Crowdsourcing & Spec Work

Written By: Ferg on November 14, 2009 Comments

Crowdsource

Crowdsourcing in the design industry is a the concept of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing the work to a group of people or community in the form of an open invitation. This means that a given community or the general public are invited by a company (or individual) to carry out a design task, (develop a website or logo concept etc), with the aim of awarding the contract to the winner. The crowdsourcing business model has attracted controversy and criticism from many sources.

Spec Work is the practice of getting designers to work “on spec” which is basically getting them to produce finished work with no guarantee of getting paid. This type of practise is widely considered unethical (immoral even) by the graphic design community, as it expects the designer to commit their time and resources to a project where they may get nothing in return.

“While a client may feel they don’t want to invest money until seeing some work, designers should not have to prove their worth to get a job. Instead, clients should choose a designer based on their portfolio and experience and commit to building a working relationship with him or her. Only then will both the client and designer see the best results.” Eric Miller from What is “Spec” Work?

Pamela Pfiffner, writer and founding editor of CreativePro.com states:

“Finding meaningful work that pays well has always been a challenge for designers. You hustle to attract prospective clients, produce thorough proposals highlighting your suitability for the assignment; pitch possible design solutions; submit a bid for a budget; and hopefully get the job. If you do, you work to develop a good relationship with the client that includes constant and thoughtful communication about objectives, goals, and branding. Based on feedback, designs evolve over time until the client is satisfied. Then you cash your well-deserved check.

But increasingly, this process is being undermined by two client initiatives, one old and one new: spec work and crowdsourcing…” Read more

In an attempt to stem the tide of the negative aspects of crowdsourcing, and bring awareness to this controversial method of business, several groups of designers have begun to post relevant & informative information through websites and blogs. One of these is an organization called No!Spec.

“A grassroots effort, No!Spec formed three years ago after companies began soliciting work through design contests at an alarming rate. Ground central for the movement is the No!Spec Web site, which spells out what spec work is, why it needs to be avoided, and what can be done to stem the tide. These seasoned designers believe that working on spec devalues design as a profession as well as the work and skills it to takes to produce quality work. Advocates of the No!Spec movement say that working on-spec turns design into a commodity.” Pamela Pfiffner

I would advise all professional designers in the industry to visit the No!Spec website and have a good read on the subject of crowdsourcing. On the site, you will find many informative and eye-opening articles and contributions from many peers in the industry.

The posters below bring awareness to the No!Spec movement. The designers are, from top to bottom, Von Glitschka, Rob Gough, and Chad Behnke. For higher-resolution versions of these, more poster designs, and for rules of usage, see No!Spec.com.

20090427_fg01