In one short semester of teaching I heard a variation of this question at least 12 times. I tried to find a nice way of saying “NO. NEVER.”, because most of the time anyone asking a student to work for free is aiming to take advantage. But the answer isn’t actually that easy. I do free work on occasion because sometimes I want to. Every now and then there is a project for a family member or friend that I will enjoy doing or be so happy to be a part of  that money isn’t even an issue. So… “NO. NEVER. (unless you really want to)”?

I try to say no, unless two conditions are met : I will enjoy doing the work, and some part of doing it will be personal rewarding enough for me to cover amount I should be paid.

Plenty of designers have tried to take a strong, defined stance against free work, but its just such a complex question. The AIGA has a nice post differentiating between Spec work, Competitions, Pro Bono, and volunteer work. No-spec.com is aimed at educating students about the dangers of working for free. But somehow, Jessica Hische seems to have come up with the best answer yet. Her flowchart acknowledges the gray area when deciding wether or not to work for free, and breaks it down into questions I can really ask myself, like “Are they a bunch of A-holes?” or “Is it for a charity or non-profit? Do you mean A BAND?”

I love it. Hilarious because its true. Check out Jessica’s flow chart here.

(Source: eatingandsleeping)