FIDIUS – fighting for fair design competitions

The objective of the association FIDIUS – fair design competitions, which is now in the process of being founded, is to ensure that in the future there will be fair conditions and that competitions strictly and consistently adhered to them. To resolve disputes outside the court and to pledge secrecy on the matter is simply not enough. Numerous victims do not even summon up the courage to claim their rights at all; and many do so for fear of a financial disaster.

FIDIUS will start its activities in 2006. Until July 30, 2006, designers are invited to submit to the association examples of an unfair and/or particularly fair design competition and are asked to make sure that they enclose the corresponding invitation documents of the competition. Invitations that feature an award of contract, claiming they are looking for the right designer to carry out a given task, will also be considered. Eligible for nomination for the upcoming first FIDIUS award are design competitions from the period 2000 to 2005.

For further information, please contact Sabine Zentek at: sabine.zentek @.gif t-online.de

Dear Prospective Client

I understand your apprehension. I really do. Hiring an independent writer – or programmer, or graphic designer, or anyone else – can at first seem to be a scary enterprise. There’s a bunch of us out there, and no one wants to make a bad decision. Both time and money are at stake. It’s totally understandable that you want to guard against every contingency of being burned …

For the rest of this informative post, go to The Stapler – Dear Prospective Client

NO!SPEC would like to take this opportunity to thank Icograda’s Director, Brenda Sanderson for including the NO!SPEC launch in the Icograda Email News that went out to their members spread over the globe.

Icograda, the International Council of Graphic Design Associations is a heavy supporter of the fight against spec in the design industry, and one we are grateful to have on our side.

On a daily basis, we come across spec events. It is now apparent that what we imagined to be a hard task is, in all actuality, more difficult than we first thought. Truly, it is disconcerting to realize the depth of the situation facing us within our own industry. To combat this problem, it is our mission to gather together organisations and supporters from the Communication Design industry to make a difference in the campaign against spec.

Please contact us if you’d like to help in any way.

Jeff Fisher, Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, commends the The Caravan Project from his blog, bLog-oMotives.

I want to compliment Frederick Ost for engaging in a positive dialogue with Cat Wentworth, Project Manager of NO!SPEC, in regards to how their original call for participation constituted “spec” work. The Caravan Project members worked with NO!SPEC to revise their request into a much more ethical design project procedure. I applaud their willingness to take another look out how their project was being conducted and make alterations. I urge other designers to support The Caravan Project and their promotion of NO!SPEC. When you visit the TCP web site you will see their support in the form of a graphic.

Advocacy Update – RGD Working Against Spec Work

RGD Ontario (Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario) has recently acted on an alarming number of spec work competitions. The RGD Rules of Professional Conduct prevent members from doing free work as part of a pitch for new business.

Organizations that removed the spec requirement when contacted by RGD Ontario include:

2010 Legacies Now: Thanks for your reply and concerns. I agree with your points. I have just fired an email off to our Director of Marketing with a few suggestions on how to rectify this.

United Way of Greater Toronto: I will communicate our discussion and the information you have provided to the United Way of Canada and United Ways in the Ontario Area.

Wired Woman: After careful consideration, Wired Woman is cancelling our logo contest immediately. We at no time intended to disrespect the design community. We apologize for allowing our enthusiasm ‘for the cause’ to impair our judgement.

DX/Heritage Canada: Oops! We made a mistake!

Commonwealth Games Canada: I will be amending the RFP and re-circulating it. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

One spec work organizer is studying the information – Fur Free Alliance, and others have not responded – Oakville Fire Department, City of Kingston, Greater Toronto Airport Authority, Durham Region Transit .

We have a new ally in the fight against spec work:
NO!SPEC at www.no-spec.com – a unifying support network and resource on the harmful effects of spec work and a useful third party authority to impress upon those offering spec work that they are being unethical and unprofessional.

If you are asked to do work on spec, download and send RGD’s pdf info and/or contact us by phone at 1.888.274.3668 x 50 or email us.

NO!SPEC has just received the acclaimed Three Thumbs Up Award.

The Three Thumbs Up Award is a distinguished and honorable achievement only given to those who possess the utmost creative diligence and consistently pursue a level of craft and creativity that rises above the mundane, beyond the norm and inspires the masses.

The Three Thumbs Up Award is the brainchild of Von Glitschka, principle of Glitschka Studios™.

I’ve had this concept in the back of my mind for a few years now and finally got motivated enough to get it done. I hope many of you talented folks choose to participate and please share it with others by posting a link on your own web site or blog.

For more information on how you can pursue your artistic excellence visit:
www.ThreeThumbsUpAward.com

Please digg this –>>NO!SPEC Launches

The mission of NO!SPEC is to educate both clients and Visual Communication designers (also known as ‘graphic’ designers) about the nature of speculative, or “spec” work. It also serves as a vehicle to unite designers who support the notion that spec work devalues the potential of design and ultimately does a disservice to the client.

Jack Yan speaks out on Spec education.

It’s something I have been against for years, especially when AGDA campaigned against it with its members.

The idea is that the designer gets zilch in order to “pitch” for a job. Hours are invested, and ideas, more often than you think, are appropriated. It devalues the work of all designers. I’ve added one graphical link in the sidebar, but you can surf as readily to her site from here to see how you can help.

For more, be sure to visit: Spec education.

The ‘Designers who blog’ NO!SPEC crusade month just wouldn’t be right without a mention of designer Piers Le Seur. Piers designed the fantastic logo you see here on the NO!SPEC site, which eventually fueled the design.

Yes, it’s been a RUSH here and a DASH there … which means this blog is running behind.

But … with all this happening, I’d like to slow down and take this opportunity to thank the very dear person who designed the NO!SPEC logo (which lead the design for the NO!SPEC site), Piers Le Seuer.

Piers is a New Zealand designer and father of a lovely little boy, who has been in the industry for a long while. He is dedicated, energetic, and an avid anti spec crusader. The exclamation mark used in the logo is apt as it is a favourite key of his.

Thank-you Piers, the logo is brilliant!

For the month of March Designers Who Blog will focus on bloggers involved with the NO!SPEC Campaign.

In April Creative Latitude will feature the most interesting NO!SPEC Campaign blogs at Cat’s Fancy: Designers Who Blog.

If you decide to jump on the NO!SPEC bandwagon too, please contact us.