Umm, no. In fact, contests are nothing like true spec work.

Working in a marketing agency, which is very similar to an ad agency, we have to come up with an idea, develop it, put together a proposal and then pitch it to the client. If the client doesn’t like it, he doesn’t pay. But that’s an awful lot of work to do for free.

Outside of design, spec work is like what some technical people call “RFP”. You can spend a week putting a proposal together for a potential client, 100+ pages covering every aspect of the application they say they want created, but then 20 other companies are also responding to the same RFP and you end up spending weeks for nothing when someone else is chosen.

It’s not the same as a web site that wants a new logo and holds a contest. Not at all.

That being said, I’m not against spec work. It gets abused by some clients, but hey, you should only put a lot of effort into it if you are reasonably sure you will get the work.

And add the cost of that into your pricing. So if you land client A but not client B, both from spec work, then client A has effectively paid for the cost of company B’s proposal as well.

Josh, I totally agree with what you are saying.

From the podcast and comments here, we all seem to agree that working pure spec is bad. No problem. And for the rest, we’ll just have to agree to disagree as there is no way we are all going to see eye to eye on this.

Educating clients away from thinking a request for spec is an approved way of getting design work will continue to be an ongoing issue.

But an additional problem I’m seeing coming via the no-spec.com emails is the lack of education when it comes to what spec is, or isn’t.

Yes, the no-spec.com site was created to educate. But it’s now clear to me that there are way too many young designers who have taken the issue on with a vengeance, yet without an understanding of the differences between working spec, working pro bono and working with a business partner.

Not a week goes by where I’m not receiving an email either from the designer, or the now angry recipient of their no spec focus.

Now, on one hand, we have designers confusing working pro bono and offers of partnerships with working spec. On the other, we have designers receiving actual requests for spec work.

Some of these designers are writing scathing emails to these potential clients requesting spec work. Then forwarding them on to me. Ouch.

So instead of educating themselves, and / or the potential client on the aspects of spec, they are running around beating these poor sods over the head with the no-spec.com logo.

And where’s the sense in that?

So yes, I am very much looking forward to the next Freelance Radio podcast on working spec.
Cat

I was going somewhere with the job interview thing, but the train of though derailed along the way. I think Von put it very well, and I subscribe to his sentiments in regards to spec work.

I also agree with Josh. It’s the clients we need to reeducate to the reason why the should pay the premium price as it equates to premium service. Of course, the clients who want to be cheap, we don’t really want to work with anyway, right?

Keep the comments coming!

I also get that the companies can be the problem thinking spec work is okay. Again, choice. You can choose not to work for those companies.

That’s my .02.

I have absolutely no idea how going into a job interview is akin to doing spec work. A better example is being asked to go in for an interview, work for free for a week, and if the company thinks that you fit their goals, then they hire you. Simply going into a business to chat with its owners about working is no more than self-marketing, which we all do.

The danger in spec work is not about whether or not we have a choice to do it. The danger lies in clients thinking that this is normal for our industry. The more that spec work is openly accepted by designers, developers, and writers, the more that potential clients will come to expect that of every single company that they deal with. It’s a slippery slope.

And, to be sure, doing 15 minutes of free brainstorming is a lot different than mocking up a complete logo design for a contest.

Kristen mentioned that everyone has a choice of whether or not they want to do spec work. It’s true, we do. But we are also a community of freelancers and professionals and I would at least hope that we try to do our very small part to take care of each other.

This means not acquiescing to unrealistic demands from leads, not spending a day on a mockup for an unsecured job, and definitely not entering contests that only serve to perpetuate the notion that design professionals and freelancers are desperate.

John does present a fair caveat. The fact that design and development is my industry makes me particularly sensitive to the issue within the confines of my industry.

Case in point, shortly after returning from my first ever study abroad trip to Vietnam in 2004, I placed in a national essay contest. I took an entire night to write the essay not because I actually thought that I would win anything of value, but because I am extremely passionate about travel and my experiences abroad. And the same applies to photography. I do it because I love it - not because it feeds me.

Ultimately, I’m stuck. On the one hand I’m against contests because they seem like cheap ways to exploit freelancers. On the other hand, there are good opportunities out there, like Von Glitschka’s example of the Fossil competition.

Perhaps it all comes down to risk and reward. Without a great, great reward, I do not for one second think that a time consuming risk like a contest does anybody any good.

In any event, we are indeed entitled to our own opinions. Along those lines, keep up the fantastic podcast. It’s a joy to know that there is a community here for me when I need it.

The problem is not people who WANT to do that stuff. It’s ok if a designer wants to participate in that.

The big problem is clients that think it’s ok to always ask for spec work. Especially big companies who can afford it.

Discounting is not spec work, that’s just business.

Your postings helps the freelancers a lot.