No recognition (6/2/2023)

Many years ago, I was asked to design a printed catalog for an upcoming art show.

There were twelve artists, each of them had to have an equal number of pages, an equal number of pictures in both color and black & white.

I also had to keep in mind the printing process so costs could be kept as low as possible.

It took me quite a bit of time to figure it out and then I took the file and printed mockup to a printer out of town where I had negotiated a good deal.

And when the catalogs were ready I had to go and pick them up. The product looked really good and I was sure everyone would be content.

Two of the participants started complaining right away about their pages being in the back of the catalog.

Well, what do you expect?  I placed them alphabetically, the obvious thing to do.

And it’s like riding a full bus, not every passenger can sit in the front.

Nobody showed any appreciation, not a single ‘thank you’ came my way.

Needless to say, I wasn’t offered any compensation either, not even some gas money.

A few years later I had a similar experience when I designed and implemented a web site for a church. No recognition whatsoever and no support at all despite earlier promises.

There and then I decided not to volunteer my time and expertise for free again