Notes on branding, design, and the work in progress

Every guidelines document attempts the hardest transfer in management: moving judgment from the people who have it to people who do not. There is a literature on why that fails, and a better option that has only recently become practical.

Most companies commission work worth more than the fee, and never take possession of it. The exposure is well understood in economics and almost never written into a contract.

Adaptation used to be rationed by budget, which meant somebody had to decide where it was worth paying for. For half the marketing mix that constraint has gone. For the other half it has not, and the gap between them is where brands are now breaking.

Something has been getting on our nerves for a while now, and if you work creatively it has most likely been getting on yours too: the "perks" of being paid for your work with the non-existent yet omnipresent currency called exposure. Below: unpaid creative labour, personal stories, angry rants. Get ready and get angry.

Should you ever work for exposure? Five questions to ask before you say yes — and the unions, public funds and rate guides that exist to make the answer easier.