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NO!SPEC Campaign: Rundown and Roundup
March/April of this year saw the launch of the NO!SPEC campaign. Since then I’ve come across a range of confusing posts, some even using open source interchangeably with spec. To clarify the spirit of the campaign I’ve put together a short rundown on what working on spec is, and isn’t. What the NO!SPEC campaign is,…
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Creativity Awards Closes Book on Cover “Contest”
Creativity Awards closes book on cover “contest” by Jeff Fisher LogoMotives I’ve always been a huge fan of the design competitions conducted by David E. Carter, resulting in books such as the American Corporate Identity, The Big Book of Logos, and Creativity series. Last Thursday, I was somewhat stunned when opening an email with the…
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The Microhierax Chronicles on NO!SPEC
Understanding No!Spec Why say No to Speculative Work? 1. No Guarantee 2. Unprofessional 3. Lack of Professional Research 4. Needs of the client not met 5. Myopic 6. Undermines consultive benefits 7. Undervalues the profession 8. Pitches and design don’t mix 9. Red Flags 10. The lack of contract does not a professional make After…
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About.com on NO!SPEC
What is Spec? by Mary Beth & Paul Trautwein About.com Guides to Graphic Design Speculative work historically has been practiced in Advertising and Architecture. In those professions the winning firm would be offered a long-term contract resulting in years of revenue. Graphic design differs from those fields in that most work is issued on a…
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suit 101 on NO!SPEC
Spec Work Hurts Graphic Designers Clients want free work and ideas. As a creative professional you should just say NO! About a year ago I was asked to bid on creating the design work for a magazine for a small liberal arts college. … We really like your work, they say, but we’d like to…
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Leihu on NO!SPEC
Will The Real Style Shady Please Stand Up? … this debacle makes a great argument against design contests and spec work, in this case not only did all the entrants lose out, but the so-called winner was also screwed. Read the rest of the story at www.leihu.com
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The Biggest Challenges Facing Independent Designers
SHARK-INFESTED WATERS It took me five years to realize that whenever a potential client said, “If you do this one cheap, there’s a lot more work down the line”, it was, in each and every case, a load of number two. It wasn’t around when I was a tender wee lad but No!Spec is a…
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Snog Blog with Dear Designer
Dear Designer I am looking for a good designer to revamp our website and to redo our logo. I have spoken to my bosses and they think it’s a good idea, but we don’t know how much we want to spend yet. The cheaper the better of course! We’re not sure what we want our…
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The Copywriting Maven on NO!SPEC
The Copywriting Maven: Why I Don’t Work “On Spec” Spec is short for speculation. In the copywriting and creative services world, that means a potential client says to us, “I’m not sure about hiring you, so let’s see what you do with this speculative assignment. We’ll pay you if we like it. And if we…
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Michael Bierut on NO!SPEC
The Road to Hell: Now Paved with Innovation? Designers don’t have many advocates as enthusiastic and highly-placed as Bruce Nussbaum. An assistant managing editor at Business Week, he’s spearheaded the magazine’s coverage of design and innovation for years, and has become an important online voice for how business can use design as a strategic tool.…