aquent site redesign-spec work
- Started
- Last post
- 173 Responses
- lorac770
We should all spam their general address () with this letter:
The AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts, www.aiga.org) believes that doing speculative work seriously compromises the quality of work that clients are entitled to and also violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide. AIGA 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.
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…...
- ukit0
Matt, it's hardly an inevitable new reality that needs to be adapted to. Not every buzzword invented by a marketing guy somewhere is necessarily the next big trend, or even a good idea. In fact, as far as I can tell, your choice to have them redesign your homepage is by far their highest profile contest to date. At the same time you are apologizing and saying it was a bad idea, you are giving them their biggest win ever in terms of exposure (designing your homepage).
- sintaxera0
Matt,
Look, I think it's great that you have stuck around and are posting on these forums. I know we are a tough crowd, but we are very defensive of design. We love this, we live this... this isn't an "experiment" to us. This is our career, our liveleyhood, and we do not enjoy it being demeaned in such a way.When you say "Does it make us work harder to demonstrate to our clients and talent that there is value in working with a staffing firm as opposed to using the numerous resources at their disposal for finding talent or finding jobs? Yes." Well, doesn't Aquent promoting a contest like this hurt/negate your argument when you yourselves are using the very resources you're trying to convince your clients NOT to use?
Why not look through all the portfolios of the people working with Aquent and pick from the creme of the crop, hire them the proper way, and show just how talented the people you promote are? It would be a great promotional tool for Aquent ..."Look at the talented people we have and the great work they do!" ...instead, what you're saying is "We didn't think enough of our own talent for this project, so we had a contest where we helped promote the idea that design is almost worthless." Now, I'm sure that's not what you intended to say, but that's certainly what the design community is hearing.
- < this is how you build a brand from withinjohndiggity
- 100% agree.GammaRay
- well saidroundabout
- johndiggity0
this is all besides the point that design by contest will fail to generate any type of viable solution, because there is no dialog between the designer and the client, and therefor, no problem to be solved. it's all eyecandy and shooting in the dark.
for a poster, maybe this type of thing is okay, but for something with such utility as a website, i cannot see this ending with a successful solution. but again, i'm just a designer. what do i know?
- ...the design brief is a short paragraph long.monkeyshine
- just for the record, the 99Designs platform fully allows for such dialogue.Aquentminister
- Oh, well, then THAT makes it all better now. Open communication...stri... people along even more.GammaRay
- GammaRay0
WOW...absolutely pathetic...I'm completely disgusted.
- ignaciogggg0
I did this awesome design for Aquent, I want to win this! the website looks awesome! What you think?
http://99designs.com/contests/99…
- Josev0
What has surprised me about this is that, typically, important post topics get picked up and moved other forums. This seems to have only stayed here on QBN.
- Iggyboo0
I posted : " By Aquent actively participating in running a design contest on a site that makes a business off of spec work being sold; aren't you positioning Aquent to profit off of spec work and actually taking a stance to approve of Spec work in general?
I think request for proposals genuinely are different than spec work, mainly because larger entities ( IE businesses entire studios ) take the risk of competing for RFP's. Of course there are plenty of freelancer's that compete for RFP's as well but that's all for business that's much greater than sum's of $500 dollars or less. That's like 1 or 2 billable VP hour(s) on the job btw. and generally higher up's write these briefs or at least have their hand in them.
I dunno I thought better of Aquent I thought you guys protected designers prior to this and that's what your company lose when designer's see you competing on these sites; An active change in their perception of your organization regardless of your businesses actual stance."
- monkeyshine0
Well, where have you been? Clients have long seen value in design gotten cheaply (be it a site that sells templates, or ready-made logos) so by your reasoning this is just the way things are. The thing is, these are clients we typically steer clear of because they do not value design or their brand for that matter. Aquent has put themselves in the same boat.
- instrmntl0
thats fucked
- matt310
everything that company does is shady. I met with them once and it was complete bullshit. They go more on who you know then what you know.
- jevad0
Absolutely disgusted by this. Pulling the 'contest' was the right move - but you are going to have to do some serious damage control, and a lot of work to re-instill the community's trust.
- ukit0
What fuckers. I agree, completely undermines what they're supposed to be about.