There has been a lot of discussion lately about spec work; which seems to come in waves for some odd reason. My opinion on spec work has changed from when I was a wee little student to now, an emerging professional designer.
For those out of the loop, I want to define spec work. I’ll also tackle the pros/cons and my position. I also have a list of resources for and against spec work at the bottom of the post and feel free to share your opinion and resources in the comments.
Essentially, spec work is a project(s) that a designer creates in anticipation of being compensated but not guaranteed. A common example is a logo contest. A “client” posts a project via an outlet needing a logo. The client will award $400 to the best logo from a pool of participating “designers.”
Why Participate in Spec Work?
Clients utilize the spec work method for the following reasons:
- Ability to choose from a large pool of designs
- Save money by paying a much smaller amount than hiring a designer
- Gain full rights to the design without any contracts
- Fast turnaround, usually a week
Designers utilize spec work for these reasons:
- Quick way to earn cash with communicating with the client
- Fast way to build portfolio pieces
- Way to earn a smaller second income
- Way to practice and expand personal design skills
Pros and Cons for Clients
The big advantage for clients, which is the most inviting, is saving money. Especially when businesses and organizations need to save every single penny, a cheap logo, web layout, or brochure sounds great for the business. Even start-up companies that have very little money, find it affordable to utilize a contest web site and find a spec work designer.
Of course, this isn’t exactly good for the business (client). There is little to no interaction between the client and the designer. Interaction and communication is key in building an effective brand/design/project. Designers are blindly designing for a client based on a few specifications.
The advantage for a client in spending money using a freelance designer or design agency is knowing there will be a quality design that actually fits the brand and identity of the client.
Pros and Cons for Designers
Designers have the opportunity to “practice” their design skills and experiment without putting their reputation or potential freelance clients on the line. Emerging designers have the opportunity, with spec work, to build their portfolio before gaining freelance clients or applying for a position at an agency.
Unfortunately, the designers participating in spec work are not gaining valuable communication and interaction skills with clients. Designers learn from the clients and apply what they learn to the design and the design process.
My Position
The design process is more important than the design itself. A good process leads to a good design. Working with a client, a designer begins to understand the brand, understand the target audience, and can effectively apply these attributes to the process which leads to a quality design.
While spec work may be good in the short term for both clients and designers, it will eventually hurt both sides in the long run. The client will need to defend their brand and their identity but cannot because of the lack of communication. The designer loses out on that valuable communication, making it harder to work with potential clients in the future.
I’ve participated in spec work many times. But I also realized that I was only hurting myself as a designer.
If a designer doesn’t really care, think about the community of designers. If clients feel they can save money by participating in spec work, it will begin to de-value design work as whole. Potential clients for freelance designers will use spec work in negotiations to lower the price a designer can charge.
Overall, spec work will hurt everyone in the long run. Think about it.
Resources
NO!SPEC Campaign http://www.no-spec.com/
Is Spec Work Evil, SXSWi 2009 (Video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQu0292dftA
AIGA’s Position on Spec Work http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/position-spec-work
Spec Work and Crowdsourcing: Gambles that Don’t Pay Off – Creative Pro http://www.creativepro.com/article/spec-work-and-crowdsourcing-gambles-dont-pay
The “Pros” and Cons of Spec Work – Just Creative Design http://justcreativedesign.com/2009/08/12/the-pros-and-cons-of-spec-work/
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I totally agree, Dusty. As a freelance videographer, it’s often tempting to work for free to “gain experience” in the industry.
Production companies constantly post jobs for unpaid interns for that very reason, but everyone is getting sold short. The creative industry is challenging, competitive and lucrative, but it’s not for everyone. People who do good work deserve to get paid.
Great post!
Some excellent points here, Dusty.
The one thing to consider is that more often than not, most clients utilizing sites like crowdSpring or 99Designs are little mom & pop flower shops that are looking for nothing more than a logo.
It’s also important to understand the difference between a design contest and having a potential client ask you to design without guaranteed compensation. The latter is highly frowned upon in my mind, but the former seems like an excellent way to hone one’s skills and gain some real world experience.
To each his own, I suppose.
Not sure if you read my brief stance on spec work, but feel free to check it out at blog.evanstremke.com
All the best.
Nice Dusty.
I abhor sites like crowdspring. Not only for the reasons you mentioned above, but the client is the sole decider, without any sort of explanation and consideration about target market and to hear out the designer the designer thinks. It’s essentially shopping picking and choosing something based on preference only.
And as a designer I’m going to work on my own projects to hone my design skills or do pro-bono work where i have more control. It takes time to learn new things, not a fast turnaround found on many spec sites.
Evan – Very good point. I never thought about the smaller businesses that need something simple and don’t have much money.
Hopefully larger businesses and organizations don’t fall into the spec work trap. They should realize that they will receive better quality from an agency/firm/good-freelancer.
Ross – I totally agree. Communication is extremely important for both the client and the designer.
Tim – The entire creative field is affected by spec work. It’s great to hear from someone in the motion/production area.