When a friend opens a restaurant and charges you for a meal, everyone thinks it's natural. When a friend opens a toy store and charges you for toys, everyone thinks it's natural. When a friend opens a clothing store and charges you for clothes, everyone thinks it's natural. But when a friend works as a designer and charges for their services, people may think "Why is this friend so stingy?"
When the restaurant offers a discount, people say: "This friend is really nice." When the toy store offers a discount, people say: "This friend is really generous." When the clothing store offers a discount, people say: "This person is truly a good friend." But when a designer offers a discount, people might think "This friend is a bit stingy."
If the restaurant owner says, "Come eat at my place anytime for free!" people would respond: "No way! You're running a business!" If the toy store owner says, "Come take any toy you want from my store!" people would say: "No way! That's not reasonable!" If the clothing store owner says, "Come to my store and wear whatever you want!" people would say: "No way! That's too embarrassing!"
But if a designer says, "Whenever you need design work, just let me know!" people might simply say: "Alright, thanks!"
People see material goods like food, toys, and clothes, and they understand that these things require payment. However, there is one industry where people often overlook both the physical output and the labor involved – design. When people see a piece of paper with a printed logo, they might think it's just a piece of paper with a pattern on it. In reality, that piece of paper by the designer is akin to food, toys, or clothing – it's a means of livelihood.
Restaurants survive through food sales. Toy stores survive through toy sales. Clothing stores survive through clothing sales. Similarly, designers survive through their designs.
When people finish a meal, buy goods, or wear clothes, they pay without hesitation. Yet when it comes to asking a friend to do some design work, people often say, "It's simple, just throw something together quickly." I don't want to tell you how many times designers have heard friends say similar phrases. In reality, what seems like "just throwing something together" for a designer is actually more labor-intensive and exhausting than preparing a dish, making a toy, or sewing a piece of clothing. What designers sell isn't just a few dollars worth of cost; it's their energy, health, physical strength, mental effort, and even life consumption. Designers work hard in the solitude of their late-night rooms, and people don't see this effort. By the time people do see the results, they often perceive it as merely a few blocks of color.
Designers are kind-hearted and often hesitate to say "no," because saying "no" might make them seem stingy. Designers are kind-hearted, and a quick "no problem" can result in several sleepless nights of life consumption. Designers are kind-hearted and agree to everything because you are our good friends.
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http://www.hrbctqc.com/blog/post-183.html
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