10+ Clients Who Wanted To Pay Artists With “Exposure” Instead Of Money

At some point or the other, every artist comes across a douchebag client who expects them to work for free. These requests usually come with promises of “exposure” or future collaborations. Rookie designers with little or no skill fall prey to them and ruin it for the rest of us.

Then there are design contests who “invite designers” to draw a logo for their brand with promises of worldwide fame and recognition for the winning entry. They crowdsource the most important element of their visual branding, and shortlist one from over a zillion entries. A few years later, the same logo symbol is found on a Chinese website selling underwear. The brand manager gets fired.

It just doesn’t make sense. Coffee shops don’t let you taste their coffee unless you pay for it. Can you consult multiple lawyers for legal advice and then pay only one? Do architects hand over their blueprints and designs unless you hire them? Then why are artists, designers, writers, musicians and other creatives expected to work for free?

To highlight this issue, Twitter account For Exposure shares actual quotes and conversations from clients who didn’t wish to pay artists for their services. Shockingly, some of them even got mad and threw a fit when the artist quoted their price. Check out the funniest and most cringeworthy ones below.

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The next time a client asks you to work for exposure, you know what to do. Share this post with an artist and voice your views in the comments below.