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Are Spec work and Design Contests Evil?
Have you heard of crowdsourcing, design contests, and speculative work?
Speculative work is a piece of creative work that is rendered, partially or completely, without entering into a definitive agreement with a client to secure the work and ensure an appropriate payment. The process is often glorified in circumstances like a contest, in order to drive some competitive spirit and make designers do more to “win”.
Continue reading: Is Spec Work Evil?
It’s bad for businesses, not just for exploited designers: Design contests are dangerous for your business.
Yes, spec work and design contests are evil.
First, here’s my rant
Try going to a bunch of brain surgeons and telling them that whoever does the best work for you wins, and only that one will get paid.
Is that stretching it too far? Well, how about asking a bunch of lawyers the same question. No?
Maybe accountants would be willing… actually, probably not.
How about the mechanics in your area – will they participate in a contest to fix your car?
Okay then, how about your plumber? The best toilet-fixer wins. Hmmm.
Maybe plumbers and mechanics are worth more than designers. How about a house cleaner then? How about inviting all the house cleaners over to your house, and only the one that does the best cleaning, wins and gets paid. Sound good?
Bottom line
If you can’t afford to hire a real designer, then work on your business or save up until you can, just like you would with any other professional you want to hire. If you engage in this type of transaction, think about whether your doctor, lawyer, or plumber would be happy to work for you for free in the hopes that you choose them as the winner, and only then pay their bill.
That aside, it’s risky for your business because you could very well be getting design work that is plagiarized and breaking copyright law.
Not only do you risk shoddy work and legal dramas, but you miss out on the all-important relationship you need to build with a designer to get designs that truly reflect what your business is about. If you don’t have that close relationship where the designer does in-depth research on your business and your needs, you will simply end up with a ‘pretty picture’ that may not send the right message at all.
Don’t take my word for it though. Read all about the risks and dangers in these detailed articles:
235 years of Unpaid designer time?!
Must read: Is Spec Work Evil?
Excerpt: Spec Watch does have some numbers on certain spec work-oriented sites. One, 99designs, boasts over $5,512,961 in payouts to “designers” and 2,061,258 designs submitted. If we crunch the numbers, that means each design has only been seen as worth $2.67 which is where our problems with spec work start.
Spec Watch crunches even more numbers and comes up with a figure of 232 years of unpaid designer’s work on 99designs. Of course, that time includes designs for graphics and other creative work, but there’s still the universal abundance of unpaid work which isn’t favorable for anyone who makes a living as a designer.
If, on average, each submission took 1 hour (not unreasonable once we average completion time required from reading the contest brief, developing a concept, development and sourcing, creation and uploading to the 99designs server) that represents a total of approximately two million man hours.
That is the equivalent of over two hundred and thirty years of unpaid designer time.
Like choosing a Mail-Order Bride
Must read: Design contests are dangerous for your business
Excerpt: Once the winner of the contest is chosen, the company has committed itself into a relationship with the designer. Now, at least on some level, the company is going to have to deal with this person. It’s not unlike choosing a mail-order bride based just on a picture. It’s not going to matter how pretty she is in the picture if she’s a complete and total shrew in person, or if it’s discovered that she can’t speak your language and has no skills to speak of. I’d venture to guess that very few of the companies running contests have the knowledge of the design industry to take over a project should they discover that their winner’s only skill is in making pleasing pictures.
How well can you really know a mail-order bride?
Real-Life Stories
SpecWatch: http://www.specwatch.info/papers.html (Real-life case studies of the dangers)
Excerpt: A buyer for one project has posted their current logo on their site, and it is not only using stock art, it also has the little i-stock emblem on it, which means they not only used stock, they didn’t even pay for it… It is more visible if you download the file they provide in the brief.
Winning logo in a design contest
The actual original that was plagiarized
Watermark of stolen image still on winning logo
Say no to unfair, risky design contests
NO!SPEC: http://www.no-spec.com/
10 Benefits of a Professional Web Design
Image: shutterstock
This is an absolutely brilliant article from Naldz Graphics. I’ve been saying all these things for years – it’s why I became a Web Design Makeover Consult for small business owners. Be sure to follow the link and read the entire story. It’s vital for your business.
“Professionals always make sure that their offices, their uniforms and even their actions look professional. Even the manner of speaking needs to sound professional in order to communicate well with people in the industry. This goes to show that everything should exude professionalism in order to be successful in whatever field one wants to make a name in. It is also important in order to have high sales and to get the attention and trust of the people.
“Websites are also part of the business. Hence, it is also important for the website to look professional. Online reputation is important these days because most people rely on the internet. Even business can succeed through the internet. So, we will enumerate the benefits of having a professional website so that you can have a better understanding on its importance.”
Continue reading: 10 Benefits of a Professional Web Design.
