#no!spec

When more people vote, more people win.

  The NYC Campaign Finance Board, of all places, may have me rethinking my general rule against design contests. For the most part, I’m opposed to working for free (like most of us are). Spec work “for exposure” or “to see if I like it” isn’t an arrangement that would ever fly at the grocery store or doctor’s office, and contests don’t actually fulfill the real needs of the organization or…

Why no one, especially artists and writers shouldn’t work for free. 

This is about speculative work aka contests/working for “exposure” etc. I thought it was relevant given the “Contributions” controversy with @officialvoltageotome among other things.

I just read another post where someone famous promoted a contest for an event poster design. Everyone thinks it's cool to do because a much Tumblr-loved celebrity shared it. And it makes me sad. And kind of angry. 

Every day, graphic designers get to go back to work and struggle against the very real notion that our work has no value. That any one with a computer and Microsoft Publisher or Adobe Photoshop can design. That our opinions are somehow less valuable because the tools we use are accessible to everyone in some form. 

My profession is so devalued that no one blinks an eye having a contest to pick which version someone likes best at the expense of experience, research and discussion. Where people expect designers to do just as much work as they would for paying clients but with no expectation of payment for that work or of that work even being used. Let's not even start on usage rights and how these contests often will simply snatch those away uncompensated. 

This isn't too say I can't do pro bono work. I can. On my terms. I can choose when to give my work away. But not too a client that is letting any one submit work. Pro bono is a working relationship that has been entered into where it is understood my work has value. I chose what to give away and when. 

Would you ask a doctor to stitch up a bleeding wound with the expectation that you would only pay after the work was done and if you felt it was worth some money? And maybe you wouldn't pay them. Because really, the exposure will be great when you tell your friends about the doctor. And here's a tee-shirt. 

Would you do that at a restaurant? A salon? A clothing store? Why is it OK to treat graphic designers that way? 

ABOUT NO!SPEC

This is probably helpful for anyone working as (or aspiring to work as) an illustrator/graphic designer/artist/anything creative.

NO!SPEC has lots of information about what spec work is (speculative work), and why it's harmful to everyone in the visual communication industry. The FAQ page is very helpful to understand the basics: http://www.nospec.com/faq

My opinion on spec work is the following; don't worry about it. If you are a designer and you agree to not doing any spec work then that is entirely your business, and you should keep it that way. What you shouldn't do as a designer is, hassle another designer for doing spec work; whether it's freelance or on a crowd-sourcing website such as 99designs. If you're a client looking for design work then you should read up on what "spec work" is. In a lot of cases, the client has no idea what this is and what the repercussions are. However, he/she can choose which path to take but both the client and designer should at least be fully aware of the entire situation.

Moving on to crowd-sourcing. I truly believe crowd-sourcing provides not only the client options but the designer as well. Design at the most fundamental core is creating a solution to a problem. Crowd-sourcing allows the client to view and choose a solution from a large creative pot; creating opportunities that otherwise would never exist. From a designer standpoint, the competition motivates you to find a unique solution and allows for an interesting relationship to take place between the client and designer. Crowd-sourcing is a different approach to tackling a problem and coming up with a solution. Although, it may have its benefits, it comes with a huge toll in which many designers are left with no compensation at all. Those who wish to participate in crowd-sourcing should be fully aware of the situation and know what they're getting into. If you do not wish to participate then that is your choice but don't badmouth those designers that decide to take part, the organizations that host it, or the platforms that enable crowd-sourcing. Crowd-sourcing will never replace or kill the design industry because there will always be clients who need 1-on-1 design solutions. Which I believe offers a better understanding of the problem; thus creates a far more unique solution.

Finally, my last thought towards designers on this situation is, be the best designer you can possibly be, because nothing else matters. Spec work aside, worry about yourself and the solutions that you create. Worrying about competition or the loss of potential work, will never get you anywhere in the design world or in life. The most successful people (whether that's actors, film makers or artists) focus on the situation at hand and work hard to accomplish their goal. There will always be work available to you no matter what, especially now, because we are living in such a global environment. If you dedicate yourself to solving problems and constantly learning then there will always be work for you as a designer. It's that simple.

I personally try to avoid spec work, but I also have nothing against it. At the end of the day, the clients who wish to participate in crowd-sourcing are probably not the ones you want and are likely the ones you will end up complaining about on Twitter.