Method to the Mayhem

The NO!SPEC crusade launched this week with a NO!SPEC Blog.
Say No! to speculative work.

In an effort to educate Visual Communication Designers and those who use their services, on the damaging effects caused by spec work and spec-based design contests, a group of designers from all over the globe banned together, fueled by passion and a lot of caffeine, to bring NO!SPEC to the public.

With legitimate design opportunities turning into calls for spec work at an alarming rate, it is our goal to arm designers with the tools they need to take a stand against this trend, as well as provide businesses with resources and information on why spec work harms our industry, and alternative solutions to their design needs that do not involve working on spec.

NO!SPEC encourage those who are like-minded to support this effort by placing a post a NO!SPEC logo on your site, distributing the Print out our NO!SPEC poster created by top Illustrator Von Glitschka from Glitschka Studios, as well as contributing your thoughts, comments, articles and insights.

It’s time to take a stand! And with the international support of NO!SPEC, we ask that you please join us in promoting professional, ethical business practices by saying NO! to spec.*

What can you do

• Voice your ethics and post a NO!SPEC logo and link on your website or blog.
• Send protest letters to unethical contests.
• Print out our NO!SPEC poster to distribute to design schools.
• Contact Design schools about the NO!SPEC crusade.
• Contact Design Organizations about the NO!SPEC crusade.
• Sign the petition.
• Participate in the NO!SPEC “Have your say” open dialog.
• Contribute to NO!SPEC Surveys.
• Educators - Spread the word, NO!SPEC.
• Students - Practice Safe Ethics.
• Donate your NO!SPEC ideas.
• Translate the contents of this site into your native language.

For more information, please visit www.no-spec.com




*Text taken from the NO!SPEC web site.

Labels: Design, Free Work, No Spec

Posted by Calvin Lee at Saturday, March 18, 2006 | Permalink | Comments

There is a bad trend that has plagued the creative community for quite some time now. This trend is unethical and devalue the expertise and skills of Creatives as a whole, also known as Speculative Work. What is Speculative (spec) Work you may ask? It's when one is asked to perform creative services in exchange for prospective projects or employment. Basically, it's when a potential client or employer wants you the give them some free concepts and designs. If they like your work, they will either award you the project, hire you, or pay you. All concepts, artwork and any materials relating to the spec work becomes property of the person asking for the spec work. You will lose all ownership & rights to the works.

Why do you think the general public doesn't perceive design services or designers as valuable, like any other profession? Why do you think clients and companies low ball? Why do you think low salaries exists?

Students and novice designers fall victim to spec work, becasue their lack of experiece, desperaton or just don't know any better. In the end, they have cheated themselves and added to the spec problem. You wouldn't ask a chef to work on spec., would you? OK, I don't like what you cooked up. I am not going to pay you. How about your doctor on spec? I think not. So why would you ask a designer to do the same?

Another form of spec work, design and logo contests. The promise of great exposure, fame and fortune to the winner(s). What they really are doing is getting hundreds, thousands of free concepts and designs. Again you would lose the rights and ownership to your designs.

We need to educate and bring awareness to companies, businesses and designers, that spec work is not good business and wrong. One such organization getting the word out to the masses is the NO!SPEC Blog. NO!SPEC's conception was sparked from discussions on the About.com graphic design forums. Members of the forum grew tired of all the spec work over taking the design industry. They decided to ban together and do something about it. I am proud to be part of the NO!SPEC Committee.

For more information, please visit www.no-spec.com

Labels: Design, Free Work, No Spec, Spec Work

Posted by Calvin Lee at Friday, March 17, 2006 | Permalink | Comments