A potential client from the fashion field comes to me because they want an exclusive web project for one of their fashion branches. They also ask if I’d be interested in doing this for free as “exposure”. Since I want something from fashion in my portfolio, I do not say no.
Me: “Well, okay, we can work out something. I think I’d like to have a fashion customer in my portfolio. I will prepare a contract for you.”
Client: “A contract? Why? Why do you need a contract if you work for free?”
Now that’s a red flag.
Me: “Well, not exactly for free. For exposure, right?”
Client: “Yes.”
Me: “Also, I need a contract to set all commitments, all boundaries, and a full project scope, so I don’t end up working endlessly for free.”
I prepare it and send it to them. All of my contracts include a clause that says I have a right to feature the project on my website and in any marketing material like presentations, and that I also include my copyright mark at the bottom section of a website.
Client: “Everything looks great, except that clause.”
Me: “What’s wrong with it?”
Client: “Our policy is not to allow it. We’d like people to think we made that ourselves and that we did not hire anyone else do it. Can you remove that clause?”
Me: “I thought you wanted someone to do this for free in exchange for exposure?”
Client: “Yes.”
Me: “So, how is this exposure if I am not allowed to expose it?”
Client: “Well, you will gain valuable experience! You will know that you, yourself, you made this.”
Me: “No, that is not what exposure means. Exposure is when I publish a website with my copyright, put on my website, and receive a good testimonial from a client. Usually, they also separately thank me in their Facebook or LinkedIn posts, etc. In this case, you are simply asking for free work by inserting some keywords like ‘exposure’, but you don’t really know what they mean.”
The client never responded.