aquent site redesign-spec work

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  • GammaRay0

    I agree 100% with everything here (as far as Aquent being in the wrong on this) but we're coming at it from a flawed angle...

    Aquent never was and never will be "about the designers"...it's all about making money...that's all they've ever been and all they ever will be. We're treating it as if they used to be some giant advocate for our cause and now they've gone against everything they were ever about. They only sponsor AIGA to appear to be on our side...to look good. It's like big oil sponsoring Earth Day so people forget that they're part of what's polluting our environment..."Oh, well, they sponsor Earth Day so they can't be that bad...maybe I had oil wrong all along." Same logic.

    Aquent has employees who's sole job is to scour the design job boards and nab up anything and everything they can before individual designers (or other staffing firms) get a chance. If you're an individual designer looking on your own for work you don't realize it but you're viewing far fewer jobs then you would be if Aquent wasn't beating you to the punch...also, they staff creative departments exclusively for some pretty big corporations. I know at one time you couldn't get a job in Gillette's creative department unless you went through Aquent because they staffed the entire thing.

    If you land a job through them and get paid $30 an hour they will actually be charging the client $45 an hour...$15 dollars an hour, every hour you work for that client, when, essentially, their job began and ended once you started for that client. Sure they have payroll costs, etc and the recruiters have to get paid too but, seriously, $15/hr on top of what I'm getting when I'm now the one doing all of the work? Also, let's not even get in to what they charge if the client wants to hire you away from Aquent...that is a VERY large sum.

    • Actually from what I've seen it usually DOUBLE what you make that they take.lorac77
    • I agree with you. They sell talent at the lowest rate possible so they can get the client and take 50% of what you earn. Nowadays, they don't pay more than $30 regardless of talent, experience or skills.rowermart
  • omgitsacamera0

    can someone give me cliff's notes?

  • lorac770

    I want to know what the "affiliation" is between the two. It seems as if the two have very different perspectives on design ethics and should not be affiliated just for the sake of promoting each other if Aquent doesnt have respect for the AIGA's stance on protecting their designers. Besides, Aquent is too lazy to coordinate a discount to AIGA members who are Aquent talent, even though Ive mentioned this several times in the past. So much for an affiliation...

  • Judi_in_Disguise0

    To all those people who love to 'jump' to the most negative conclusions:

    No, Aquent isn't cheap. Their business is thriving.
    No, Aquent never intended to 'get away' with practically free site design - they have their own in-house design agency with very talented people.
    No, Aquent did not mean to insinuate that a site redesign was only worth $500. Placing 3000 people a week on creative jobs means they know what today's prices are.

    So what they hell were they thinking? I can only surmise, but here goes:

    Did they think that a senior interactive designer with 8 years of experience designing big name sites would enter the contest? Of course not. Get real.

    They probably thought this would be a fun exercise for a very junior designer, a chance to show off their prowess in spite of possibly having little or NO prior web design experience. A chance for some as-yet-unknown designer to gain credibility, and add something to his/her portfolio.

    Is that a bad thing? Of course not.

    Did they, however, think about the at-large reaction of the creative community who does NOT know their motives? No, they apparently did not.

    So slap 'em for not having realized that most seasoned designers would react so harshly, but don't slap 'em for wanting to give someone a chance to do something that no one else would ever consider hiring them to do.

    If you really want to get piss mad, do it at this company: www.crowdspring.com. They have PURPOSELY built a business around having designers do spec work, post it online, so companies can "shop" for designs they like, much like you would go to an art store to pick out a painting for your living room. In fact, I'm going to start a new discussion about this business and I hope people will comment.

    • Why use the third-person when you're from Aquent? Seems a little misleadingletters2
    • Definitely from Aquent.nearestexit
    • How can you post this in the third person when your account uses an Aquent email address. There's still no excuse for what happenned.Josev
    • happened. Pointing to others who have worse practices does not let you off the hook.Josev
    • HAHAA...YOU'RE FROM AQUENT...clearly it's in your best interest to save face. We don't buy the bullshit.Lt_Jack_Hammer
    • Nice red herring, that url.cannonball
    • Judi_in_Disguise you are so far from the point we can't even see you... wow Matt needs to tell you a few thingsDancer
  • Peter0

    Not my style to kick people while they're down.

    But the service I recieved from Aquent were...subpar.

    Anyways, still appreciate their salary- and marketsurveys.

    • Who am I kidding. I am actually wearing my steelplated pointy kickingshoes already...Peter
    • and I'm feelin' it, PeterHAquentminister
  • ukit0

    Gotta say, I'm encouraged by how people here asserted themselves over this. If we don't fight to protect our own interests, who will?

    Anyway, yeah, it was an interesting thread.

  • airey0

    if you're opposed to this kind of site don't enter anything. looking at the vast majority of work offered on it the maxim "you get what you pay for" comes to mind. it's pretty much all shite.

  • uncle_helv0

    I guess $500 buys you a lot of shit attempts at a homepage!

  • digdre0

    so, who won the contest

    • They canceled itukit
    • may the force be with you, qbn.digdre
  • seffis0

    Wow. Did all of this happen within 12 hours?

    This has definitely been one of the more interesting dialogues I've participated in on here. Matt, I appreciate and respect your hanging in there through all of the pointed postings and calls for your head on a platter. We are a passionate bunch and are quick to react.

    And you're right, the marketplace is definitely changing and we all have to adapt to survive and thrive within it. I wonder if responses might have been different had your contest been posted in a private area (i.e., Aquent's site) instead of on a site devoted specifically to these kinds of contests. What if the prize had been $10,000 instead of $500? While I think that specific examples like 99designs are on the negative side of the spectrum, are there ways to accomplish these kinds of things well? We frequently see calls for entries and competitions within architecture and other creative fields – what's the differentiating factor there?

    I also agree with you that "insistence on a shared set of values or ethical standards" is also not the answer. We should all maintain our own views of what is right for each of us. For example, not only will my company refuse to do work on speculation, we generally won't respond to RFPs sent to us by people we don't know. I think there would be a lot of unemployed designers if every company were required to adopt the same policy.

    While I think withdrawing this particular contest was a prudent choice (I'll stay away from right/wrong), it has certainly brought some important issues forward. And yes, this is a great design panel discussion!

  • ukit0

    Indeed...it's rather ironic that Aquent has several AIGA videos posted on their site dedicated to recognizing the "value of design" as well as "design ethics."

  • epete220

    i hate all these creative recruiting agencies popping up. They all suck. they are all shady and they all lie.

  • OSFA0

    Contest is cancelled... so what??? That's it? They'll get over it?

    I don't think they understand the kind of damage and bad rep acquired. Wonder if the marketing 'genius' that truly came up with this awesome plan still has a job.

  • ukit0

    I was thinking about this last night, and I think it's easy to get caught up in new trends and buzzwords in our industry. "Crowdsourcing" etc. After reading some of Matt's blog, I don't think there was any deliberate attempt to undermine designers. After all, Aquent depends on people like us for their business.

    I do think this idea in a larger sense - pulling together creative ideas from a lot of people at once - has a place. But we need to find a way to compensate people fairly too. Not sure how we achieve both ends right now. The 99 designs model is kind of like throwing a piece of meat into a cage of hungry rabid dogs.

  • bulletfactory0

    i recently submitted a mockup (1 home page, 1 interior) for a project based on a brief and their current design direction - it was understood that I would be paid for my time regardless of my design concept being selected - if not, they would have gotten a .jpg of my middle finger.
    that's the only way i will submit a design which i've not yet been 'hired' to produce.

  • Iggyboo0

    for a lack of better words I am not shocked that this stuff is happening. Mainly because humans make companies regardless of their company allegiances. I just am disappointed that the value of quality design is dropping because people are so quick to making businesses to devalue it. I guess theirs going to be a future where there is a place for this kind of stuff. But frankly no quality designer will hopefully take part in it. hopefully.

  • cast0

    i'm gona submit a logo to 99-designs

    can anyone tell me if their legit ?
    and whether there is a tactic to winning - shall i submit my design on the last hour of last day to avoid other people scamming the design ?

  • cannonball0

    Jesus, another Aquent person screwing up their PR? Really? I can see it now... [pan around boardroom]

    Matt: Dammit! These young designers have dismantled the spin I'm putting on this! Even labeling it an "experiment" and arbitrating polls to appear innocently naive aren't working.

    Judi: Let me step up to the plate! Pseudo-anonymous QBN account... ENERGIZE!

    Matt: Report back when you have some results... I'll man the "designer dispatch radio"... JR DZNR 10423 come in! Report to the Ogilvy One office stat! we have a banner ad resizing situation, over!

    Matt and Judi: Hourly rate markup here we come.. mu-Ha-HA-HAAAAAAA *cough*

  • skwiotsmith0

    $500? Ohboy.

  • ukit0

    Cross posted on the Facebook page...

    Matthew -

    If the "crowd-sourcing" model is here to stay, the question becomes what impact it has on the profession and the value of design.

    Right now, I would say that sites like 99designs occupy a fairly low niche in the design food chain. They serve as a place where small businesses can go and quickly and cheaply get a number of designs created for them. The quality of design, while maybe not terrible, is certainly not very good and definitely not representative of the best the industry can produce.

    In other words, I don't see them as a threat at the moment, because most of my clients would not use a service like that. They tend to put a premium on good design and wouldn't consider using a site of that kind for their corporate communications, the same way a large company wouldn't hire some kid fresh out of law school to be their lawyer just because he was cheaper!

    What is problematic for many of us is when a major company - scratch that, a major DESIGN company(!) - like Aquent steps in and makes use of that service, to redesign their homepage no less. That begins to legitimize the concept for mainstream and professional use, which makes it harder for the rest of us, who occupy that professional space, to sell our services at a decent price. And quite frankly, it reduces the quality of design for the client as well. Basically it leads to a lowering of everyone's standards, including ultimately, the user's.

    In the end, it will always be a struggle to convince people of the value of good design because it is such an ephemeral thing. Any kid can crack open Photoshop and slap together a design these days, and he might even do it for $500. However, I strongly believe that good design, which comes from years of study and experience, is an important component of a business's success. In my mind, companies like Aquent, whose livelihood depends on design, should be working to increase recognition of the value of that service, rather than reducing it.