Work For Free
Designers work for free more often than the industry admits — and we’ve done it ourselves, deliberately, with criteria. The question isn’t whether it devalues your work. The question is whether you set the terms or someone else did. We’ve spent two decades deciding which projects earn our time without a brief, a budget, or a contract.
Should designers work for free? No, but why do you even ask?
Sometimes I still get asked to do something for free. I wonder why someone would even consider asking something like that. Did they ever get some bread for free? No, of course not.
I have no idea where it came from that creativity is free or anything on the computer is easy and fast. Perhaps the story goes way back when there were few computers and few printers and we were always asking someone to help us, or it is a fact that we are not considered craftsmen; our legacy is only a few decades old, or maybe the computer is not considered a proper tool as the hammer is. Either way, it is disrespectful.
As usual, rules are made to be broken. There are three options where this can be allowed:
When you work on some cultural or good cause projects.
When you work for friends,
When you work for your family,
As you can see, I deliberately used the word work because every project is measured in time, resources, and ideas, and nothing is easy.
Cultural or good cause
The impact of a good design can be immense. Without it, even a really good cause can slip by the public eye, and the damage is done. We are bombarded with thousands of different messages per day, and only the good have a chance to be seen.
Friends
Every good friend needs a helping hand; no questions are asked, and no return is expected.
Family
You will learn quickly why this might not be a good idea after all.
If someone else asks you, remember to say, “No, but why did you even ask?”
When Designers Work for Free — and Why We Still Control the Outcome
Twenty years of deliberate decisions — how we built the studioDon’t miss the next essay. Sign up for our newsletter
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Passion
Passion in design gets misquoted constantly — treated as fuel when it's closer to weather. We've spent twenty years watching it ignite projects and abandon them halfway through. What keeps work honest isn't feeling, it's the decision to continue when passion has already left the room. That gap between passion in design and actual commitment is where studios either build something or quietly repeat themselves.
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AI generated content should be in the public domain — and we think most of the debate around this misses the point entirely. The question of AI content copyright ownership isn't just for lawyers; it shapes how designers, studios, and clients think about authorship. We've been watching this closely, and our position is clear: if no human author can be identified, the work belongs to everyone.
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I’ve seen inspiration exploding to space
Creative inspiration process isn't something we manage — it's something we survive. The ideas that actually change a project don't arrive through briefs or brainstorms. They detonate. Understanding where ideas come from in design means accepting that the creative inspiration process runs on its own schedule, not yours.
Why so serious?
We ditched the books, picked up a pen, and let strange creatures appear. Turns out that's not a detour — it's how branding actually starts.
Vibe coding
Vibe coding design is not a shortcut — it's a discipline we've been practising long before anyone named it. We let visual instinct drive technical decisions, the same way we've approached every identity and interface since 2004. When feel and function collapse into a single gesture, that's vibe coding design working as it should.
What is a good design
Good design principles are easier to list than to apply — and most lists get it wrong. We've spent twenty years testing what actually holds under pressure: across 81 logos, 128 projects, and judging rooms where good design either survives scrutiny or quietly doesn't. What makes design work isn't a checklist. It's a set of decisions that age well, communicate without effort, and resist the urge to explain themselves.
First You Learn Then You Earn
Designer learning process isn't a phase — it's the foundation everything else is built on. We spent years in Ljubljana studios understanding materials, systems, and failure before a single award or client brief justified the time. The designer learning process, done honestly, is what separates work that holds from work that merely sells.