Some spec work thoughts
I was thinking about this in the bathtub this morning. (I try to take at least 2 baths a day, where I think and read.) Some background: Spec work is basically any work done on a speculative basis. That is, work done for which a fair & reasonable fee has not been agreed upon beforehand. Some say designing tees for Threadless is spec work. I think otherwise for a few reasons.
- The art is reusable, “generic” & owned by the artist. We are looking for cool art on a tee. No logos, no rules, no specifications – just art. Should an artist not create a painting because they don’t have a buyer? Should a photographer not take a picture because someone isn’t set up to pay for it yet? We also let the artist keep the copyright, even if their design is chosen for print – they just give us the right to create apparel from it. So basically, the ‘work’ isn’t done just for Threadless.
- Threadless is very open and it is ongoing. There is no theme. It’s simply about submitting a design that would look good on a tee. Each design has it’s own start/end date for being scored. Each design is judged on its own, not in comparison with other designs. The general concept is “Is this design awesome enough to print?” rather than “Is this the best design?”
- We pay. A lot! We pay $2,500 to each designer who has their tee printed – 5 times the market rate for a tee design. Plus we pay $500 more each time it’s reprinted or the design is licensed elsewhere, $2,500 more for Bestee of the Month and $20,000 more for Bestee of the Year! And that’s just for apparel rights. The designer can monetize their work on other mediums if they please.
But anyway. When I was thinking in the tub, I got to think about what inspires an artist to create a painting from nothing vs a designer creating a logo for a project. I’m more of a designer than an artist and have trouble creating something from nothing. But I do enjoy solving problems with a design. So much so that sometimes I like to do it in my free time. In fact, the t-shirt contest I won that inspired me to create Threadless had a very defined project specification. It was for a specific event and had to have specific information displayed on it. And that’s when it hit me.
I feel that what makes spec work OK for me sometimes isn’t so much about the specific terms and pay and design requirements involved. It’s about why you are doing it. Is it for a friend? Is it for charity? Is it an exciting, fun project? Do you get enjoyment out of working on it? Do you need to find a creative release?
Much as an artist doesn’t typically treat a personal painting they are creating as a job or something they need only do if they are making money from it, a designer can get that same sort of creative problem solving pleasure out of a real project with a specific purpose and beneficiary.
Just a little stream-of-consciousness from the tub.
It was interesting, too, at the AIGA National Conference: Make/Think in Memphis. I attended the “Wisdom of Communities” session, and sure enough the talk of Threadless and spec work came up.
Each of the three panelists (Jim Coudal, Derek Powazek, Jane Mount) unanimously agreed that crowdsourcing is NOT ruining the industry of design. In fact, many careers are born from it.
Photographers are born from Flickr. Illustrators are discovered through Threadless.
Anyway, just wanted to add. For more on the Wisdom of Communities session (which was awesome,) check out the notes here: http://designnotes.info/?p=1923
“It’s about why you are doing it.”
That right there is a huge question most people should be asking themselves. Not even artists, but people who go to a 9-5 too. I securely can answer the question of “Why do I do it?” for being a designer pretty easily. It’s because I’ve just done it my whole life, I just got lucky that it could be a job. But, I just couldn’t see myself not doing it. Such great words here Jake.
Great post. I have had to deal with this a fairbit today and @rosskimbarovsky of crowdSPRING set me some great stuff over.
I guess for me it is this. Personal Economic rules are changing. If you do something for cash then spec work is bad. If you do something your love then cash is a bonus. Markets change. Stand still and moan and you will ultimetly fail. Get on innovate move and you will succeed. just look a tthe music biz
Fergus: “Stand still and moan and you will ultimately fail”. Great words right there.
Nice outcome from a few minutes in the bathtub. I should try that more often.
You make great points. I do think that generic logo/spec contests will ultimately prove themselves to be akin to discount sushi. It’s always there, it’s cheaper, but you’re seldom pleased with the outcome.
In our research at Behance, we’ve found that most creative professionals avoid these classic “spec contests” because they’re too busy. When they do them, they feel unfulfilled (if not taken advantage of) afterwards – and they seldom participate again. But hobbyists love them…because they’re doing it for play, not for a living.
And the companies that post briefs report similar sentiments. Their tummies are full afterwards, but some queasiness persists…
Great insight Scott, thanks for sharing. I also think that the hobbyist works better in less of a controlled environment than a lot of the logo/spec contest sights. They would be more interested in just helping a friend with some free work here and there.
I think spec work becomes an issue when professional designers come to work with the same clients who have been using the logo/spec contests. It devalues and prevents the personal relationship that designers should be having with their clients. At worst, these ‘contests’ promote the idea of design as being a commodity rather than as a service.
Fuck, now I have a vision of you being like Rev Run at the end of Run’s House when he is in the bath typing on his blackberry.
Bleh.