The high profile magazine Forbes opened a recent article on spec work with the following statement.
“CrowdSpring aims to slash the cost of graphic design work — and democratize a snooty business.”
The statement alone, let alone Forbes one sided opinion on spec work has generated tons of buzz. David Airey has a nice article on the subject with lots of emotional comments. I did my part by asking fellow designers what they thought on LINKEDin.
My favorite response was from Catherine Azarello:
I haven’t seen the article, so maybe I’m talking out of line, but if Forbes is supporting the use of spec work (by CS or anyone else)–isn’t the thing designers should be reacting to is the entire concept of spec work as legitimate???
Snooty is simply a gross over generalization, a caricature of the industry. Kind of like saying all plumbers are like Dan Akroyd’s butt crack character on SNL many years ago. (I date myself
My own opinion on spec work is a bit mixed.
1. If you’re going to run a contest looking for design talent you should offer a prize in proportion to your overall marketing budget. So if you’re a huge Fortune 500 company with millions of dollars in advertising it’s really an insult to offer a measly $500 in prizes. Give me a break.
2. What looks on the surface to be “democracy” is in actuality “OUT SOURCING”. Whether you’re sending the job to Idaho or Calcutta, when a corporation undercuts industry standards so deeply it all about the bottom line, not about “looking out for the little guy”.
3. I hate to say it but I think that some of the “elite” firms in our industry have brought some of this on themselves. And have heaped a whole lot of this on great designers who happen to be caught in the middle. Maybe they got just a little too comfortable and took their eye off the ball; the ball being quality work and good service.
Needless to say, I don’t see spec-work going anywhere anytime soon. I just have to keep pushing out great work and look for great clients that appreciate it.
Check out the article HERE.
Take a look and the industry’s response HERE.
Tags: Advertising, forbes, graphic design, logo design, Marketing, spec work
2 Responses to “Forbes: Graphic Designers are “Snooty”!”
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Morning People Marketing
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Would you go into a restaurant and ask to eat lunch on spec?
I’m with you all the way on this subject. There will always be a place for graphic designers and web designers no matter how accessible the tools become for the craft. In the world of DIY convenience you still need those who have a unique vision to craft your personal look and one of a kind brand. As for the spec work issue. Its a good thing and a bad thing. Compensation is key and a lot of time the fortune 500’s are just looking for a way to undercut their budget and sucker some poor newcomer into sweating away at the monitor over a million dollars worth of work all for pennies. Not cool man. This is a very nice article and I’m looking forward to even more good stuff. Keep it up.