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Isn't this for people who cannot afford to have a graphic designer? Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free

Isn't this for people who cannot afford to have a graphic designer? Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it.

cj 6y ago
> I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free Presumably you'd exchange % of future revenue / profit share, or an equity split if it's a company. Or if it's not a revenue-generating project, there might still be people who would help you out in order to build their portfolio.
- brudgers 6y ago
  Will you build a mobile app for me? It will build your portfolio.
_qulr 6y ago
Maybe, but I find their slogan "Join the movement" to be very strange. That makes it sound like "No Design" is a goal rather than just a fallback.
onion2k 6y ago
Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it. I said work with a designer, as in a collaboration. As in bring them onboard as a co-founder, give them equity, have an agreement to share profits. Pay them if you can. Share skills by getting them to do design work on your side project in return for coding their side project. There are lots of ways to work with people. I am absolutely not suggesting anyone asks someone to work for free. That's exploiting people. Don't do that.
- duxup 6y ago
  Are designers usually co-founders?
  - mellosouls 6y ago
    Any reason they shouldn't be? Steve Jobs...
    - duxup 6y ago
      I don't think of Steve's skill set as 'designer' alone.
      - 411111111111111 6y ago
        If we put numbers on his talents, I'd wager his marketing skills would be higher then his design ability. They'd both be high though, that's for sure.
  - onion2k 6y ago
    Two of YouTube's founders, Chad Hurley and Christina Brodbeck, were designers. Charles Adler who started KickStarter is a designer. It does happen.
    - duxup 6y ago
      I think probably how it sounded to me was "Need a designer, get a designer as a co-founder." and I was thinking of random designer drone and not sure how that plays out as a skillet works out as a founder (I consider myself a programmer drone equally likely or not likely to be qualified to be a founder).
  - felideon 6y ago
    Perhaps not typically, as tech startup founders tend to skew on the engineering side (outside of your traditionally MBA-founded startups). But I believe a UX designer would make a great co-founder if they focus on user research, information architecture, and interaction design.
    - meristem 6y ago
      UX designers also have built in product management skills.
- eitland 6y ago
  Ok, thanks, I misunderstood you. It was absolutely not intentional. That said wouldn't it be risky to bring someone you hardly know on as cofounder? Does anyone here have good experience with that?
brudgers 6y ago
Asking a designer to work on your open source project for free is like asking the local pizza parlor to feed your open source project for free. Unless your open source project is something that benefits designers it doesn't...well it doesn't benefit designers. The open source model is mostly developers building things that serve their own interests and the interests of other developers. On top of that developers tend to be paid better than designers and designers get lots of offers to work for free.
- Matumio 6y ago
  If you build a tool for coders, you will most likely find coders who are willing to help. And if you build an (open source) tool for graphics, you will have no problem finding designers who are willing to help for free (speaking from experience).
  - brudgers 6y ago
    Sorry for not being clear. I don’t disagree. An open source tool for designers would probably attract designers’ contributions. Very few open source projects are tools for designers. Most projects looking for free design contributions are not for designers. The ideas of giving back or what comes around goes around don’t apply because the the interests of most projects do not include benefits for designers.

Isn't this for people who cannot afford to have a graphic designer? Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it.

cj 6y ago

> I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free Presumably you'd exchange % of future revenue / profit share, or an equity split if it's a company. Or if it's not a revenue-generating project, there might still be people who would help you out in order to build their portfolio.

brudgers 6y ago
Will you build a mobile app for me? It will build your portfolio.

_qulr 6y ago

Maybe, but I find their slogan "Join the movement" to be very strange. That makes it sound like "No Design" is a goal rather than just a fallback.

onion2k 6y ago

Unless it is an open source project I feel it would be rude to ask someone to work for free on it. I said work with a designer, as in a collaboration. As in bring them onboard as a co-founder, give them equity, have an agreement to share profits. Pay them if you can. Share skills by getting them to do design work on your side project in return for coding their side project. There are lots of ways to work with people. I am absolutely not suggesting anyone asks someone to work for free. That's exploiting people. Don't do that.

duxup 6y ago
Are designers usually co-founders?
- mellosouls 6y ago
  Any reason they shouldn't be? Steve Jobs...
  - duxup 6y ago
    I don't think of Steve's skill set as 'designer' alone.
    - 411111111111111 6y ago
      If we put numbers on his talents, I'd wager his marketing skills would be higher then his design ability. They'd both be high though, that's for sure.
- onion2k 6y ago
  Two of YouTube's founders, Chad Hurley and Christina Brodbeck, were designers. Charles Adler who started KickStarter is a designer. It does happen.
  - duxup 6y ago
    I think probably how it sounded to me was "Need a designer, get a designer as a co-founder." and I was thinking of random designer drone and not sure how that plays out as a skillet works out as a founder (I consider myself a programmer drone equally likely or not likely to be qualified to be a founder).
- felideon 6y ago
  Perhaps not typically, as tech startup founders tend to skew on the engineering side (outside of your traditionally MBA-founded startups). But I believe a UX designer would make a great co-founder if they focus on user research, information architecture, and interaction design.
  - meristem 6y ago
    UX designers also have built in product management skills.
eitland 6y ago
Ok, thanks, I misunderstood you. It was absolutely not intentional. That said wouldn't it be risky to bring someone you hardly know on as cofounder? Does anyone here have good experience with that?

brudgers 6y ago

Asking a designer to work on your open source project for free is like asking the local pizza parlor to feed your open source project for free. Unless your open source project is something that benefits designers it doesn't...well it doesn't benefit designers. The open source model is mostly developers building things that serve their own interests and the interests of other developers. On top of that developers tend to be paid better than designers and designers get lots of offers to work for free.

Matumio 6y ago
If you build a tool for coders, you will most likely find coders who are willing to help. And if you build an (open source) tool for graphics, you will have no problem finding designers who are willing to help for free (speaking from experience).
- brudgers 6y ago
  Sorry for not being clear. I don’t disagree. An open source tool for designers would probably attract designers’ contributions. Very few open source projects are tools for designers. Most projects looking for free design contributions are not for designers. The ideas of giving back or what comes around goes around don’t apply because the the interests of most projects do not include benefits for designers.