Graphic Designer: Do you charge friends for designs?

Though you are probably correct in stating that your friends aren’t cognizant of the effort involved in your working for nothing, the thing more likely to be unappreciated is the fact that you are deluged with “opportunities” to give your talent away. People rarely consider the fact that anyone who knows you is probably ready at some time or other to have need of your specialized talents. Charging for your services is a sure method of bringing their minds to bear on the fact.

I like to barter with friends.

I do a lot of crafts and artsy things that take a lot of time but have little monetary investment. Most of the time people just are not willing to pay for time, so it’s not worth it to make those things for sale.

However, with friends you can trade for things, and stuff, and favors.

Hubby’s involved in local music. His friend in another band and me to design a flyer for him and asks me how much. “Sure. It’s worth three sapphire and tonics, and put me on the guest list.”

A friend wants a hand woven belt for his Viking costume. It’s hours of work, but I already have the wool yarn. So I make it while watching Battlestar Galactica again, and trade him for some cast iron campfire tools, since he’s learning blacksmithing.

The highest-quality barter unit is the “favor”. That’s an open trade, because you get to call on it whenever you need it, and they absurdly do owe you. Broke down in the bad part of town at three am? Call in that favor.

Maybe you should make up a short display of work you’ve done. Perhaps a web page with enlargeable links. When they ask about you doing a graphic design, show them the page, and let them select something that they like, or that seems about what they had in mind.

On the enlarged link, have the price you were paid for the work discretely but obviously displayed.
That should either back them down or show you that they aren’t a good enough friend to be doing free work for.