A couple of weeks back, we published a feature on a vibrant cannabis brand identity. But the feedback from one reader took us by surprise. Rather than engaging with the work itself, they raised a more uncomfortable question: was any of it real?
For John Gilsenan, owner of IWANT design, this wasn’t just an academic curiosity, but a personal issue. Two of his own clients had recently commissioned designers based on portfolios that turned out to be almost entirely conceptual. No clients. No briefs. No printer negotiations, trademark searches or budget constraints. Just beautiful work, impeccably presented.
Yet as John notes, creating concept work is very different from completing a commercial project. “The problem they’re solving is one they have created,” he emphasises. “They design the brief and execute it. Real-world projects have the biggest hurdle: the client. But it’s all the extras—the sourcing, the project management, the feasibility, managing budgets, solving unexpected issues that arise, selling the idea, managing relationships—that make the difference.”
It’s a fair point. So we put the question to our community: Is it ethical to present concept work as if it were real?
The case for concept work
The debate was lively, but on one point at least, the consensus was clear: concept work itself can have real value.
For those early in their careers, personal and speculative projects are often the only way in. As graphic designer Bryson King puts it. “We’ve all worked with clients who, even with our best efforts, just didn’t want what we could truly offer. I don’t think anyone should be punished because the clients they can get aren’t open to hearing what a designer has to say. This could start an inescapable loop of tough clients and unrewarding projects, because that’s all anyone would ever see.”
Design recruiter Dan Poole concurs. “Many designers don’t get access to projects that really show what they can bring to a project,” he says. “I love seeing a mix of live work and then an Instagram account full of personal explorations reflecting the designer’s tastes and inspirations.”
Illustrator Ollie Hirst, who’s used speculative work to land magazine cover commissions, takes a similar line. “Spec work is key to positioning yourself and not waiting for permission to make the work you want to make,” he believes. “The world is too busy for people to wait for the right time and opportunity to commission you.”
Art director Stepan Solodkov, draws an interesting analogy here. “I see concept works as similar to haute couture,” he explains. “The latter rarely appears in real life exactly as on the runway, but it inspires and evolves. Both concept designs and haute couture often contain bold, experimental ideas that may not work in reality, but can spark something meaningful.”
The messy middle
Others, though, note that concept work isn’t the only way you can show your true ideas and potential as a designer. John Ball, principal and creative director at MiresBall, begins by acknowledging that, “for students and early career creatives, it’s all about made-up projects—you’ve got to start somewhere. But then there’s that messy middle: the awesome direction the client didn’t choose, the director’s cut that sidesteps misguided client-mandated changes, or the idea you proposed that they should have done, but didn’t.”
This notion of a ‘grey zone’ resonates with many. Lola Hoad, founder of Good Call Studio, is currently publishing work from her own hard drive; directions that never got signed off, but which were shaped by real briefs and real conversations. “When it’s published with the right framing, it shows how you think before things converge,” she reasons. “That’s genuinely useful to put out there.”
What concept work can’t show
While sharing concept work can be acceptable, though, there’s no denying that it’s not without issues. As Lola puts it: “Real client work is messy and collaborative in ways that brief prompts just don’t replicate. One project where you navigated actual feedback, actual constraints, an actual human with lots of opinions; I think that does more good than five beautifully executed concepts.”
Whether you should share concept work, adds Carlos Bocai, design director at Base Design, is largely about the stage you’re at as a designer. “When you’re further on in your career, the skills related to real work are very important, so concept work is way less relevant. I wouldn’t trust a senior designer or design director who only has concept projects in their portfolio.”
How to label concept work
When you do choose to share concept work, being honest about it is crucial. As Stepan says: “Concepts absolutely have a place in design, as long as they’re clearly labelled as concepts.”
Freelance designer Stephanie Jade Howe agrees. “I always make sure to include at the top of my case study who the client is, or in this case, that it’s for a speculative project,” she says. “Then nothing can get mixed up.”
Not everyone follows this good example, though. “There’s definitely been an uptick in designers presenting conceptual work as if it were the real thing,” reports Lola. “Brief club prompts dressed up as full case studies, fictional clients, everything polished to within an inch of its life.
“I get it,” she adds. “You want your portfolio to look legit when you’re just starting out. But I do think it feels icky and misleading when it’s not clearly labelled as what it is. Concept, test, direction, whatever. Just be honest about it!”
Paul Leon, creative director of U037, adds an intriguing suggestion. “If you design a new concept, do it for a brand, then pitch it to that brand,” he says. “Find a name, make a call, send a pitch deck to the company.
“Firstly, you never know: what do you have to lose?” he reasons. “And secondly, but most importantly, that project is now a real, live project. It’s been sent to a real live client by you as a creative, and you can say ‘I worked on this concept pitch to this company.’ It’s what actual studios would do: speculative work is nothing new in the industry, and anyone can do it. It’s earned big wins.”
Key takeaways
Ultimately, the question in our title turns out to have a fairly clear answer. Is it ethical to present concept work as though it’s real? No: not if it’s being passed off as something it isn’t.
At the same time, you can use concept work in your portfolio in good faith to demonstrate skills you haven’t yet had the opportunity to apply commercially. The ethical failure, where it occurs, is one of labelling, not of intent.
As John Gilsenan, the reader who first contacted us, himself concludes: “The consensus, which I agree with, seems to be that concept work is great. Do lots of it and use it, show it off, tell the world. But don’t pretend it’s commissioned work. Let the client know what they’re buying into. Chances are, they may still commission you.”
That feels right. Concept work shows what you’re capable of. Real work shows what you’re like to work with. A portfolio that’s honest about both is worth infinitely more than a polished fiction.
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