pitch plagiarism
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- ntimm
so.
It's a branding gig for a bar/pub.
No real money involved, but I know the guys so it all friendly and relax. I visit the bar under construction, get the grand tour of what what will be.Then we discuss the branding, they tell me what they want, I tell them what they need. It's now a brainstorm, they love my idea (only gave one) they want to go ahead... but of course there's this other guy they want to talk to, an other AD / designer.
I give them a quote > 70% off my regular fee, cause you know, they're starting a new business + I know them.
2 days later I get a phone call, they want me to give them moodboards and maquettes of what I think I will do for the logo. I kindly tell them to f. off, i don't work that way.
1 day later they ask me if I would be willing to work with the other dude, i'm guessing to cut cost, although I was already asking for peanuts.
So I kindly decline their offer, and that's that.Well, i thought so. The end logo is exactly the idea I pitched, even the text they use to describe it is the wording I argued to sell the idea. I'm really not blaming the other designer who probably got the creative briefing around my idea.
But FUCK, I know broke the rule. Gave an idea before I had the contract. But this is ridiculously frustrating.
I sent them an email to confront them (the two guys). Nothing mean, just to the point. One guy responded, so defensive and condescending that it's almost funny. However he cc the whole world while accusing me of accusing them (the whole team) of plagiarism, and that I was disappointing him.
WTF.
Now I'm even more pissed.
Anyone ever had this happen to them?
- meffid0
Can you show the work?
(I was recently asked to brand a pub/bar and would like to see it for pla... errr.. inspiration)
- Countryman0
No contract no ideas. period.
- Iggyboo0
Been there done that, I once was asked to pitch at a board room of a company from a family friend so our team pitched. They had no clue as to what they were doing wrong. 6 months later I look online they took every single idea we had and went with some cheap company. It looked cheap, at the end of the day good work is only good work if it is executed well. Otherwise its just shit. And the irony is I am not upset they took the idea in the pitch because unless someone does a job right it just looks like and is widely seen as shit. :)
- ntimm0
OMG!
I confronted him again and now he's saying our conversation never happened!!That's it, fuck it, i'm letting go to this one.
Not worth my time. It will be a never ending spiral.
- gramme0
This guy was your friend? Congratulations, you now have one less shitty friend.
And also, you gave your pearls to pigs. I think it's safe to say you learned your lesson. Also: don't give discounts. Just don't. For anyone (not even family). Full price or pro-bono if the cause is right. Nothing in between. I've learned this one the hard way.
- VikingKingEleven0
Thats the reason why NDA forms were created.
- akrok0
ha. i once called a real estate broker cause they were leasing this space. of course somone had already put a bid on it. anyway, he ask me what would i do with the space. i said, open a creperia.
now guess what's there. a creperia. (make/sell Crepes)
- maybe I could do this... just to get a damn creperia to open down the road from meanimatedgif
- haha. good call.akrok
- BattleAxe0
i once asked this guy to do a soccial network about my school ...
- tOki0
I did some pitch work last year that was taken by a big automotive manufacturer and implemented albeit very poorly by another agency who won the account. I won't name names for obvious reasons..
Such a load of bullshit that even big companies get away with this kind of thing. I still don't know why we didn't take some legal action, as it was a multi round closed pitch..
- ntimm0
Thx guys,
i'm always baffled with these king of situations, how can you have so little work ethics..
- Irafis0
tell us the bar name and we will stay away from it.. and never never work with "friends"..
- doesnotexist0
forget about it and move on. lesson learned by not discussing ideas until shit is signed.
- doesnotexist0
also, i always have to remind myself to not covet ideas. they're just that, ideas. it's all in the execution and keeping these things a secret will only hurt you.
- mikotondria30
Something like
http://www.27bslash6.com/f4s.htm…
could be kinda wonderful.
- drgs0
self-important, uncooperative high hat designer who tells people to fuck off, gets screwed and is told to fuck off himself -- what exactly unusual has happened here
- vaxorcist0
walk away from the hot coals.... put the shoes back on....
it's good you didn't end up working for these people.. can you imagine the way they would treat you?
- ben_0
Just get a generic nda for the future, people who are sketchy will be weirded out by it and not move forward with you. Keep in mind that contracts are only as effective as you make them (meaning you have to be prepared to act if they are broken) and often the types of jobs where you actually would take action are the ones where you stood to make very little money in the first place, and going to court (at least here in Canada) on principal alone can end up costing you way more than what you stand to get back.
- Sucks when it's friends involved, been there.ben_
- well said.doesnotexist