Hello,
I was recently faced with a dilemma on my last project.
The situation was, I requested the graphic designer I work with to relinquish authoring files (PSD, AI, IDD) in order to provide them to a client for which we'd co-operatively worked on a website.
His answer, in a nutshell was, "no". Various reasons given:
- If this client were a high-paying client, then it wouldn't be an issue. But for "small potatoes" clients, they don't get the authoring files.
- What if they want to modify the work? I have copyright entitlement to the graphic.
- It's just not done.
My own argument is that, if the client has a logo created for them, it's theirs, it's part of their business function, it's part of who they are. To refuse to give up the authoring files, simply leaves a bad taste in their mouth when, months down the line they suddenly require the files for some reason, contact me, and are told that the files cannot be given up without a hefty price-tag associated with it.
I've done a bit of digging on the web, and have come across a couple of instances where graphic designers really seem to take exception to the idea that the work they do is somehow entitled to special treatment above, say, the Javascript-enabled user interface for a website that makes its usage particularly attractive, a really well-designed database layout, or the flowery description entered into an ecommerce application.
Coming from a programming background, when I write source code for a client, the source code, ownership, and everything related to it becomes the ownership of the client (whether they request it or not; it becomes a part of their business function). For me to fail to relinquish "control" over it only serves to reflect arrogance and a severe lack of professionalism on my part.
I'd really like to hear from both sides (for and against) of this opinion-divide, as well as from graphic designers and non-designers.
