Where to Draw the Line: Legal Advice for Freelance DesignersWhere to Draw the Line: Legal Advice for Freelance Designers
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A few months ago I found out a premium brand was using a logo I designed for a client. Identical. It's been heavy. But it pushed me to finally get more serious about the legal side, contracts, ownership. Still in it. But my process is different now.
It also opened my eyes to how often this happens in smaller ways we just normalize.
The image I'm sharing isn't that case. It's another example: an old mockup of my work (left), duplicated with AI by another designer to sell their work.
Designers using finished work from other creatives as "moodboards" to sell their own services. Identical systems in the same industry with no acknowledgment.
I'm not here to call anyone out. This also made me stop and ask myself what practices I might be doing wrong without thinking twice. With everything AI is making possible right now, how do we even define the line anymore? I'm here to ask: where do you draw the line between referencing and taking, and what measures have you put in place?
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Pankaj's avatar
Thank you for sharing
Chantal's avatar
Thank you for reading 😊
Anita's avatar
Using other designers' work in a moodboard to communicate a direction or aesthetic is completely normal. Presenting that work as your own, or using it to sell your services without proper attribution, is INSANEEE!
What happened to you is honestly crazy. Seeing your mockups and...
Chantal's avatar
Exactly, that distinction matters so much. Moodboards are part of the process, and I use them too, privately, with clients I'm already working with and have alignment with. But I've seen designers share moodboards as content with a CTA to book them, with no clarification that...
Shivansh's avatar
Nice good job keep doing 👍
Nabeel's avatar
This is totally not ok. There should be some regulations!
Chantal's avatar
There are some, but enforcement is still far behind. 🙃
Sharon's avatar
Amazing work!
Emmanuel 's avatar
Uncomfortable truth is that, most designers worry about being copied, very few talk about the responsibility of not becoming the copier.
Atolani's avatar
The attention to detail speaks!
Ashlyn's avatar
Great callout, and I see this happening more and more with my own friends' work. In this instance, the phrase "imitation is the most sincere form of flattery" does not fly. If I am ever referencing something and posting it out for the world to interact with, I always give...
Suheer's avatar
I understand your point, I feel exactly the same 🔥 @Chantal Jemmott
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