Showing the Work

As someone who subcontracts for large agencies, as well as services his own clients (thereby hiring subcontractors), I’ve always been conflicted about what work to show and how to show it.

I have signed enough NDAs and non-competes to make me think twice about posting work-in-progress, but THE WORK is the most important element in landing the next gig, whether for another agency or a new client. Resume shmesume. And, frankly, after 15 years in the business, posting or promoting spec makes me feel like a fraud.

What got me thinking about this was a recent post at Agency Spy, complete with an awesome voicemail soundbite! The post is about a former Arnold creative who posted a not-for-public-consumption package design for Ocean Spray and all the ensuing nastiness. (I also participated in a bit of a back-n-forth on Facebook with some designer friends about the same thing.)

The solution doesn’t seem to be simple or obvious at the moment. In fact, I now find myself in the strange position where I’ve done award-winning work (well, award-winning in the pharma world), but can’t show any of it because it would violate a particularly onerous NDA. I suppose it’s OK, because I feel like I’ve done better, but what if every agency took this tact? Don’t know about you, but I’d be screwed.

For my own little agency, when I partner directly with our clients, I ask the folks who work with me to always make sure that whatever they post on their own sites—print ad, TV spot, website, sell sheet, brochure, whatever—has the proper attributions. What did you (the poster) do? Who’d ya do it for? I took this step a few years back in response to one “art director” who decided to post a logo/identity and resulting product brochure as though it was work he did by himself for his own client.

I never ever never ever never ever never present work done under the employ of a big agency as my own. But it’s tricky—I may need to show stuff to back up claims of experience (e.g., brand or tactic). However, I always qualify the creative with the proper attributions.

How do you work around this?