Spec work
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- nosaj
What do you think of spec work as part of a proposal?
Personally I think it devalues creative work and should only be done if paid for and allowed to follow the appropriate process.
A strong proposal and portfolio should get the job... what do you think?
- madirish0
NO.
- 23kon0
Could be worth the risk, as ive been involved with projects that have turned out cool thought speculative work. Just do your homework and dont spend too much time on it.
It is unbelieveable the amount of people and companies that think they can get some initial work done for free.
Just turn it round to them and ask them if you can have THEIR products or what they make/do for a living for free.
It'll change their tune.
- meffid0
Try the filter on this one and see how angry people get.
I've done spec work when I want the client BADLY. For work wise, not money obviously. I've always got it afterwards.
If they ASK for it, tell them to fuck off.
- Mimio0
Not good for studios or freelancers but agencies do it all the time. It's semantics for "Client acquisition work."
- meffid0
This reminds me of a story I have.
I went for 3 job interviews for a place here in Melbourne, on the third interview (preceeding the jobs was mine and a wraps, they just wanted to meet me one last time) they pulled out a laptop, took notes on all my changes I'd make to some of their sites.
The next day, they pulled the offer citing some "financial trouble" and a week later, made the exact 15 changes I'd reccommended on their site.
I felt like fucking killing them, but how am I to prove so or am I bitter?
It was a spec work "interview" in a way, don't do the work on promise or if you're starting out freelance don't design for "if my business takes off I'll cut you in" bullshit.
Fucken people.
- 23kon0
its VERY annoying when you see a final job you pitched for with visuals and you see some elements in there from your ideas.
either
a) the other company came up with the same idea
or
b) the client showed this other company YOUR visuals and said "copy that!"thats when you tell the client to get to fuck and tell them not to bother including you on future pitch lists
- Glitterati_Duane0
Yeah I've been sucked into the "if my business takes off I'll cut you in" one myself. At the end of the day that same person called me all the time looking for cheap then eventually free work. I drew the line there and he hasn't called me since.
- meffid0
dude here you go:
my spec work version:
What they now have (made by another firm after they pulled out from my firm with no reason)
I felt like murdering them, not much I can do about it though, they chose someone else and the firm I worked for did spec work... learn your lesson.
- scrap_paper0
As promising as it may seem you have to tell these people where to go. Most will take advantage of you any chance they get because people are bad. Bad bad bad.
- 23kon0
id like to add that i believe that MTV(uk) do this a lot and that i know through personal experience.
get a lot of companies to pitch for the work so they get lots of cool ideas then just either end up going with the usual companies they use or doing it inhouse.
that is a personal opinion and not necessarily one shared by my employers.
- Iggyboo0
Nyet. No.
- Iggyboo0
Educate your clients, but if their arrogant and out to screw artists make your designer friends aware of these bad clients. I swear our industry is already back up against the wall with this terrible economy. This shouldn't even come up, but it never seems to go away. But Agency's who make proposals are in a different place to respond to multimillion dollar rfp's and thats where this stuff starts. at the top.
- nosaj0
I was just reviewing an RFP. They rate proposals on a scale of 100.They have points for marketing experience, account team, references etc... highest points for concept and no points for portfolio / past work... interesting.
- craighooper0
Fuck any client, prospective client, or entity, that approaches a group of freelancers, studios, or large agencies and asks them to pitch w/ included spec design work.
How is a designer to develop a proper solution without ever conducting all necessary research and investigation? They can't. You can't design an effective solution based on some basic data in an RFP. It's called "stabbing in the dark w/ fingers crossed a cheque will eventually come in the post..."
Don't do it. Spec clients should never even be considered.
- gramme0
This has been discussed ad nauseum here before. Avoid spec work at all costs. Have some self respect.
Sending out RFPs to a number of designers/firms is one thing, but when unpaid design work is even mentioned as part of the process, you should run for the hills.
- ETM0
- ********0
Never done spec on request, but I too – like meffid – have done spec for clients whose business I badly wanted. I actually just did some spec this week for this exact type of situation.
Sometimes it pays off and is worth it, but the greater majority of the time, it tends to end up in the designer/agency being screwed out of money and/or resources.
- ********0
Wow, meffid, just checked out your sample vs. the final product. Absolutely ridiculous.
- johnnnnyh0
Just did a proposal which asked for an outline of what our approach to the project would be. This was difficult to do without actually attempting some design work around the project. Entire proposal took almost two weeks to complete - and guess what, we didn't win the work. Worse, we came second! Bummer.
I don't think you should ever have to present design ideas at the proposal stage - it ties you in too much as well so that it's hard to be creative again if you do with the work.