My friend is a graphic designer,and quite frankly too trusting. I have finally succeeded in drilling it in his head that if any potential client or employer asks for a sample of his work,then he needs to either
A: give a partially completed piece that shows off what he can do but can't be used
B: Watermark it.
I convinced him because I basically told him word for word how an interaction with a seedy sounding client was going to go without having seen it.he didn't believe me,and got burned.
Company: “If you're not able to remove the water mark,then I'm sorry,we won't be able to consider you for employment”
Me: “there won't be any employment. This is a tactic they're using to get free work. If you give in,they will take it and ghost.”
Sure enough that's exactly what happened. Days of work and a good chunk of change down the drain.
He learned the next time around. Another company pulling the “oh but the watermark is making it impossible to see your work” routine. This was his response:
“I made very sure the watermark did not in any way interfere with your ability to asses my skills. I would be more than happy however,to send the design without the watermark upon signing of an employment contract or alternatively, payment of my invoice for the work at my standard rate.”
What was their response you ask? Ghosted him
Lesson learned