Upstack’s Fight Against Spec Work
05. May, 2010 
16 Comments
Do you remember that scene in the movie Fame where Coco is asked to remove her top in a film audition and the casting director essentially tells her “Don’t be a baby, this will be good for your career.” If you don’t know what Fame is, that’s OK. It just means you’re not cool like us, and this article won’t require you to have seen it anyway.
In any case, that scene always stuck with me and not because of the nudity and the crying (mine as well as hers) but rather the suggestion that taking advantage of people because they are looking to do what they love is ok and accepted. Now I am not going to say that watching a bunch of theatrical kids sing and dance was how the idea of Upstack was born but it certainly did shape how we feel about the creative community and how we want to do business.
What I am trying to say is that not only will we never ask you to take your top off. We will also never ask you to do spec work. Upstack is not a “contest site” because we feel there is a better way to connect designers and people looking for great design. Additionally, contest sites have winners and losers.
All our designers are winners. 
Spec work is wrong. We stand against it with our ideals and our actions. Consider this the first shot fired in our war against spec. We know we’re not alone, but we’re going to fight like we are. In the coming weeks you are going to see us talk a lot about no spec as we see ourselves as a company that supports the design community and the people who support us.
I hope you will come back and check it all out as this is really going to be an exciting time in our history! For the record, we would have left our top on.
We’re looking for soldiers that want to fight the good fight with us… if you’re one, let us know below.
- wes
Spec work is a two way street. It’s not just the sites and clients that run contests, it’s the ‘designers’ that are on them. They don’t realize that they should be getting paid for their work and then that makes the clients think that’s the way it is. Then, the clients are so used to getting everything for free they’re offended when they come to you and they’re given a quote. Harlan Ellison said “You’re undercut by all the amateurs. It’s the amateurs that make it hard for the professionals.”
That’s a very good point, Jake. You mention, however, that it’s still about client expectations in the end. Designers don’t need much convincing that it’s better to make money than to not, but you’re right. Designers have a responsibility in this as well. Upstack presents designers with a good option now to assume their responsibility against spec work.
Pablo, didn’t we give you an Upstack t-shirt?
“You’re undercut by all the amateurs. It’s the amateurs that make it hard for the professionals.”
Like the newspaper and magazine publishers are undercut by amateur bloggers? As the music industry is undercut by awesome amateur bands and musicians all over YouTube?
Oh please….
And just for the record, I love Upstack. The service you guys are providing is freakin knock-out!
Hello, i have tried spec work in the latest weeks inside 99designs.com. I think the worst problem of contest sites its not being paid or not, the problem i stumble upon is that other so called “designers” steal concepts out of your submitted proposals.
I sent 4 designs for a client in 99D.com and 4 hours later other guy picked up on my idea, copied the concepts and even arranged the elements in the same composition i did.
I complained with 99D.com staff just to recive a reply from them telling me that they in fact where very diferent and that there was no problem.
I retrieve my designs from their site and make a huge complain out of it. The funny thing is that 99d.com wont let you unregister.
So the problem i see more with spec work is the validity of the material presented to the customer. Copied concepts, not professional designers playing as one. Thats very DANGEROUS for the client becouse he can get into legal problems.
Industries adapt, but there’s still a lot of suffering in the industries you’ve mentioned, Ade.
The newspaper industry had been on a death march until the iPad took off. And record companies aren’t making money the way they used to. Bands are having to take it upon themselves to reach their fans and figure out the best way to make money.
But your point is received. What matters is the artistry/information. Just like here what matters is the design.
I’m definitely on board with you guys. I’m not a designer in this realm of expertise, but if I designed financial plans just to have people not use them or haven them picked up by someone else, I’d be pretty pissed off.
If not spec work, what’s the alternative? I will be needing a logo and collecting designs from 99Designs or similar contest sites makes sense if I don’t immediately know how todo things right by your industry.
I give you nothing but support on this project. Just the other day I was asked to do a spec ad FOR AN INTERVIEW! When is this going to end, folks? We have to stop giving out talent away like it’s a paint sample.
I featured this page as one of my three links for the day on my Design Thought blog:
http://designthoughtfortheday.blogspot.com/2010/05/05-10-no-to-spec-work-real-estate-sites.html
All the best, Ted
Just to play devil’s advocate:
What exactly is the distinction you are making between Brandstack and spec work? The designers don’t get paid until their design is chosen for either. The work is done with no guarantee of payment. The design that never gets purchased is not really a “winner” by any useful standards.
One might even argue that most spec work is done with an understanding of the needs, strengths, and audience of the brand, while Brandstack does not work this way, and therefore has the potential to relegate design to non-problem solving arenas (look pretty, be catchy, etc.)
I am actually really happy participating in Brandstack, and I didn’t even want to try 99designs after I looked around a while, but I am curious what specific ideology you are promoting that distinguishes between spec and Brandstack. I would be more decisive in condemning spec work if I understood your position better. Looking forward to your comments!
I’m all for playing devil’s advocate! Thanks for your comment.
Brandstack is not spec work for several reasons:
1. It’s meant to give you an outlet to sell unused concepts you previously created for other clients (or contest sites). There’s no doubt there are some people creating designs for fun and uploading them on Brandstack for sale, but this is done at their will and without a non-paying client telling you how to use your time.
2. Brandstack is an open marketplace, meaning the opportunity to earn from your design doesn’t end when a contest client chooses another designer’s work. Once that contest is done, so is your opportunity to “win”.
Not specifically related to Brandstack being spec work (but it’s in your post, so I’ll touch on it), I don’t agree that spec work is done with an understanding of client needs, strengths, and the brand’s audience. For the most part, there is very little ‘real’ collaboration that takes place in a contest. Client says “I have a car wash and need a logo with a car in it.” Designer obliges because he/she wants to earn some money for their time. Designer also does his/her best to make that design look pretty and be catchy, because it increases their chances of winning. The motivation is not to help the client create a better identity, but to create a design that wins the money.
In a real client/designer relationship, both parties are working together to create a brand that both will be proud of. It’s rare that that happens with spec work.
We built Upstack to bring that collaboration back to modern graphic design, without spec work. We’ve created a place where smart clients have a place to find hundreds of self-worthy professional designers.
Thanks!
Hi
Since a moth I’m participating in design competitions. And I like it.
I could give many reasons why.
But I’ll tell only one. They last only a few days. A client buys your design or not. He is not going to bother you for another few months to make “little adjustments” that ruin a design.
It’s not true for everybody. I’ve heard people complaining on this matter as well on forums. But that’s their choice what contests they enter, and how they deal with CH.
And yes there are issues with contest holders, and even more with other designers. But you just have to learn how to work with that. It takes time. I haven’t won any of my first ~20 contests. Now it’s ~1/3. I consider it pretty effective.
You could say for same reason it’s bad for clients as they don’t get real support. In a way yes. But on the other hand I’m always willing to provide support and form a relationship. The catch is I don’t have to – what makes contest far better than a traditional spec work.
BTW Brandstack seems a great place for designers. I’m going to try it out for myself. I hope it’s going to give me even more freedom by giving opportunity to reuse rejected ideas. Have to try it out but seems like this site can give more power and self confidence to a designer participating in a contest. You are more willing to withdraw a design from a contest when you have an option to sell it in another place.
Oh man don’t get me started on spec work. I mean don’t get me wrong, I have had my fair share of won projects, but I’m starting to get really sick of it. I talk a lot about it on my site, but my main problem with it is that it destroys the whole reason I became a logo designer in the first place.
I started this journey because I wanted to create designs that would push businesses further. I wanted to make complex and difficult to understand concepts and ideas into simple little icons that could be understood by many people. I wanted to be the one to help the businesses. But thanks to spec work, all those potential clients tell me what looks good and what works.
Like I said in my blog, you don’t go to the doctor and tell them what prescription you want. You go to the doctor so they can tell you what prescription you need.
Hello,
From doing a few contests on 99designs.com, I am horrified at the fact that many of the designs that end up winning are:
1) Stolen from elsewhere on the internet.
2) Such poor quality, I suspect rigged competitions being used to add to designers reps.
3) Many of the designers probably don’t know what the word “vector” means!
And all the wasted time, of all the designers makes you feel sick and angry =[
Although, truth be told, I still choke at the amounts some designers charge… I charge that sort of pricing for full websites!!!
I’m a client, the problem I have with paying ‘new to me’ designers for mocks and design is that I never know what to expect. Out of the last 10 designers I hired for logos and web design, I used one design and wasted all the other money.
These people are putting work they did collaboratively in their portfolios, or designs they had other help with. I just got a design back last week from a designer that had an awesome portfolio, what I paid them over $1000 for wasn’t even in the same category, the design, detail, colors, it was all terrible. Do I get any money back? No. I pay it all even though I can’t use 1% of their design. It felt like a bait and switch.
If it’s an established and well known designer, sure, I will pay 100% up front, because I know I will get something good. But I won’t be paying designers I don’t know much money for anything until they can show they can perform. Everyone wants to feel valued and think their designs are great, but the truth is there’s too many poor designers that demand big pricing. If they don’t want to do free mocks, then offer discounted mocks to make sure everyones on the same page then collect the larger sum of money for the final product once the go ahead is given.
It has to be fair for client and designer.
I don’t think the problem is spec work. Rather the way the site runs the design competitions. I have used 99designs and thought it sucked but really enjoyed my time on logotournament.
The reasons for one sucking and the other not is the administration, moderators and designing community for each site. LT has a strong and rock solid policy for copying or using clip art which makes it more stable, but it is harder to get into now with an extensive screening process. On the other hand if there is a discrepancy at 99D your at the mercy of maybe one administrators opinion. Not cool when they generally have the clients interests at heart.
Most of these sites probably serve the designers out there that are still trying to find there feet, which is great! If your making a good amount of money on these sites I can guarantee you that you could be making more money working independently.
Saying that brandstack is not a spec site is walking a wobbly line. In a way it serves to sell the good logos that clients with bad taste don’t choose from other ’spec’ sites. I would be careful of biting the hand that feeds you.
Basically all these sites that have teams of designers or developers ready to give a product at a low price damage the industry. In essence your a design agency with heaps of talented employees working for the lowest possible prices. Because you make money from the sheer number of jobs you can charge the least amount.
I will help fight the war on spec sites that dont respect the designers or clients which is most of them. But understand that from a design agency point of view your being just as disrespectful to the industry with crowd sourcing, bulk pre-made products and low prices.
At the end of the day I am not complaining because I have had to use these services when I have been to busy, and have saved $$$’s doing it. Not sure if thats a good thing or not