Pro Bono Pressure: Is a Graphic Designer Obliged to Work for Free?

No.

As a student hoping to acheive success and recognition in my field, there is no obligation for me to work Pro-Bono, there is a need. While I would not expect my peers to donate their time and energy for no payment, I would not hesitate to help an organization whose need was clearly defined. It is an excellent opportunity to give back to the community and gain recognition as a conscientious designer which is becoming more and more valuable in todays business world.

I do draw a line in terms of who I would consent to doing pro-bono work for. I would undoubtedly offer my services in full, free of payment to not-for-profit organizations whose beneficiaries are truly in need. I would not be willing to offer free services on the other hand, to companies who do stand to earn a profit from my work.

I think that there are too many not-for-profit organizations who need an extra push to be able to live up to their full potential. Often an organization will undervalue the benefit that design can bring to their overall efficiency, or else they simply cannot divert assets into design that could otherwise benefit their cause.

Looking for examples of agencies who do engage in pro-bono work, I found a website for a pro bono initiative:






The 1% is an initiative that connects not-for-profit organizations with architecture and design firms who have pledged 1% of their time to making the world a better place.












While this is a U.S. initiative, I would like to see something similar for graphic designers. Too often, people contribute to organizations based on the reputability of their brand, this restricts the number of people who would otherwise be interested in contributing to real grassroots initiatives that would improve the quality of life around us.

As designers it is not a matter of obligation, it is a matter of standing up for what we believe in, and doing what we can to help.

Virgin Galactic: The packaging of consumer space travel

Having recently been asked what I would consider my favorite 'design object', I found myself lost, pondering endless possibilities. 'What IS a design object?' I asked myself, 'Is it a product made in a design studio? built in a factory? Or is it something bigger; something that could change the way we see the world.'

If you want to read about my favorite earthly design object you can certainly refer to my prior blog entry titled 'Dakine: Designing Functionality with Style' where you will find I have already spoken at length on this subject. Today though, my sights are set on a much larger object, the White Knight Two and it's cargo SpaceShip Two. This is the Galactic tourist vessel owned by VirginGalactic that is likely to usher in a new age of commercial space exploration. With each ticket priced at $200,000, I doubt that I'll be taking a trip to the stars in this decade, but the excitement lays in the future of space travel.

Now that Space travel has a price tag, development of new technology has suddenly become profitable. Which means: we wont have to wait for NASA to finish scouring the solar system for life before they move on to putting the next Hilton on the moon.

Now, I should say that I am getting ahead of myself, VirginGalactic is still a few years from their first launch, but the gears are in motion. After all, they wouldn't print it in the paper if it wasn't true, right?

Anyways, the White Knight Two has been designed to fly the SpaceShipTwo into the stratosphere, allowing it to fire it's own propulsion without the added friction caused by gravity. This fact alone substantially reduces the danger to human life, allowing sub-orbital space tourism to become the first step towards commercial exploration of space.

Plus you have to admit, this space shuttle is far sexier than anything NASA has ever laid their hands on.