» Dissecting the SxSW SPEC Battle :: Positive Space Blog

I have stated my opinion on spec work a number of times before on Positive Space, however the footage released today from the SxSW panel demanded I do so again. After watching the video (embedded below) it is very obvious we are missing a lot of what was said, but the overall tone was in favor of spec. Also, the tweets that I witnessed during the time of the event also seemed to reinforce this opinion. But why, let’s dissect the video and look at some of the key pro-spec statements.

First I have to say that is very refreshing to see David Carson explicitly state his opinion on the situation. It would be easy to take a soft stance on such a hot topic, but he shows character for standing up for what he believes in so vocally.

The Statements Demanding Discussion

Each of the three statements made below are not new in the discussion on spec, however each has a significant flaw I would like to address.

“Spec work is here to stay, you can’t stop it and it is definitely going to increase.”

Jeremiah Owyang ~ 2:22

So what? Mr. Owyang’s response is nothing more than complete avoidance of the question. Additionally, his comment about the economy leading to more designers doing spec work doesn’t leave me with much faith in our economy turning around. If only 1 in every 50 designers ends up getting paid for their time how are we going to ever pull out of this mess?

“Creatives need experience … and they can get it from CrowdSPRING and 99designs in a different and bigger way.”

Mike Samson ~ 4:00

I am going to be blunt here because I feel it is necessary; no serious design firm will see an online spec project as experience, period. In fact, as David later states it is often seen as a negative thing, I would go so far as to say 95% of the time it is seen this way. Now if you were to just create a self-initiated project and do the work for yourself there would be no problem. I would even consider the self-initiated aspect as a plus because it shows motivation, creativity, and the desire to create. What this response overlooks is that experience does not require a client.

“There are all kinds of people working on CrowdSPRING… including art directors from very large agencies.”

Mike Samson ~ 5:45

I can’t and won’t attempt to argue this point without the facts, but I will state that the way Mike delivers it makes it sound like these experienced professionals make up a very significant portion of the users. CrowdSPRING has shared some of its community stats on their blog in the past, however I was unable to see any sort of break down by professional standing which sets off my internal spin alarms. I would love to see what the actual number of established creatives are, and would be willing to bet it is far less than they would like you to believe.

Share Your Thoughts

At this point, only one thing is certain, this debate is far from over.

After watching the video what do you think? Share your thoughts on the SxSW spec panel discussion in the comments below.

03/18

ADD A COMMENT

14 Comments

Share This Page: Tweet this // Stumble It! // Del.icio.us // Float It! // Digg It! // Reddit

14 Responses to “Dissecting the SxSW SPEC Battle”

Jeremiah Owyang
March 18th, 2009 at 9:32 pm

Thanks for blogging this.

As a former designer turned industry analyst, I’ve blogged the good — and bad — of Specwork on this post.

Read the post, you’ll then see I took the topic head on in a very objective way.

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/03/15/spec-work-here-to-stay-but-not-for-everyone/
md
March 19th, 2009 at 10:14 am

I’ve linked to one of my articles on this subject too. I’m with you on the ridiculous idea of Spec work, things like 99designs, and IncSpring (which, for some reason, is often overlooked, and I really think that just because you are putting “old work” on the site, doesn’t make it any less spec) are completely crap. Its not the idea of bloggers vs. newspaper reporters. Its more quantity, less quality. And its endlessly frustrating.
Marie Poulin
March 19th, 2009 at 10:31 am

I think professionals should know better. It undermines our industry when designers to do work for free.
If designers continue to do spec work, I think it will be disastrous for our industry as a whole, as expectations will develop. I say hold strong, don’t give in to the temptation. Just because a handful of professionals are doing it, doesn’t make it right.

I agree with what you say that there are ways to gain experience without providing your services to someone else for free.

For example, I will donate my design services to local non-profit organizations, instead of donating money. How do you guys feel about donating services to small non-profit groups?
Ross Kimbarovsky
March 19th, 2009 at 10:48 am

Hi Anthony,

According to SXSW, a full video of the panel will be available within a few weeks. You’ll find a richer context to the quotes you pulled from the short summary posted by SXSW.

Mike mentioned art directors from large agencies to show that designers on crowdSPRING do indeed have varying levels of experience. We don’t ask for demographic information (in part to preserve a level playing field on crowdSPRING), and thus have no visibility into certain statistics, but the notion that crowdSPRING’s designer community is composed of rank amateurs is simply untrue.

Judging by the thousands of buyers from over 40 countries who have posted projects over the last 10 months, we believe that we are expanding the market for creative services. At the end of the day, we are comfortable letting the market decide our fate.

Best,

Ross Kimbarovsky
co-Founder
http://www.crowdspring.com
Zinni
March 19th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

Marie,

I find nothing wrong with it, I would just make sure to set expectations up front. When you are not working for money, you can get killed in revisions because there are no repercussions on the client’s part. Check out the series on donating your time on: http://www.businessofdesignonline.com/ for some more tips.
Zinni
March 19th, 2009 at 6:34 pm

@Jeremiah,

Thanks for linking to your post it has given greater perspective to the conversation. After reading your article, the excerpt from the video makes much more sense.

@Ross,

Thank you for letting us know that the video will posted in a few weeks, I am excited to see the full footage.
David Airey
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:31 am

Hi Zinni,

I’m also looking forward to the release of the full video. I hear it got quite heated at times.

I was glad to see AIGA on the panel, offering more balance than I initially thought there’d be, and it’ll be good to discover what Debbie Millman and her team conclude after investigating the rise of ‘spec sites’.
Bridget Cavanaugh
March 24th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

Short and to the point from a spec work opponent:

Spec work = guesswork

If you’re okay with guess work (creativity for creativity’s sake) then luck be with you. There are plenty of clients willing to auction their brand to the lowest bidder for a $150 logo that is in no way connected to business strategy, brand building, customer experience, etc.. And of course there are hungry designers willing to deliver on these transactional terms. It’s not where I will ever play. I value strategy, accountability, relationships, results to much to participate. But the world’s a big place and we all need to find our groove. I will tell you this, my fee to fix an ill-conceived idea is way higher, so it’s not a loss to my niche

Excellent post, thanks for continuing the debate!
@bcavanaugh
Zinni
March 24th, 2009 at 7:15 pm

Bridget,

Spec work = guesswork

that should totally be the new no-spec tagline, how awesome!
Jonathas Scott
March 24th, 2009 at 9:13 pm

I completely agree with Carson. Without bullshiting: Ask for a doctor or a company for a spec thing, ask any and every professional for a spec work.

It neither should be on discussion.

It’s as absurd as never before.

Excellent post, pardon my english.
wah
March 25th, 2009 at 4:16 am

Any designers worried about the issue of spec work might
a)not be confident in their ability to close deals/their own talent
b)have inconsistent work which is why a client may ask for spec work
c)are not good enough designers yet/dont have good enough marketing ability to get more clients and say no to people asking for spec work

when you have industries that suffer from outsourcing/groupsourcing, you should increase your own value, diversify your skillset, be faster/smarter/better than the competition, or get much better at the marketing game. simply aim to the best or you’ll eventually find yourself fighting at the bottom. it’ls like that with every market, every industry- thats simply how capitalism works.

for instance if you’re a graphic designer- go to a css gallery or groupsourcing sites like crowspring and see if you’re work is better than every1 elses. if its not, get better. be objective about your own work, and always critize yourself. most graphic designers i see looking for work don’t deserve it and are suprisingly bad.

if you’re sure your the best and the bottom still creeps up to you (buying/selling templates, it could happen- you only need sufficient design for web work for businesses, not pieces of art)- then learn about conversion and ui design. you know how commercial sites always have those better business logos- it increases trust in the consumers mind. learn things like that incorporate it in your service. make it so a business could lose money by not hiring you and going with an amateur.

if your ONLY doing design, team up with a developer and create another business. if you’re good enough, start teaching design. any single skill sets are going to be hard to live off with globalization. another tip- don’t waste your time blogging about your problems when you can be perfecting your craft.
DeZorro Designer
March 26th, 2009 at 3:48 am

Great post. Let me start by stating that spec work doesn’t scare me so much as it just pisses me off.

We’re not teamsters here, we are just constantly fighting to keep our client base educated about why good design works better, inspires customer confidence & (this sounds cheesy) builds a better world.

The globalization argument sounds like the same BS I read in the world is flat. Good book, but not as relevant to the design industry. Not one of my clients has ever been able to tell me in an email what they REALLY want.

There is a reason we hold discovery meetings and face-to-face presentations. Discovering more from the client during initial meetings, getting buy-in from their decision makers during brainstorms, and providing the general consulting that they need FAR outweighs anything someone can do by dropping in some sketches on a site and asking for validation.

The idea of a level playing field between my work and someone working on spec through one of these portals is nearly laughable (if it wasn’t so insulting.)

Oh yeah, one more thing: David Carson rules.
Chris Raymond
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:53 am

I attended the SXSW panel. I have also Twittered a bit about the issues. Recently, I got a DM from a fellow at 99designs, responding to my tweet questioning one of their marketing pitches that submitting on 99designs leads to more work and new clients for designers.

He referred me to the one anecdotal interview of one 99designs designer who makes his living from work generated via the contests.

When I asked him to give me STATISTICS to back up the claim of building a client base via 99designs, well of course I never heard back from him. Seems to me there would be a way for 99designs to compile stats on how many designers secure follow-up work, to back up their marketing claim. The fact that they have nothing more than one person to offer in support is pretty telling.