aquent site redesign-spec work
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- SoulFly0
I have a feeling that this is fake or something...
Wouldn't they jeopardize their business strategy by doing something like this? I mean, they need to attract clients, and by having an quick make-over instead of having top designers work on it, that would be a bad thing.- sadly not fake. go to their current website and there's a link to it on the homepagedesign_bitch
- monkeyshine0
design_bitch...I don't think certification is the answer. I have always felt that certification has more to do with insecure designers thinking they can validate their own talent and student loans.
Be earnest. Do good work. Don't take on clients who don't understand the difference between what you bring to the table and a place like logoworks. Make sure what you bring to the table is a deep understanding of your clients business. Designers who don't know how to speak to their design solutions from a business perspective perpetuate this situation. If you create a partnership with your client so that they feel you have their back, you will have a loyal client.
- SoulFly0
This person Matthew now has to put a "spin" on the whole thing.
I bet there were so many Aquent workers whispering to themselves "What is this guy doing?" before he created this fiasco.
- jevad0
Monkeyshine - it is the tone of their 'apology' that turns my stomach the most. The way they have tried to crawl out of this, and the initial reasoning for the contest, shows such utter contempt and disrespect for what we, as trained and professional designers, try to achieve when we approach the work we do.
Where is the formal apology from John Chuang? Why the hell is Aquentminister still posting here. Why, in fact, does he still have a job there? And why, for the LOVE OF GOD, do we now have idiot employess at Aquent posting 'anonymous' (way to cover your aquent email there) contradictory drivel on here - trying to stir up even more shit?
I mean, how the fucking CHRIST are clients supposed to learn about the value of proper and good design when one of the biggest 'creative supply' companies in the world is selling us all SHORT.
HOW?
- I agree, and what made it worst was one of the employes trying to justify is damage in the fist place. Bloody clueless.roundabout
- duckofrubber0
QBN changing the world? 2012 is coming up fast then.
*dodges brimstone, scoops up four horses' shitpiles
- *also surprised at the lack of NSFW in this thread.duckofrubber
- Aquentminister0
Are design contests an existential threat to the design profession?
- bigtrick0
complaint email sent to aquent.
- design_bitch0
monkeyshine - i definitely know what you mean with you opposition to certification. i guess what i'm looking for is a way to filter out the "designers" who will design a logo for $100 and the companies who have packaged deals for a new logo with the works on the side. so long as they are around, there will always be businesses with the assumption that what we do is so easy.
i share the anger that jevad expresses about this issue. i feel frustrated and some times discouraged at the fact that no matter how well i do to educate and form great relationships with clients to produce quality work, there's still john doe out there able to find the designer who will do it for cheap. i understand this is also a business, but where do we draw the line?? how far does this go?
i think there ought to be a sole design conference focused on this issue at hand. anyone know of one that exists already? perhaps the AIGA should push more for this kind of awareness.
- ukit0
Judi Wunderlich -Director of Recruiting, Aquent Chicago
http://www.naymz.com/search/judi…
Is this a joke? Why would Aquent's Chicago recruiting director log in and act like they aren't from Aquent? What a way to talk down to people...
- she must think we're idiots. just like they thought we'd let the contest flydesign_bitch
- cannonball0
I propose this: everyone who got shafted in the canceled contest gets to think of ways that Aquent can make it up to the design community. It's a contest that those who submitted get to brainstorm on... Think: ways Aquent can re-engage with their talent pool in a meaningful way.
- This will piss off the copy writersmtgentry
- What copywriters?cannonball
- letters20
Cross-posted on Facebook:
The AIGA, who collaborate regularly with Aquent have a position on this, starkly in opposition. Perhaps Aquent could reach out to the AIGA for guidance in this respect.
From their sample letter:
It has been brought to our attention that you are in the process of choosing a design firm to produce communications materials for your organization. We are concerned that your request for proposal includes a solicitation of design concepts to be produced on a speculative basis by the professionals you are considering.
The approach you are pursuing is one that seriously compromises the quality of work you are entitled to and also violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide.
AIGA, the nation’s largest and oldest professional association for design, strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.
continue reading here: http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/…
- letters20
And the AIGA's sample letter in regard to design "contests":
Dear _______,
I am writing to on behalf of AIGA, the professional association for design. We are concerned about your recently publicized design contest [name or nature of contest].
Although we realize that such contests are a popular way for organizations to generate publicity and participation—and to save costs—there are a number of reasons why asking for work without compensation except for a single design that is selected, which is termed speculative work in the profession, contradicts the ethics of our profession.
The first is that design is a process. It involves time, creative energy, strategy and, most importantly, client participation. For a designer to generate work without going through this process is to create something that is undeveloped and that does not reflect the client’s input and participation. The resulting work is not truly representative of the value or level of service designers provide, nor does it adequately or appropriately address your needs as a client. Just as you wouldn't seek legal or financial advice from a consultant prior to hiring them, a designer must also be well acquainted with your organization and goals if they are to make informed and responsible recommendations.
The other reason is that expecting speculative or uncompensated work demonstrates a trivializing of the contribution design makes to creating value for clients. Of all the entrants in your contest or competition, only one will be selected as a finalist. The time and work of all others will have gone for naught. This attitude on the part of a prospective client is likely to result in receiving work from students, inexperienced or untrained designers, or those less likely to get work from more traditional ways of demonstrating the soundness of their approach toward clients’ problems. The pool of work from which you will select will not necessarily represent the quality of work you deserve from seeking a professional designer. In the end, everyone loses.
We encourage you to reconsider holding this contest, and instead issue a Request For Proposals from qualified design professionals. I know that selecting a designer can be a difficult and daunting task. To assist you, the AIGA provides resources to help you research firms in your area. This database is available online at www.aiga.org/directory. We have also created a helpful guide that can assist you in researching qualified designers, writing a design brief, and managing the design process. This resource is also available free online at www.aiga.org/design-business-and…...
We are pleased that you recognize the need for design, and hope that you will consider these recommendations in the spirit in which they are offered—to help you realize the most that design has to offer. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly at [contact info].
Your consideration of these professional design issues is greatly appreciated.
- Lt_Jack_Hammer0
Judi, we can see right through your cloud of bullshit...Matt's already tried it and it didn't work.
- Josev0
I emailed the president of the AIGA (Sean Adams, who is a great guy) and he responded very quickly. He said that AIGA doesn't condone spec work and that he was going to look into it.
- ukit0
It is definitely spec work - it's a whole business model built around spec work FFS!
- ukit0
For starters, help people recognize that there is a lot more to design than just knocking out a comp with some bevels and some drop shadows and a shiny table. If you look at some of the comps that were submitted to Matt's contest, a lot of them don't even have the Aquent logo in the right font.
I do think that most large, successful companies have recognized that design needs to be professional quality and integrate with business strategy and so on. If anything we've seen a trend in the business world of design becoming MORE intellectual and professional even as sites like 99designs have sprung up. For instance, people working in UX type fields who have masters in HCI and so on. That's why I don't think the Walmart effect that design_bitch mentioned is inevitable. But we should push back against stuff like this when we find it.
- i agree that the larger businesses are seeing the value of design, but what about everything above and below them?design_bitch
- max_prophet0
its hilarious that not only are people still harping on about this, but now people are offering consultancy and site audits for free and getting all kinds of applause.
crazy people
- You don't think we should be talking about it?ukit
- well its getting a bit tired now, you carry on thomax_prophet
- Judy from Aquent kept it aliveukit
- JEUDAYYYYYYY!!!!max_prophet
- bigtrick0
There are 13 submissions so far to the contest. Let's say that at the end of the contest, there will be 60 submissions. Let's further say that each submitter spent 5 hours working on his/her work. So, in total, 300 hours will have been spent on designing this mockup. Aquent will then pay out $500 in total for this work. The one designer that "wins" gets decent compensation - $100/hr worth. The 59 designers who did not win, wasted 5 hours each of their time.
Essentially, these spec contests are a tremendous waste of resources. *295 hours* of design time will have gone up in smoke. That is equivalent to one designer working 60-hour weeks for almost 5 weeks straight. Every contest ensures that design work goes to waste.
Another way to look at the numbers: if designers had to compete in these contests to earn money, and they had a "win" rate of 1 in every 60 contests, spending 5 hours of work on each contest entry, they would earn $500 for every 300 hours spent working - a pay rate of $1.67 an hour. They would clearly be better off working at McD's where they can earn five times as much.
I hope that helps.
- bigtrick - I think the key point her is: "if designers had to compete in these contests" - do you really think that contests will eclipse traditional paths to design? Are you also opposed to outsourcing design to India or Malaysia?Aquentminister
- ukit0
Explanation really doesn't add up either...
"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."
So this whole thing was just a charity act for a young designer, really?
- all honesty, i'm a young designer in the industry, butdesign_bitch
- even i know better than to waste my timedesign_bitch
- they wanted a fresh out of school designer with little experience to redesign their website? cmon. nobody's buying that.sintaxera
- buying that. if it was an experiment or charity, they did a really poor job of saying that in the brief or proj. description.sintaxera
- charity act for a young designer or really a way to press the hot button on a design team or agency that was slow...Iggyboo