r/graphic_design • u/perilousp69 • 4d ago
Portfolio/CV Review Be careful out there with your portfolio
Long ago, the legal department of a company (ETA that laid me off) I worked for told me I couldn't display my work on my portfolio site because it was unapproved use of their brand. I had been at that job for 7 years. My site only got at best 8 visits a day.
I couldn't even mention the company's name on my site. They didn't care that the same info was on Linked etc. I looked into fighting it, but there was no way. They had all the lawyers.
Just be aware that similar could happen if you're pushing your profile out there. Some brands might snipe.
Good luck
385
u/onyi_time 4d ago
A pdf version with that work in it could be good for interviews, they will never know
197
u/chatterwrack 4d ago
You can lock your portfolio (or even pages of it) and offer a passcode to potential employers.
83
u/Training_Mirror2784 4d ago
this is the way! we’re hiring a photographer rn and, despite mostly having public instas, almost every applicant provides a password protected portfolio with a time limit to access it
19
u/wlea 4d ago
Make sure the password is really really easy to find and up to date! You be supposed but about half the applications I get with locked portfolios either have outdated passwords (I copy+paste, ensure no spaces are added, etc.) or the password is buried (mid sentence in the cover letter and nowhere else).
If I have 200 new applicants to get through, I'd need to see a perfect fit via the resume in order to reach out and ask for updated login credentials.
2
81
u/seldomblowjob 4d ago
been doing it this way forever. never had a public portfolio except for some big stuff on behance that can be shown publicly, 95% of my projects are under nda
1
257
u/SatanIsYourBuddy 4d ago
Password protected portfolio baby!
57
u/VisualNinja1 4d ago
Yeah this.
Create a subsection of your portfolio site and password protect that mother.
OP, was it someone you had worked with that was claiming “unapproved use of our brand”? Because, it’s sounds a BIT pedantic!
5
85
u/Flaky-Boysenberry-37 4d ago
A guy from Pakistan copied my Behance Portfolio page by page😭 and had the guts to text me " Thanks for your help, you've been a great inspiration! Please dont mind I copied your portfolio" Since then I hid everything and only share my website and pdfs during interviews. Op you can make pdfs and share it during interviews or add those to your website and make it accessible only with a code.
25
4
u/MicroGiggles 4d ago
How do you go about creating a PDF portfolio that is reasonably sized.
2
u/stephapeaz 4d ago edited 4d ago
Saving it as “press quality” might help a little
If nothing else like a google doc link you can share on the application would probably do the trick too
1
u/CuedUp 3d ago
These days I use Figma for slide decks. However, Figma's PDF exports can generate large file sizes.
I currently use an app called PDF Squeezer (also available on SetApp). You can tweak the settings to best determine how much compression is needed to reach your target file size.
Before I switched, I used to use this process:
Open pdf in Acrobat and save as PostScript filetype (.ps)
Open Distiller and select “smallest filesize” in the drop down. This will optimize the vector paths amd reduce pixel-image quality.
Drag the PostScript file into Distiller and a new smaller sized pdf will be generated.
If you use InDesign or Illustrator to make your portfolio, saving as [High Quality Print] should work fine. Acrobat also has a Tools tab called Compress a PDF.
43
u/KingKopaTroopa 4d ago
I have one brand that has stipulated this in the contract, so I just put it behind a password protected page. You really should be able to show all of your work. The fact that it’s on LinkedIn, I’d probably put it on my portfolio anyways unprotected, even if you have to alter the logo or info
22
u/calicokittylife 4d ago
i always ask about this during interviews just so i can know beforehand what to expect. in my last job they refused me using any of the work i did for clients in my portfolio so i moved to a more prepress position where i only prepared already designed files for printing. i was getting experience and they didn't get any of my designs. i am aware that they're entitled to my work there since they pay me but there's no way i will accept my work not being traced back to me in the end.
10
u/KlausVonLechland 4d ago
It all depends on the country. I think in Poland it has been often ruled that portfolio is proof of work and not commercial use of the work so a designers can use it as a showcases of his work because he is not selling or abusing someone's rights.
But we don't have precedence laws.
17
u/North_South_Side 4d ago
This has been "true" at least since 1999 when I got into the business as an art director. You are not (almost always) allowed to use client work in your portfolio... online, in a printed book, etc.
Everyone just ignores it. I swear I'm not being sarcastic or trying to be rude. It's just true.
I'd say you got tremendously unlucky. I'm sorry to hear this happened, but the client in this case is likely correct that you cannot use their stuff and that you could face some kind of legal penalty if you keep doing this. I was in the business for 20+ years and I never once heard of this being enforced. I knew hundreds of creatives over the years and everyone did this with their portfolios, me included.
Sorry this happened.
3
u/Dlimageworks 4d ago
While this certainly can be the case, I started adding retained portfolio rights in my contracts in the late 90’s after an incident. Other than NDA work (which is an obvious no-no for at least the time it is under NDA) I have not had a client balk on the portfolio rights in signing the contract.
That said, I have been independent (freelance or own agency) and haven’t had to deal with work for hire situations. Work for hire is a whole other issue. Sometimes it can be negotiated when being hired, sometimes you’re fucked and have to be sneaky.
2
u/North_South_Side 4d ago
When I was an art director (for 20 years) I did freelance and I also worked full time at three different large, well known (among ad people) agencies. I showed this "illegal" work to everyone and no one had an issue. Maybe they are cracking down harder on this these days? When I started I didn't even have an online portfolio (I'm old) though later I did. I still do.
I guess some companies could be vindictive and target specific people, check their websites and send a cease and desist? I know I'm only one person here, but everyone I knew had strictly not-legal work in their portfolios. Many times I had and others had spec work that was never "bought" and produced by the clients! Stuff we pitched but didn't win. I could sort of see a company wanting to keep a lid on stuff they didn't approve of (especially) but this was an open secret, everyone did it, no one ever had an issue that I know of.
14
u/rob-cubed Creative Director 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah this is super-frustrating, happened to me to at one of my jobs. The company wanted me to take down several year's worth of work. Claimed it was part of the agreement I signed when I started... I couldn't find the language in my paperwork, but what am I going to do, lawyer up? They legitimately had some jobs under NDA, but they weren't the ones I was sharing. I strongly suspect the CEO was just upset with me presenting 'his' company's work as 'my' work, even though I was responsible for it. Anyway, be aware of what you sign when starting a new job... even if some of the legal language is borderline unenforceable, none of us have the time or money to fight a spurious lawsuit. So far it's the only time in 30 years I've had this happen, but it's not uncommon especially for bigger agencies to operate under NDAs.
Also, pay attention to the noncompete. The same company had language that I couldn't work for any competitor within a 100 mile radius and that I could not go to work with any former employee. Guess what happened? I left to work with a former employee, which is how this industry often works. They 'decided not to pursue' when it was discovered but if the CEO had thought it threatened his business in any way, he'd have been an ass about it. It's insulting when a company you've helped to grow with your labor takes an antagonistic stance against your trying to move forward with a career—especially when you would have stayed if given a reason—but it's how some companies operate. Live and learn. Also, never trust HR. It's your obligation to read the fine print and look out for yourself.
You could password protect a section of the site, host work on a non-discoverable hidden URL, or share a PDF with an employer... its just a hassle to 'hide' work. Also, view it as a temporary set-back, in a few years they likely won't care if that work surfaces publicly again.
8
u/mattattaxx 4d ago
PDFs, passwords, doing it anyway.
The holy trinity of "come at me" - hasn't failed me yet, I've displayed everything from massive conglomerate fast food chains, to mid-size airlines, to international financial organizations.
6
u/Auslanderrasque 4d ago
The company I worked for previously did the same thing. I was there for a total of 9 years (brief stint at another company in the middle after I found out they fired me while on maternity leave without notifying me. Next job was worse-fired when they found out I was pregnant cause they didn’t have the staff to fill the gap for maternity. Went crawling back to the first job out of desperation.)
I was their top performer, handled all the big and tough clients, got promoted quickly and without asking.
I was tapped to help fix a lot of things in the company but the people we were holding accountable got the ear of the president and we were all let go.
They sent a lawyer after me to shutdown my portfolio too.
Name and shame: MDG Solutions
5
u/eaglegout 4d ago
I had a similar experience at the first agency I worked for. If you can, password protect your online portfolio—just include the password with applications or emails. Also, as others have pointed out, there’s nothing wrong with using a PDF portfolio.
I took the password down not long after I left the agency, though. If these goons are still monitoring you even after you left, that’s a different level of crazy.
6
u/moreexclamationmarks Top Contributor 4d ago
Using work in our portfolios isn't claim of ownership only involvement, and is done in that context. But a lot of people don't understand that, including some designers.
For employers, I consider it malicious unless using the work would in some demonstratable way damage their business, such as using any internal/proprietary information, R&D, future releases, etc. If the work has been released publicly, or been altered to remove any potentially damaging outcome if now made public, I'd use it anyway.
The cause is usually just people who are ignorant or scared, where they don't know what they're talking about, and want to cover their ass. It's why with actual jobs you can rarely ask, because you're betting everything on their level of ignorance/stupidity, and people will default to denying the request. In cases where it's not ignorance/stupidity, it's usually just outright vindictive, where people are trying to hurt your ability to leave (if still there) or find other jobs.
For designers, our portfolio is more important than our resume. Denying our ability to use work we've done would be like blocking someone from at all mentioning a job on their resume, if not more impactful.
All that said, as others suggested you can help get around this either by password-protecting the site, or applying with a PDF.
I'd also suggest changing your domain in any case where you know or suspect a prior employer/coworker is stalking you. Try to use something that isn't super easy to find (but still makes sense). If not changing jobs often, and only really using your portfolio when on a job hunt, you could even do this every time you are looking again (such as if every 3-5+ years) just to reduce the odds of a prior employer/coworker being successful when they decide to be an asshole.
4
u/black-n-tan 4d ago
This happened to me in January. I was contacted by hr and told to take it down or they would revoke my severance. I’m rebranding and generating new projects to get around it. It was fairly traumatizing ngl.
2
u/UnableFill6565 4d ago
This! What we need to pay attention to is the contracts that we sign, not so much the portfolio. You see, when you are working for a company, in essence, the work that you produce for them is their intellectual property (IP), not yours. So yes, they do have a right to say by whom, how, and where they want these designs to be used. And yes, they can sue you for using "their" work, which is the work that you did for them, but you did it for pay on their time on the job. Intellectual property rights can get nasty... Read the fine prints on your contacts before signing, and ask questions. This is especially true of big businesses.
2
5
2
u/TheSabi 4d ago
Most of the companies I worked for had this on their employment agreement, none of them actually cared or at least the chances of them finding out about it are slim.
It's more so you don't go work from Fred's Funtime Happy Place's marketing department, leave or get laid off then go to Bob's super fun time happy place with all of the marketing you did with Fred's.
This happens all the time in automotive advertising. I worked for an agency we got a request for a unusual amount of mock ups. The ad exec said to do them to keep the client happy but has a feeling they're going to leave.
Sure enough they did and about a month later we see an ad in the paper from them, our ad, but it looks off like some weird hatchet job. Sort of like "let me copy your homework' kind of ad.
They did come back to us shortly after. Funny thing, much later an ad I did was in someone else's portfolio who was applying for a jr position.
3
u/Designer-Computer188 4d ago
I deffo want to work for Bob's super funtime happy place. He sounds like a good guy! Bet he discloses the salary in the advert and everything.
1
1
u/she_makes_a_mess Designer 4d ago
Was the sheriff you made on the Internet? What kind of work is it
1
u/ImpressiveSimple8617 4d ago
I usually ask the companies if it's ok to use their work on my portfolio for freelancing.
1
u/littleGreenMeanie 4d ago
did you ask what they wanted changed so that you could display your work? did they respond? artists get such a shitty deal. its rediculous.
1
u/alanjigsaw 4d ago
I’ve never ran into that, that’s crazy! Cause you could be missing out on showing some of your best work.
1
u/gustygardens 4d ago
I had to sign an NDA when I got hired saying that I wouldn’t display my work anywhere or share any assets. That’s wild to me considering the nature of my job tbh
1
u/Nyan_Basilisk_1231 4d ago
This happened to my old co-worker. She had concept work for a client on her online portfolio that wasn’t chosen by the client and like 6 months after the contract was “completed”, they demanded her to take it down. Agency didn’t sign an NDA or anything, because we always get approval from the agency before adding client work to our portfolios and they approved it… so just an ahole client.
1
u/Ill_Umpire8542 4d ago
Similar incident happened to me, I was working for an agency 8 years back, I displayed the work with a text below it that accredited them that this work was done while working with so and so company. Yet, the company sued me for $50k, well, I talked them through it and they took the file back and I never had to pay anything. But the bottom line is, if you are using anything of any company or client, always have it written over email, and accredit them wherever needed.
1
1
u/Religion_Of_Speed 4d ago
I really feel like you could make the case that it was authorized because someone told you to make it and that there's reasonable expectation that the work done by a designer will be included in a portfolio.
I'd leave it up and tell them to kick rocks until they come back with something a little more concrete than "we told you not to." Unless you signed a contract that had this included, and even then it's shaky at best, there's really not a whole lot they can do except waste a bunch of money for a no-traffic website that isn't using the brand in such a way to sell a product or otherwise profit. I'd make this as annoying as possible for them but that's me. Then again I recognize that I don't give great advice all the time, I'd be finding other ways to anonymously use their brand in unapproved ways.
1
u/carterartist 4d ago
I worked at a terrible little popular company and I cleaned up everything they had for graphics. From all printed promotional, business cards to the website.
After creating a full blown marketing plan (their first ever in the near 20 years of business) and their very first branding guidelines I was let go. I guess they figured they could take my ideas and run with them.
I contacted them to get a copy of the branding guidelines I created since I was proud of it and at the time had a possible job offer of I could show my work on such branding projects.
They refused to give me a copy for my portfolio and went into a harangue about contracts and the NDA, etc.
Some people are selfish assholes.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Diamond-girl1 4d ago
Between an ex-employer and a designer, if there were no contracts signed, do you really run the risk of being sued for copyright or IP infringement, by publicly displaying your work?
1
u/perilousp69 4d ago
I do keep my portfolio password protected now. I just remember feeling so helpless when they came after me like that and hope others can avoid a similar outcome.
1
u/buckingfastard99 3d ago
My way of getting round this has always been to use a similar but distinct name. I've never done a super known brand before, but based projects on real companies
1
u/ClarenceBarracuda 1d ago
Yup. Did amazing work for an agency 4 years straight. Embargoed. It'd be so much easier for me to land a position with that work in my portfolio.
1
u/casually-anya 19h ago
I’ve worked with numerous companies super strict about privacy simple solution use a passcode
1
u/MaverickFischer 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you are under a work for hire contract then you probably signed an agreement that outlined all this.
It is also copyright infringement since the company is technically the copyright holder. 🤷♂️
1
u/Brian_BK818 4d ago
There are cases from the 80’s that prevent this from happening. As long as you give credit to the designer or team then it is fine. Doing so actually puts you at a detriment because that is your proof for job advancement. Talk to your local AIGA they usually have a lawyer that can give you more legal advice on this issue. I was working for an agency, they told me the same thing. I talked to the AIGA legal member and gave my job the case. I haven’t had an issue since.
I believe there may be a limit to commissioned concepts but anything released to public/company is fair game.
0
u/WaldenFont 4d ago
Whatever you did for that company while getting paid is theirs 🤷♂️. But as others have said, no one will be the wiser if you share your work in a non-public way.
-3
u/pip-whip Top Contributor 4d ago edited 1d ago
It wasn't that they had all of the lawyers. They owned all of the rights. You never had any rights to put any of that work in your portfolio without getting permission from your employer to use it.
The fact that the work turned up on your website actually gave them evidence that you had stolen intellectual property from your employer, the computer files themselves, which they also own and you do not have any rights to take off of their premises or to remove from their computers. They could have sued you … and won. And if you were working in an industry where any sort of security issues are a concern, you should have expected them to be more particular.
Yes, it sucks that employees don't have any rights to show the work they do when at full time jobs. But it should also encourage you (edit: us) to not be an asshole at work so that they give you permission when asked and to make asking permission something you just make part of your regular routine so it doesn't look as if you're job hunting.
But there are some areas of gray that you might have been able to find. For instance, if your website was basically an online resume to find a job where you are factually stating that X company was your past employer, you would be able to get away with more than if your website were a marketing tool for your own design business and were listing their name as if they were a past client, which would have been factually untrue. If you are promoting yourself as a self employed freelancer, that is you starting your own business and all of the rules that would apply to any commercial business would apply to you. If you go get a job at an ad agency, they can't show your past work done while working at another company in their portfolio without risking being sued. If you start freelancing, you are that ad agency that you're working for.
The other way people typically get around this when conducting a job search is to create a PDF or portfolio that is password protected so the only people who see it are those they give permission to see it. But I would not do this if you're promoting your own business. If you don't own the rights to show the work, then you obviously didn't create it as part of your business and not only can you be sued, but is it even work that you could have done without the team at the former employer?
Solution? Recreate projects that are similar to what you did for your former employer. Make up a fake company. Create a fake logo. Take what you learned from doing it the first time and mimic the style, but with fresh content.
Honestly, I have to wonder what you did to piss them off that they came down so hard on you. Most of the time, companies overlook people showing work in their portfolios unless the work contains confidential or proprietary information.
3
u/perilousp69 4d ago
I don't know why this is getting downvoted. Above comment is correct legally. The point of my OP was to let folks know that they should take these factors into consideration when posting their profiles. It came as a surprise to me. I'm not saying at all that I was in the right.
1
u/pip-whip Top Contributor 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm getting downvoted because when I said "encourage you to not be an asshole", they thought I was attacking you (the OP). They didn't realize that I, like you (the OP), was speaking of graphic designers in general and didn't realize that I was using "you" as a plural, meaning all of us, rather than singular, just the OP.
-10
u/Agile-Music-2295 4d ago
Yeah you really shouldn’t be flashing work done with out specific approval from the client.
We would sue if anyone did that with our IP.
11
u/mybutthz 4d ago
All you post about is using AI to make things, truly you care about IP protection lol
-8
u/Agile-Music-2295 4d ago
Sorry I don’t follow the connection. Copilot ensures nothing you use leaves your enterprises tenant.
But addressing the OP are you suggesting it’s right for anyone to publicly disclose what they worked on with out the clients permission?
13
u/mybutthz 4d ago
The connection is that all AI platforms are trained - without permission - on other people's work.
And yes, designers and other creators should have the right to promote their work so long as the client published it first and they're not using it to directly compete with the client.
It's not stealing business from Colgate if a graphic designer is showing packaging design on their website that they did since Colgate isn't trying to win packaging design work and the designer isn't trying to sell toothpaste - it's a non issue.
There are specific circumstances where it might be a grey area if you were working for an agency and trying to win similar clients, or other agency work - but that would be in violation of a noncompete, and not any intellectual property laws.
It's not as if Warner Bros makes a movie and then puts a gag order on all of the editors who worked on it because it's "not their movie".
It's a toxic practice.
4
u/Vivid-Rush6036 4d ago
Hmmm. The company would sue an artist? Does anyone have any examples of this actually happening, I’d be interested in reading the article.
-4
u/Agile-Music-2295 4d ago
Literally search this and Artbusiness. Subs.
If you leaked customer IP your business is toast. No one will work with you again. There is a reason partners get audited.
-1
u/Ecsta 4d ago
Password protect it. Even if the work isn't under NDA or a protected brand, it stops people from copy-pasting it.
If you're sharing company work you honestly should be removing the brand, hiding any financial details or numbers, etc. The focus should be on your work not the brand anyways. Sometimes it's key to it (ie advertising work), so really gotta keep it in.
•
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
perilousp69, please write a comment explaining the objective of this portfolio or CV, your target industry, your background or expertise, etc. This information helps people to understand the goals of your portfolio and provide valuable feedback.
Providing Useful Feedback
perilousp69 has posted their work for feedback. Here are some top tips for posting high-quality feedback.
Read their context comment before posting to understand what perilousp69 is trying to achieve with their portfolio or CV.
Be professional. No matter your thoughts on the work, respect the effort put into making it and be polite when posting.
Be constructive and detailed. Short, vague comments are unhelpful. Instead of just leaving your opinion on the piece, explore why you hold that opinion: what makes it good or bad? How could it be improved? Are some elements stronger than others?
Stay on-topic. We know that design can sometimes be political or controversial, but please keep comments focussed on the design itself, and the strengths/weaknesses thereof.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.