Designers against designers

During this time, I was highly influenced by the work ethics of some of the renowned graphic designers. They worked in collaboration with other designers around the world to produce awe inspiring work. After attending one such Design Meet, I decided to give collaboration a shot.

My collaborators were a small sized Bangalore based agency and in their own words, " WE YEARN ... for cross-disciplinary dialogue so we can collaborate with other designers, professionalize the functioning of graphic designers as a collective - so the collective may be granted 'Industry' status in the future". The Studio Head was an old acquaintance and they contacted me to work on a brochure.

The project commenced on professional terms and gradually business was conducted on the bases of TRUST. *alarm bells in head ignored*


I possibly committed every professional blunder a designer could.

Agreed to work in half the price
Did not push for an advance
Did not renegotiate cost when project exceeded the agreed duration
Accepting client calls at odd hours, etc.

This happened last August. I have not received any money from the agency yet.

I'm sure some of us – independent professional who run small setups, have experienced something similar at some point in our career.

My concerns are...

• Would naming and shaming the client defaulting on payment make me look cheap and vulnerable?
• Is taking the matter to court justified? Is it worth my peace of mind? Is it worth my time?
• Is it about self respect? 
• Would publicly (social media) humiliating the client work against me – would it be construed as unprofessional?
• Would I be viewed as an embarrassment to the design fraternity by speaking up?
• Would potential clients evade me out of fear or embarrassment?
• Are these genuine concerns or just a rant??