Boagworld Forum
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It's common practice for web designers to include a small link in the footer of a website which credits the site design to them and links back to their website. The more I think about it, it seems like a strange practice. Print designers don't insert credit to themselves on print pieces. You never see credit to ad agencies in small type at the bottom of ads. So, why do we do it on the web? And should we do it? After all, the site wouldn't exist if the client hadn't paid us to make it, and one would assume the client and possibly other professionals played a major role in the site's creation (ie. editors, photographers, etc.) So why do we web designers feel OK with claiming all the credit?
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It's uncommon in print but not in film or music for people to get credit in some form or another. With larger companies, however, you simply aren't allowed to. Though, to be honest, if you're working for them it doesn't overly matter.
Besides, who says we're claiming all the credit? I usually say, "Site designed and developed by Admiral*." in very small text, the last word of which links back to me. If the photos require credit there is either a page for all of that or it's marked below the image. The rest of it comes from various sources and was either provided by the company (and no credit is given because it's there site) or there's a cited author.
Also, while the site wouldn't have existed if someone hadn't told us to make it, you could also say that site wouldn't have existed if we hadn't agreed to make it. No two designers (or developers) will do things the exact same way. The result will always be different, especially with design. Step into any design 101 class and see the variety of projects being created that all have the exact same brief.
One question you don't address is what's the harm? Do these sites, or anyone else, suffer from my little 12px bit of text at the bottom telling you who made what you see?
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I think it is okay if the client is happy. We don't force it as an issue. If the client is uncomfortable with it then we leave it off. No big deal.
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We use a small link in the bottom right same as Doug, we even (at times) include a small logo as long as it doesn't impact the design any.
One thing I wondered is the actual benefit of this. Of course there's the obvious SEO benefit but I was wondering if anyone had had a new client appear due to seeing the link at the bottom of another clients site? I guess it happens sometimes as with all things.
As for the harm well I can't really see harm as long as the client doesn't mind in which case take it off and find another way to get your SEO 'juice' from their site :)
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In reply to Darren, yes I've had a recent enquiry from someone who saw my link on another site [the prospective client liked the site, yay!) and it looks like they will become a new client.
Otherwise, I usually add a link back but if the client doesn't want it, that's fine also. -
I have seen it in a few freelancers contracts that they will get credit and must have as the design is copyright to the agency.
I don't think it's right or wrong either way - other industries do similar things and it seems pretty standard for it to happen. -
I come from a long printing background and it's actually quite common to add credit for printers and designers to printed material. Maybe not so much on smaller items, but on larger-size work- posters, books, magazines, brochures etc, you'll quite often see credit attributed. In the case of printing of political material, it's the law (unsure about UK, but definitely in ROIreland) to credit the printers/publishers of material produced. My personal feeling on adding credit to website is that I think it actually adds further credibility to a business website- much like having actual contact details for the website owner on the site. It shows that a business has invested in a professional entity to create their website- not just a $50 site. Of course, I wouldn't insist on adding it if a client objected, but it hasn't happened so far.
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I'm with Paul on this, if the client is happy for you to leave a link then it's alright to do so. But ask them first, don't just presume it will be alright. Is it useful? Definitely. I wish more people would do it. We've been looking for a freelance designer and I've been trying to hunt down the designers of various websites I like to contact them. If they left a link back to their site it would make my job a lot easier!
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I also add my links because apart from anything if I see a site design that I like I want to know who has done it but maybe I'm too nosey lol. I think if your proud of the site you have created it should be linked back to you and credit given. I think in web design it is kind of expected like when you add the copywrite symbol to photographs which is why it doesn't bother too many people.
I personally think I would be a bit offended if somebody refused to have a link back because it would make me question if I had done enough to please them.
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A bit cheeky perhaps, but it can also be used as a bargaining tool. I used to work in design agencies where our default site agreement stated that we'd place a discrete link back to our agency site. For most clients that's no problem.
However, if at any point the client wanted to do something with their site that we really advised against (I don't know, like playing music on the homepage or something) and we really weren't winning the battle, we'd say okay we'd do it, but we were going to remove our name from the site. That was often enough to make them realise we were serious and think again about taking our advice.
No one wants to launch a new site that's already been disowned by the people who built it.
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Meh. If client has an issue, we remove, but this rarely happens. Helps with SEO and getting new business. Considering some of the more nefarious black arts of web development, it is definitely on the more ethical side of the scale.
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If the client doesn't want it than I guess there is nothing you can do although that doesn't stop you putting it comments within the source.
This is of course under the assumption that clients even notice it at the bottom of the page! -
We always let our clients know that we don't use traditional advertising methods, therefore reducing the cost of the work we do. Instead we add a small link to our website in the footer and rely on referrals. I have never had a client object to this method in the 11 years I have been publishing on the web.
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@starydynamo I think that might be a little on sneaky side. You should always ask if its ok to add a link back
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Same here, @drewm - we mention it in our standard agreement, and we've never had anybody object. That said, we wouldn't have any problem taking it out if a client asked. We've actually received a fair amount of business from these links. Along these lines, how many of us have left a referring link off of a site that has gone "awry" due to design disagreements with the client? I've been there a few times.
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@invalid_arg yeah maybe although you have to wonder why they wouldn't want you to claim authorship of your work?
I have never had an issue with it, not even a mention as an issue -
@starydynamo Some companies can be a little funny about things like this. Its just the way they are. If I was being cynical I'd say it's that they want people to think it was designed in house :S
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I try and put a link on the site but it's optional most clients don't mind especially if I've done a good job. It's also a useful way of proving to new clients genuine work completed. It's easy for a company to send out a bunch of links to sites they claim to have worked on, whereas they may not have been involved quite to the level one may expect. By displaying a credit clearly shows significant involvement, typically I'll use 'Designed by...', 'Developed by...' or 'Designed and developed by...' depending on my involvement.
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I like Sarah Parmenter's story of having something inquisitive like "designed by you know who" as a way to pique interest.
Agree that it's good for some stuff, but probably not good for massive companies. Thing is though, if you don't get a link on the site and someone is interested in who designed it, the chances are they'll search for 'Brandname + designer', so it might be worth tweaking your SEO on your portfolio for that. -
We're not precious about this, and on a lot of the larger projects, it just doesn't "feel" appropriate. I have had a few clients say to me "About this credit to looktouchfeel in the footer.... if you had wanted to advertise on my site, we should have talked rates" (they had their tongue in their cheek, but they were being serious!). We do win new business from it on a regular basis though, so I don't plan to stop as long as the clients are cool with it.
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I personally feel if you have paid for a site then you shouldn't have to credit anyone, after all you paid for it. If someone has developed your site for free (or at a discount) or you are using a free theme, then it is the right thing to have a link back to the developer site.
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jrainsford said:
it's actually quite common to add credit for printers and designers to printed material.
Yup I've even seen it on takeaway menus
jrainsford said:In the case of printing of political material, it's the law
I believe it's the same here, you have to say where you get your printing done, who designed it etc and most importantly who paid for it all
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I agree with Paul and many others here. I state that I'll be including a link in my contract but if someone is really against it, I'll omit it. Magazines always list the art director and/or designer, books often do too.
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I sometimes include a credit on client sites, but most times I'm not fussed.
I find client's attitudes toward designer/developer credits interesting, though.
I did have one potential client whose project brief stated that the designer/developer was NOT allowed a credit. The irony: the client's budget was $800, significantly less than I would have quoted. Needless to say I laughed in their face (via email). I found it hilarious that not only did this client want to rip their web designer off, they wanted to deny them further business.
On the flipside, clients often offer me a credit on their site as a way of saying "thanks for a job well done", which is nice.
To avoid any confusion, if you want a credit it's best to include this as a clause in your client agreement. I've seen contracts that also specifically give the web designer the right to request that the credit is removed in future. This protects against a situation where the client messes up the site to a degree that you no longer wish your name associated with it! -
Paul, do you just add it in & wait to see if they bring it up, do you ask or is it in the contract somewhere?boagworld said:I think it is okay if the client is happy. We don't force it as an issue. If the client is uncomfortable with it then we leave it off. No big deal.
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I have a clause in my contracts which says you can request that I remove the credit link to my site (basically). No one has ever had an issue, because actually it is pretty normal practice, its how the web works in essence (links).Bigger companies will just say no, and thats fine - because you are working for them, so it doesnt matter that much. Different media have different ways of crediting... films may not name some company but they may give their logo a few seconds of air time on a product in the film.
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I always ask and no one has ever refused, in fact many clients say that I can add a small link I think they view it as a small thanks for doing a good job for them. I too have had a few enquiries via these links.
I also like it from a personal POV I'm always clicking the links to check out the company who built a certain site, like others have said its how the web works. I like to see how their other work measures up.
You never posted back, what did you ultimately decide having considered all of the above?
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Thanks to all the feedback, I decided I was over thinking and it's generally a good idea to include a credit on client sites. :-)I do think I will make it a point to ask, though.One wrinkle for me is that many projects I do for small businesses don't have a design phase. My involvement includes training the client to use WordPress, matching them up with an appropriate WP theme, advising on best ways to write and organize the site, then installing/configuring any necessary plugins or special layouts (example: a-dac.com). So, a credit line of "Designed by Pearl Street Studio" might not be accurate. Having a hard time deciding what I'd say instead ... "Produced", "Coordinated", "Made possible by".Any suggestions?
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"Website by Pearl Street Studios."
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I like it. Nice and simple. Thanks!
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Regarding print you nearly always find a production credit in a book. Most times the printer and often the person who designed the cover perhaps. It's not uncommon for a graphic design studio to add credit in a book either. No harm. Just ask the client first, most times they will be cool with it. I've heard the phrase 'white labelling', mainly used by the bigger corporations to claim credit for themselves for something that was outsourced.
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How about following the publishing tradition of a colophon page? Typically a colophon included practical information about who printed the book, on what kind of paper and what typeface was used. Credits to contributing artists like photographers or acknowledgments might also be included.Like a book, publishing a website is a complex process which often has many contributors. It is to our advantage to help the general public understand this complexity and a colophon page would do a much better job of conveying that than a simple "Website by X" line in the footer. It would of course mention the entity who designed/developed the website, but could also give credit to any assistive technology like CMS, frameworks, etc. (so long as that wasn't a security risk). It could be like a brag page for the web designer, boasting the use of HTML5 or responsive design features.Just a thought. :-) Here is a nice description and some examples of colophons: http://virtualkaren.com/colophons.aspx
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http://humanstxt.orgThis way is becoming more accepted to. I believe it's included in the HTML5 boilerplate.
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I like the idea of humans.txt. It allows the web developers to speak directly to the people who care about things like what framework was used to develop a site.Other ideas for 'hiding' a credit from clients, but exposing it to other developers are in HTML comments, CSS comments, or an author meta tag.Of course none of these options achieve what is probably the main goal of putting your name on a website, which is to attract new business.I think colophons can work, and definitely seem popular at the moment. I think the first time I saw it done (and called a 'colophon') was on http://dis.bobulate.com/about/. I'm not sure I've seen it done frequently (at all?) on corporate sites though.
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I don't because it's good for nerds, not me. I put a link there so people know. It's my maker's mark. Human.txt requires people go for it.
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Most of my clients allow me to put a link some where at the bottom of the site. Some even mention it specifically without me asking
