Commenting on the Festival d’Avignon almost alienated graphic designers
Renewing its visual identity by consulting dozens of creatives, but without paying them: such was the intention of the Festival. Faced with the mobilization of professionals, he had to backpedal. These practices are far from rare, in both the public and private sectors.
This is an important step in a long fight. The management of the Festival d’Avignon has just given up on the call for tenders it had organized for the renewal of its visual identity. Behind this seemingly technical question hides a crucial issue, that of the working conditions of thousands of professionals.
The case begins on October 5th. To refresh its image, the Festival is organizing a large call for tenders asking visual communication specialists to prepare a graphic identity project. The number of candidates is not limited. To obtain the contract, each of them must design typography, graphic elements, program pages, visuals intended for social networks, pictograms, etc. That means several days of work without compensation.
Large favored structures
“Such wild competition is the worst method, comments one of these professionals. By mobilizing dozens of graphic designers, it causes a tremendous waste of time and money. And it leads to those who are not selected a huge disappointment, especially among beginners. » When the new director of the Festival, Tiago Rodrigueswho took office on 1uh September, announces its intention to promote “responsible projects and respectful ways of working”, the case falls on could not be worse.
An association of graphic designers, the International Graphic Alliance, is therefore preparing a letter of protest. For its part, Fair Public Markets, a Facebook group that hosts 1,850 professionals, is also sending a letter and launching a petition, bringing together more than 1,600 signatories. The text threatens the Festival with legal proceedings for “breach of advertising and competition rules”. He also accuses him of a violation of the “principle of equal treatment between candidates and free access to public procurement”, because he believes that this type of call for tenders favors large structures with the means to respond to them. Tiago Rodrigues refuses to discuss modifying the procedure before bowing, Wednesday, October 19. On the advice of the Cnap (National Center for Plastic Arts) and the DGCA (Directorate General for Artistic Creation), the Festival is therefore moving towards a two-step method: pre-selection on book and cover letter, then final choice among a few finalists, paid 2,000 euros each.
An example ?
Surprised by the reaction of the graphic designers, the direction of the Festival also pleads good faith: without knowing the uses, it had simply wanted to open the consultation to a maximum of candidates, some of whom agreed with the chosen method. She declares review his copy without hesitation, and even with “humility”, with the will to work ” together “ with the creators.
On the side of the profession, it is hoped that this case will serve as an example. The case is all the more sensitive in that it comes at a time when the rise in energy costs and the reduction in subsidies to local authorities are leading to a drop in credits allocated to culture, making a middle of the graphics already weakened by the health crisis. It follows years of mobilization against free work, the Festival d’Avignon not being the first institution pinned down. The purpose of Fair Public Procurement being to“to obtain a right equivalent to that of architects in terms of compensation for creative preliminary projects”when will there be a law to settle the question once and for all?