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There are two big myths about pro bono work in the design industry. One of them being that pro bono is for students or new designers who need portfolio pieces; the second is that it is work filled with poor quality clients, poor quality work and no real benefits. I would like to address those two points and call them out because they are not true.
What is pro bono work?
We might as well start this post by explaining what is pro bono work. The literal translation of pro bono from Latin means for the good of the public. That does not at all mean free work. In our current times, across many industries, it often has a connotation of being totally and utterly free work but it doesn’t have to be. Pro bono work could be work at a great discount of say 75%. It could mean trading services such your design services for whatever it is they offer – cookies, day at a spa, etc. Lastly, if you made a deal with the company it could mean that they buy one of your services but receive another one for free – you know a discount.
As you can see pro bono is not what many make it seem – it is no different than the regular paid project just with a different type of payment agreement. There is no need for pro bono to be a completely free project; unless, of course, you want it to be.
What are some benefits?
Creating connections
Professional relationships are important for two reasons, first they help build your reputation and second, they help keep your reputation. By working pro bono, you are making new network connections, which if well groomed, will turn into help with referrals and work in the future. Therefore, you should treat your pro bono clients well; be respectful and you will be respected.
Another creative outlet
Allow your pro bono project to be another creative outlet for yourself. Either take on a project that is a little bit out of your comfort zone by being something new you would like to explore. Pick something that you typically don’t work on or something you’d like to get more experience with. For those designers who work in house and work on the same kind of stuff, a pro bono project as a side project could be an amazing creative release where you just let loose.
Make the best of pro bono projects
There are a bunch of things you can do to make the best of a pro bono project for yourself and for the sake of the project. So let’s take a look at them.
Make a difference
If you are going to work pro bono it might as well be for a good cause that you strongly support. This may very on your personal beliefs and opinion but you can do a pro bono project for a local artist because you love their work or a charity whose cause you support. Either way, if you are helping an organization or a company whose values you agree with, it will feel like you are in fact helping and making a difference. That, right there will make the project worthwhile because you will be proud of yourself for helping in something you believe.
Additionally, your good work will help them as we all know that good UX and UI helps tremendously on website. Your skills are helping the organization look professional, gain trust and support from users who visit their site – or whatever it is you are helping them with – you know like in any other project. And in all honesty, helping feels good so I will say it again by working on a project which you support you will feel so proud of yourself; you’ll be happy to help.
Sharpen your experience
There is another facet of working on a pro bono project which is that it helps with your experience as a designer. At this point, it doesn’t matter at all that this is a pro bono project and no matter how much experience you have in the industry it always helps to gain more practice. So yes, you should always treat your pro bono projects like your regularly paid ones.
There is no reason to go about pro bono in any ‘special’ way; you should always get a scope of the work, figure out the deadlines, responsibilities and deliverables and hold both yourself and the client accountable to them. There is no reason not to get a contract for pro bono projects so that neither party takes advantage of the other.
If you need to educate your client on a poor decision you think they are making – do it, because you would your regular clients. Guide them to the best design based on your expertise or research. Above all, always be a professional.
Conclusion
I hope that this post helps you understand the value of pro bono projects and that they don’t have to be some sort of scam or only for students. I think that pro bono is undervalued but at the same time misunderstood because of the many horror stories people tell about working for free. By no means work for free – work for a cause if you have to but never for free.
Featured image, Forex Money for Exchange in Currency Bank by epSos.de.
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