How much work should a designer do?
I guess that depends upon who you ask!
This is an opinion piece!
Now before I get into the deep and meaning section of this post, I must say that in general people who reach out with questions and ask for help, are on the whole lovely. This post does delve into the darker side of designing. So if this is not for you then that is okay!
I would like to try and tactfully highlight a side of designing that many would not consider. I co-run a designer support group which means that I am in contact with over 450 other crochet designers. We could all write a book with tales of what goes on behind the scenes.
Patterns do not suddenly appear in written format for people to make and use, and while many seem to think that all patterns should be offered free for use, the reality is that for many of those who design, this is a business.
We try to make our patterns user friendly but we are human and every so often an error will slip through. I know if this happens I correct this as soon as possible. I don’t want a pattern to be out there with an error.
Most of my patterns are of an intermediate level. I know I spend hundreds of hours to get patterns that are of this level tested and published. I put as much information into these as I can, in an effort to try and make them as user friendly as possible.
This year alone I know of 2 incredible designers who simply gave up desigining and this is where I get to the point of this post.
Designers deserve to be paid for their work. They offer up a pattern for a few dollars and hopefully this is well written and error free (don’t forget the human factor). We have people purchase from all over the world and with this in mind, a designer may well be asleep when people decide they need a question answered. Answering questions takes time.
Questions can be as simple as people not being able to download on the platform they purchased from, to numerous other issues. People who message often assume a designer can instantly know where they purchased the pattern from. Many designers sell on multiple platforms and unless a person states that they bought from a specific one, it takes time to sort through sales information to find just where a person purchased from. I often have contact, where the person states that they bought my dragonfly pattern. I have over 20 dragonfly patterns. This usually then results in a scramble at my end to find what pattern was purchased. This means searching through each sales list, on each platform.
Many issues that occur, such as the download problem, can be solved by a simple Google search on how to download from a specific platform.
Most designers will state the ability level required to attempt a pattern. Please look for this and keep it in mind when you make a purchase. If a pattern states intermediate level, you can assume that it is expected for you to have a good understanding of crochet techniques, to be able to read a pattern and comprehend how repeats can be formatted.
Please try to be patient and understanding that designers get many questions. I can be almost ready to get into bed for the night and a message pops up with someone wanting help. Or I may be out shopping and without access to the patterns. There could be a sick child in the house or any one of a million situations that a designer is dealing with and many questions result in a need to research each pattern to understand what the customers issue is. I have well over 100 designs and really do not remember every row of every pattern I have done without looking.
I would also like to touch on a few other instances that people may not be aware of.
FREE PATTERNS
Many designers will offer free patterns in the hope that they will draw traffic to their webpages. This is where the complaints begin. Just a few of the messages that people have taken the time to send to designers:
It’s pointless trying to do this pattern, as you have too many ads on your webpage.
You have a buy me a coffee button on the page and are trying to make me feel guilty and buy you a coffee.
This is not a free pattern as I cannot print it out.
I am a beginner and WANT a video tutorial, can you do this for me.
I want to do this in a larger size and so want you to spend several hours doing the calculations so I can.
REVIEWS
While reviews have their place and are a necessary thing, there are times when it would be nice if a customer stopped for one minute before pressing that post button and thought for a moment. Just because I have not been able to make this, does it mean there is an issue? I didn’t ask for help, but I will blame the design or the designer for this, and my review will reflect this.
Once a review is left it can impact a designer in a good or negative way. Many factors come into play.
Designers who sell on the Etsy platform are now also finding that we are held to ransom with this new STAR SELLER badge that Etsy has decided to implement. Etsy does not seem to recognize that those buying a pattern do not want to leave a review right after purchase as they have not made the item yet.
This does not stop them from sending constant emails to the buyer requesting they do so. This sometimes means that a buyer will do a review to shut Etsy up. They have not made this item and so may decide to leave a 4 star or less due to this.
What impact does this have on the designer?
I had this situation a while back:
