Charging for Graphics

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

There seems to be more and more people getting on the forums now, some seem to be here to stay, some just lurk, and some just ask for free graphics.  I completely understand we are all trying to make some cash here and we are all pretty tight, but how about the ones who make the graphics?  I think as a courtesy, if someone requests a graphic or even have someone design their logo, they should at least pay something for their time.  I see quite a few members here asking for a graphic for this or that, someone gives them or even DESIGN something for them, then that person takes the graphic and makes money on it.  What about the person who did all the design work?  What did he or she get?  I think we all agree that work is work...pitch in...even if it is a little something.  Appreciate their time by sending them a few bucks.  It doesn't hurt and really, build a relationship with your designer.  There really isn't an excuse to just get someone's work and run with it...

So i ask you all, if you are willing to Ask for something, at least OFFER something back in return.  It is only common courtesy.  We are all here to make a living...share the wealth.  Lets keep the integrity of this forum by showing we are not just takers here.  And on another note, designers...don't be afraid to ASK for some cash...i mean..YOUR time is equally as valuable.  When you think about it...TIME is something you will NEVER get back.  It can not be replaced.  So CHARGE your worth.  Sure...you did not do the cutting or weeding,  but hell...you did something another person couldn't do.  CHARGE THEM.  It is always nice to help one another.  I'm all for that and i have helped people in the past.  But really, lets face it..when was the last time you made money from someone else's work and not reward them? 

Everybody play your part.  Lets keep our business flourishing by giving credit to where it is due.  No, this isn't directed to anyone...lol...i have done many free stuff for people here...more than i should probably...but i think people should consider this and is equally as important as cutting the design out. 

Keep at it Peeps!  Cut away!

[mustangconv85 0]

I think that instead of getting money for helping someone that it should be more of a pay it forward thing. If you get help from someone on here then you need to try to help someone else

[LLCE 0]

I totally agree with Mustang, Pay it forward.

I totally disagree with Charlie.  If we start charging members, I can see the forum going right down the tube.  The economy now is hard enough without charging for every little thing that comes our way.  I am somewhat of a newbie, and ask for help here and there, but I am learning with the help of the members on here.  See my profile pic?  I got that from members on here that helped.  I didn't make anything off from it but, the Citizens of the community I serve, I know are pleased with the way their patrol car looks.  I am happy to share whatever I have with anyone on here, and yes, that includes you Charlie .  It is called, "a helping hand".  A thank you is all the payment I need.

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

That's pretty funny.  But im glad there are opposing opinions here.  What you do with your time is your business.  You can call it "sharing" but the reality is...when is enough "sharing" too much?  You do not have to charge...that's your prerogative...but if a member brags about how much they made and you did all the work, you gotta ask yourself..."why are you doing this?"  Because this economy is hard enough, we are supposed to still give handouts to people who take and take?  Obviously there are exceptions to the rule..and i have helped PLENTY of members here, but doing someone else's work for them is just STUPID.  Sure, if someone has a graphic, share it.  Sure, if someone can't get their cutter to cut, tech them....but do design, redraw and convert to a graphic piece for someone only to profit from your own work....i don't think so.  It is wrong in so many degrees.  You can look at this in any way you want..but the truth is...eventually you too will start to wonder why someone else is profiting from your work..."CONSTANTLY" asking you to do this or that.  Open your eyes...look at this from both views, not just the righteous "say the right thing" speech.  There ARE members here who pray on people doing all kinds of work for them.  I have been warned of certain people just asking for free bees when they come here.  Im not here to win your opinion...but im glad i got you to read mine.

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

I think that instead of getting money for helping someone that it should be more of a pay it forward thing. If you get help from someone on here then you need to try to help someone else

Let me get this straight....you are saying NOT to ask for money?

[JoeCamaro 11]

I know what you mean Charlie   The thing is that some of us are designers and work as that and those are the ones that will understand you. Others are just decal/sign makers, those might not understand you.

I think one thing is to clean up a graphic or share a graphic you already have (Free Stuff), but designing something, from scratch a logo, a business card, a custom graphic, that IS something else.

I share graphics I get for free on the net, but I wouldnt share graphics I made myself, those are my designs, I made them, I worked them out, they were my ideas, so they are mine to keep and I protect them real bad. Thats why in some "Show your Work" posts I get people asking me for the graphics, but I cant do that, those are my babies and I must protect them.

Of course, there are exceptions. I have wonderful relations with some members here and I can help them with their graphics, but I know that they will be there for me. So its not only about the money.

Joe

[JoeCamaro 11]

Like a Simbiotic Relationship 

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

I know what you mean Charlie   The thing is that some of us are designers and work as that and those are the ones that will understand you. Others are just decal/sign makers, those might not understand you.

I think one thing is to clean up a graphic or share a graphic you already have (Free Stuff), but designing something, from scratch a logo, a business card, a custom graphic, that IS something else.

I share graphics I get for free on the net, but I wouldnt share graphics I made myself, those are my designs, I made them, I worked them out, they were my ideas, so they are mine to keep and I protect them real bad. Thats why in some "Show your Work" posts I get people asking me for the graphics, but I cant do that, those are my babies and I must protect them.

Of course, there are exceptions. I have wonderful relations with some members here and I can help them with their graphics, but I know that they will be there for me. So its not only about the money.

Joe

Ya...i know some of us will understand my post...it really is meant for us who actually do the work...You know where i'm coming from so there need not be any more explanation from me.  Even the ones who don't do designs like we do that we have helped KNOW what it is like.  Thumbs up Joe!

[JoeDirt 5]

I agree with with all but I have seen Charlies work and if I needed "him" to help design something that I am going to make money off I would have no problem paying him. I have seen some designs of his that can be re used over and over. I also have seen him offer his designs for nothing and have taken him up on those (thanks). I think what really should happen is maybe a section for "guns for hire", some talented people here willing to share and discount their talents. I mean wouldn't it be awesome to get some F'N badass auto designs that you could buy individually offered no where else.

My 2 cents

J.D.

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

Love the idea Joe...i think you got something there.  The GUNS for Hire thing is like the "PERFECT" name for a section like that...IF the US cutter peeps even have one.

[Benr98 40]

I can completely understand and I'm NOT a designer!!  

I agree that you don't need to get money from just helping with an EXISTING design (a little vectorizing here or there) but to design from SCRATCH...well that's just another story.  Especially if someone say, makes $200.00 off a design YOU did....why not pass a $20.00 your way for the help...heck that isn't anything compared to what was made.  Check prices online for designing.........it's ALOT.

It will keep like you mentioned an open door and like a partnership, in a sense.

I totally agree and like I said, I am NOT a designer...but I also do realize the time it takes those that do design..and they have their OWN work to get done.

I appreciate all the designers here, your work and help here is priceless.........so that's why a project that makes good money, should be given back a few bucks.

Charlie & Joe...you both do awesome work.

I would definitely support a 'guns for hire' section!

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

Ahh Jen...your insight is always refreshing!   No one here is asking to charge a full designer's fee...but damn...if some members here are that RESISTANT to even giving a small percentage of what they made...it really shows the difference between appreciation...and APPRECIATION.

[JoeCamaro 11]

Charlie, I think it is good that you brought this up. I know you dont mean that people should pay for everything they ask for, after all helping others is what makes this forum what it is. But one thing is helping others and another is working for others.

Its like when we've talked on the MSN Messenger and I've told you Im designing this and that and you've offered help and I appreciate it, but you are a busy man and I wouldnt dare to make you stop your stuff to work my stuff for nothing.

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

Joe...i offered it to you as my friend...i appologise for not following through this time, but i have some time freed up soon...so i will fullfill what i promised.  THIS is a freebee.  =)

[JoeDirt 5]

Hey what do I get for the "Name" huh? I should say at least 100 free custom auto designs lol

I can dream

no really, some bad ass dragons full side

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

LMAO....thou shall be rewarded Senior Dirt!  HAHA

[nonabelle 5]

charlie, everybody knows u do phenomenal work. designing from scratch is not easy, the little bit that i try to do takes forever.

ur right no matter what anybody says, they should at least offer something. i also know everybody is having a hard time, some more than others, but that doesn't excuse the fact that if they go somewhere else they're gonna pay. ur a kind person, but ur in business also. time is valuable and precious and should not be taken for granted. ur designs r unique, vibrant and very professional and therefore should be treated as such. although i know u like helping people, maybe when ur asked to design things, maybe u should just ask them to pay up front, then that would eliminate a lot of ungratefulness. if they really need u, they won't mind paying for ur work. i know u have helped a lot of people here, and that's fine and well, but we all should understand where u r coming from on this one.

[charlie_b CFXPaintworks 1]

Sheila, i think you know from talking to me im not one to ask for FREEBEES or DONATIONS.  I stand by my work and i do my best to give you everything i got especially if it is from scratch.  So you know when i post something like this, it is for ALL members here who have at one time or another helped someone.  It isn't much to give back, but not giving anything at all isn't right.  People may think this is their hobby...but the reality is this is a BUSINESS, and should be treated as such.

[duke 12]

i agree with jenny, i am in favour of "guns for hire" in the forum.

[mustangconv85 0]

OK so I guess my comment was meant more for the average help request here looking for a logo or help vectorizing something difficult while their still learning the software. I can see where your coming from on a full one off custom design even though I don't have many of those maybe a couple.  But then I have seen certain people that seem to ask for help over and over even for really simple things and it makes me wonder sometimes if they even try to learn how.

[dinki 3]

I'm new here, but I can relate a story of what happened at another sign forum.  The guys there had tons of graphics being uploaded and the sense of community was really good.  Long story short, the forum owner said that he was having to pay tons of money because of bandwidth issues and that the graphic exchange area would become a pay only service.  For something like $60 a year you could access what used to be free.  They also limited the number of requests someone could make for tracing help.  Now I'm not going to argue that the guy should be able to be compensated for his bandwidth charges, but I can tell you that I've got a $7/month account with Godaddy and I'm getting a 100 gig bandwidth allowance per month.  That's a lot of postscript files!  Sounds like more  of a money grab than a help-me-pay-the-cost type thing.

What I'm getting at is this, be careful what you wish for, because it may just drive people away.  I'm not saying that you guys shouldn't make money on what you work hard to design.  I'm just saying that if someone asks for help that you either do it for free or tell them ahead of time that there will be a charge.  I think it's not all that wise to do the work and then just wait on the generosity of people.  Your making the assumption that they understand that it was a lot of work and not just a couple minute fix.  If they truly understood this then they'd probably know how to do it themselves.

For what it's worth, I do support folks who write shareware/freeware software with donations to their projects and I have paid for  graphics to be created for a few of my sites.

Just my two cents.

[Guest fivestar]

Well now I get to put my 2 pennies in on this since someone else started the thread.  Charlie you know how I feel about this as we have discussed this on MSN a few times.  I have paid Charlie for his work before and he never ask for a penny, I insisted. 

People come on here all the time just wanting someone to make them a graphic and never offer a thing in return.  Anyone wonder why I am not on this forum very much anymore?   

I believe I have helped this forum and company out greatly and people come onto here to just leech free graphics and designs, well they aren't getting them from me anymore, not that I am a designer and never claimed to be one.

This forum is the best forum I have ever been a part of, but people has abused this forum way too much, so I have stayed away from helping people for that particular reason.

Charlie is one of the best designers I have ever seen and if you can't give him a few bucks for designing something for you then either design it yourself or try to hire someone else and see what it will cost you.

CamaroJoe is another excellent designer and he should be paid for his time too.  It is one thing to ask for help on a particular item or even request a graphic now and then, but there's people on here that their only posts are requesting graphics or wanting someone to design something for them and can't even say thank you.

[Guest fivestar]

I'm new here, but I can relate a story of what happened at another sign forum.  The guys there had tons of graphics being uploaded and the sense of community was really good.  Long story short, the forum owner said that he was having to pay tons of money because of bandwidth issues and that the graphic exchange area would become a pay only service.  For something like $60 a year you could access what used to be free.  They also limited the number of requests someone could make for tracing help.  Now I'm not going to argue that the guy should be able to be compensated for his bandwidth charges, but I can tell you that I've got a $7/month account with Godaddy and I'm getting a 100 gig bandwidth allowance per month.  That's a lot of postscript files!  Sounds like more  of a money grab than a help-me-pay-the-cost type thing.

What I'm getting at is this, be careful what you wish for, because it may just drive people away.  I'm not saying that you guys shouldn't make money on what you work hard to design.  I'm just saying that if someone asks for help that you either do it for free or tell them ahead of time that there will be a charge.  I think it's not all that wise to do the work and then just wait on the generosity of people.  Your making the assumption that they understand that it was a lot of work and not just a couple minute fix.  If they truly understood this then they'd probably know how to do it themselves.

For what it's worth, I do support folks who write shareware/freeware software with donations to their projects and I have paid for  graphics to be created for a few of my sites.

Just my two cents.

First off these are 2 completely different things, Sign Forums and US Cutter's forum are completely different, this is actually a tech support forum that "we" kinda took over as a community.

Charlie is simply tired of people wanting him to do all the work and people making $$$$$ from his work while he gets nothing in return.  Stick around this forum awhile, you'll see what I am talking about.

[dinki 3]

Sorry, didn't mean that to be a flame.  I don't know that my suggestion can't be used, however.  He can either do it for free or tell them that there would be a charge before he starts work.  Others can do the same if they prefer to get paid for their work.  I understand that some folks may abuse the generosity of others, but can't you just ignore those requests or ask them for payment?

And how the heck did you know I was talking about Sign Forums??

[ms_sign 5]

And how the heck did you know I was talking about Sign Forums??

Thats an easy one. 

Jon