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Are Your Client’s Clients Your Clients?





Here's a question for all my fellow independent freelance professionals... Say a design or media firm hires you to work on a project for one of their regular big-name clients, like Hasbro or Mattel, etc. Is it right or even ethical to list Mattel or Hasbro on your own client list on your website and collateral?

I mean technically they *aren't* your client but you *did* do work for their company, and we all know how much credibility big name clients can bring to your business.

So, do you list them right in there with your other clients? Not list them at all? List them with a disclaimer?

I'm interested in your take on this so please leave your thoughts in the comment area below, thanks!

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This was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 1:04 pm. You can follow any responses through the RSS 2.0 feed.

3 responses to “Are Your Client’s Clients Your Clients?”

  1. § David on June 15th, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    On a C.V., most people would write who they were working for at any given time and then expand and explain what they did, whilst working for that firm.

    If freelancing, a similar approach should be taken, so a header would be the name of the agency and then one could put a list below each agency/media firm.
    Or write it in a sentence. For example:

    “Whilst I was working for MegaTalentAgency, I was the chief architect on a design project for a new website for BestFizzydrinkCompany.”

    It is important to accurately represent your role in a project.

  2. § John on June 18th, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    I agree with David. I’ll often phrase it like ‘worked together with SuchandSuch to produce graphics for BigCompany’

  3. § free online arcade on August 2nd, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    I wouldn’t say list them as your client, but I would list them in your portfolio.
    “I’ve done work for Hasbro” is different, yet more truthful, than “Hasbro paid me to do work for them,” which is implied by “client.”

    Perhaps rewording your portfolio to remove the word “client” altogether, just including a complete list of ‘works done,’ which can morally/ethically/truthfully include Hasbro (or parts of).

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