on the matter.
In a semantic sense, you appear to already be haIf-way* towards a developing a healthy attitude towards working with friends... just note the difference between titles on your thread, and this one - http://www.qbn.com/topics/661051…
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* really, QBN. Please fix this.
- Oh, lookee-lookee. Despite checking, I apparently totally missed meffid's link. d'oh.detritus
- ItTango0
It will expose everything you hate about one another...
- monospaced0
I used to think that it was just other people's friends who would be shitty clients until mine were. Now, some were wonderful, but yeah, friendships can really suffer even on small jobs. Good luck.
- stoplying0
There's a difference between helping a friend out for some small monetary compensation (or free beer), and doing a side-job for a friend for money. I've done the former a bunch of times and things have been fine. You can do it.
- mg330
Had a good conversation with this friend last night and realized he's definitely on board for a direction I want to take things. I can't talk about much now, but hope that we're successful with what we're doing. He's bought up a brand/trademark for something that was started in the 1890s, and shut down around the 1970s. We're essentially resurrecting this brand and really looking to pay homage to the style from back then.
What matters most to me is the new brand direction being cohesive and everything looking like it fits together. There's the potential for other people to be involved; their styles are nothing like we'd be going for, so there has to be some enforcement and understanding that includes a brand guide and strict rules of usage.
This is all very fun for me actually - I don't get to do things like this professionally at work (in a visually creative sense). Anyhow, appreciate the replies and I look forward to sharing more about this at some point.
- melq0
You are right to be tepid entering in, but can definitely tell early on how it's going to go.
I just wrapped up a project for a family member—branding, small website and brochure—everything went great. We're both happy with the outcome and things couldn't have gone more smoothly.
Sounds like you might be on the same trail. Good luck.
- And, nothing like being cool to work with to score life points with me.melq