Reading through the NO!SPEC stats, I noticed Veerle comes out with a word or three.

The purpose of creative pitches are to give clients a better understanding of the creative capacity of the selected agencies. To me it is a lame excuse to not browse around in the portfolios and let someone else do the work for free. I wonder what goes on in the mind of the people who write that stuff down, do they expect the freebies in everything else also?

The comments as they are equally well written. Check out her article, Free of charge please! Then scroll down for more.

Designing or photographing “on spec” means to work without guarantee of payment.

Some people think it’s an acceptable way to build a portfolio or snag a client who’ll pay for other jobs down the line. Other people say that accepting spec work is a disservice to yourself and all creative professionals.

Have your say at Creativepro’s Talkback Review

From Mark W. Lewis of Painter Creativity

1 “Do this one cheap (or free) and we’ll make it up on the next one.”

2 “We never pay a cent until we see the final product.”

3 “Do this for us and you’ll get great exposure! The jobs will just pour in!”

4 On looking at sketches or concepts: “Well, we aren’t sure if we want to use you yet, but leave your material here so I can talk to my partner/investor/wife/clergy.”

5 “Well, the job isn’t CANCELLED, just delayed. Keep the account open and we’ll continue in a month or two.”

6 “Contract? We don’t need no stinking contact! Aren’t we friends?”

7 “Send me a bill after the work goes to press.”

8 “The last guy did it for XXX dollars.”

9 “Our budget is XXX dollars, firm.”

10 “We are having financial problems. Give us the work, we’ll make some money and we’ll pay you. Simple.”

In the end, working commercially, being a terrific artist is about 25% of the task. If that is the only part of the task that you are interested in, do yourself a favor. Don’t turn “pro.”

For the real guts of the article, go to Top 10 Lies told to Naive Artists and Designers

Good one Mark!

Understanding No!Spec

Why say No to Speculative Work?

After visiting the website (no-spec.com), I realized that I have indeed taken spec work in the past and I was not getting paid for it. It was such a waste of talent and creativity.

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 project-by-project basis. The award for a free pitch is only for the project just completed. Compensation for the work going into the pitch usually exceeds the monetary award of the project. Free pitching is now a discouraged practice in advertising and copy writing. As stated in …

Thanks Mary and Paul!

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 see a 4-page page mock up of what our magazine would look like if you redesigned it. At this point, my spidey sense is tingling and I politely agree to the request as long as they reimburse me for my time. We consider this an “audition”, I am told, and they will not pay for my services. This is spec work. Thanks, but no thanks, was my reply.

For the rest, go to Spec Work Hurts Graphic Designers

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

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 great resource for independent designers.

Please read the rest of this wonderful article: The Biggest Challenges Facing Independent Designers (I) at position : relative.

Creative pitches are toxic by Andy Budd

I’ve long held the belief that creative pitches are toxic, and unpaid creative pitches doubly so. This view is upheld by a number of professional design associations that actively ban their members from engaging in unpaid creative. Creative pitches are bad for the client, bad for the designer and bad for the industry as a whole, and I’m going to explain why…

For the rest of Andy’s post, go to Creative pitches are toxic.

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 do, there will be a lot more work to come. But if we don’t, no $$.”

Even a newbie copywriter’s time has value. If a new client wants to see what you can do for them, show them samples (paid, pro-bono or generic samples you’ve written for yourself), give them client testimonials, and/or offer them a great deal to give you a shot.

For the rest of Roberta’s post, go to The Copywriting Maven: Why I Don’t Work “On Spec”