Free Pitching
Free pitching
Free pitching is the activity of clients and design practices engaging in unpaid design submissions from one or more practices in order to decide which design firm to use. Sounds remarkable? Not as remarkable as the fact that a number of design practices actually accept this way of doing business! Free pitching is bad for the design business and especially bad for the client community. The GDBA believes that it is contrary to the principles of professional best practice for a design practice to engage in unpaid speculative design work. This is fundamental to the ethos of the Association and its membership. The GDBA believes the ultimate conclusion of such activity persisting will be the demise of the design industry. The value of creativity, innovation and effective intellectual reasoning will ultimately become worthless and, as value drops, so too will appreciation and standards.
The value of design
Not all clients understand the design process or the value and depth of a good design solution that springs from a professional client-designer relationship. Good graphic design is not about style or fashion, it’s about communication. Design has to achieve results and design effectiveness is what clients need and expect. The commercial value of design is based on the potential of design to act as a driver of competitive advantage. Such an important role should not be left to chance or based in a system of Design Practice selection which is at best a lottery.
Why free pitching happens
The naive design companies who are easily exploited and who have a limited understanding of business fail to appreciate the processes and economics of their business, or indeed their corporate duty to run a profitable business which seeks to ensure the welfare of their employees. No other professional practice is requested, or so willingly compliant, to give away for free the very property the market so desires.
Clients, believing they can extract a free-solution or worse, fuel this inherent lack of confidence by playing several design consultancies against one other. Time and costs placed in ill-conceived speculative tenders must be recouped. This can only be achieved by other projects carrying the loss costs, so creating higher costs. This ultimately labels the design profession with an unwarranted tag of a high-cost professional service.
For clients who have dealt with advertising agencies, but not design consultancies, there is a misunderstanding in their fundamental differences. Unlike advertising or direct marketing companies, design practices earn their fees as a result of the strategic development of design solutions and not through commission on implementation or media expenditure.
Why free pitching is bad for clients
Free pitching is bad for clients because it substantially reduces the probability of an appropriate and relevant design solution being reached. A free pitch situation is like a beauty parade – decidedly superficial. Free pitching provides the client with a decision cul-de-sac where the only basis for selection is personal taste. If good design is about solving a client’s communication, marketing or business problem, then it is hard to imagine that an effective design can be developed without a reasonable application of experience, knowledge and time from both the client and the designer. Everything else is just guesswork. The very best design solutions are only possible when a design practice has the confidence to explore alternatives to the clients perceived requirements. This is almost impossible in a free pitch situation. In some cases the design practice will not even get the opportunity to personally 'present' their ideas and outline the design strategy.
Why free pitching is bad for design consultancies
Free pitching is bad for design consultancies because it economically undermines the longterm viability of their business, and that of an entire industry, by encouraging others to pursue such irresponsible behaviour. No business can support a system which inevitably leads to lowering of standards and value and contributes to inflationary costs. How many clients would want such consequences for their business or industry?
In conclusion
There are many arguments for and against “free pitching”. However, our views are supported by many design bodies and councils throughout the world. We believe that as an industry we must seek to improve the understanding of the broader business community that creativity and effective design are essential to any successful organisation and that this expertise, like any professional advice, comes with a price. Successful communication is the result of gaining an understanding of a client’s needs. Free pitching almost always removes this opportunity. As an industry we need to appreciate that by participating in free pitches we seriously undervalue all of our businesses. This threatens the very nature of our profession and the future sustainability of design as a professional career. Perhaps it is a cliché to say that you get what you pay for, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
"The whole concept of free pitching negates the notion of hiring a consultancy for their expertise and objectivity. One can’t expect a professional design consultancy to just pull the solution to a strategic problem out of their magic hat. A consultancy might respond with some pretty pictures when asked to pitch for free... but design is about much more than pretty pictures. Design deals with reputation, corporate communications, company image and brand management."
Martin Crotty, MIDI Managing Director, BFK
"It should be remembered that a pitch is usually a device to select a consultancy and not a design solution. A single design visual, without the opportunity to truly understand a client’s aims and ambitions, will not solve a client’s communications problem. Credentials meetings have proven to be the most successful way of selecting a design practice for single projects or a long term relationship"
Nicholas Cloake, MIDI, Partner, Baseline.