Imitation = flattery? I could do without…
We’ve been in the biz long enough now that we’ve come across our fair share of imitators. Most have been smart enough to change our work enough that it’s not a (legal) issue, but a surprising number have not.
The most recent copycat is of particular annoyance, given that their company is also called… wait for it… Sage Media Design. Their website claims copyright dating back to 2002, though they’ve only registered in March of this year. They have not only copied our company name, but also sections of our website nearly word-for-word.
Now, I know there are other companies out there with similar names, who use different TLD’s for their websites. The .com version is a stinky link farm which the owner refuses to give up, and as for the others, well frankly they’re not now nor have they ever been a threat… and these guys are no different. Competition is healthy and I welcome it, but at least have the intellectual fortitude to come up with your own material.
In a broader sense, I would hate for people to confuse our work with that of our imitators. Not to mention the fact that if they steal our actual design work, they are also effectively stealing the property of our clients. I don’t think so, kimosabe. As an aside, we have called out other imitators in this situation, and they were very quick to remove the work from their portfolios.
Last year, I fired a junior designer who had pulled parts of his portfolio directly from a stock illustration website. He lasted a week. The good news is, these people are always discovered eventually… the bad news is, by the time you find out the truth, it may be too late. You may be forced to make the choice between losing your deposit, or continuing with an incompetent “designer” and either living with the results, or having to do it over again.
This all brings up an important point for consumers and customers in general… do your homework when sourcing talent for your company. If you’ve been referred to a company or designer by a friend or colleague, make sure the website you land on actually belongs to the right party. If it’s a .ca site, make sure that’s where you are. If you land on a link farm, hit the ‘back’ button to avoid supporting their sneaky domain squatting.
Check testimonials. Examine portfolios carefully. Do a web search on the company/person’s name to see what else they’ve been up to. Opportunism and plagiarism are rampant in the design industry, and it’s very much a buyer-beware environment.
Not that I want to scare anybody, but I would be remiss in ignoring the problem. Be smart about your sourcing process, find a proper professional who you like and trust, and you’ll be golden.
