This is another misconception, as a lot of non-profits do have a design budget. You just need to ask.

Basically, it is up to each designer to decide just how much of their time will be donated – probono.

I used to cut my charges in half, and the non-profits had to get donations to cover the rest.

Also, designers are usually allowed to approach companies to donate money to cover a part (or all) of the design costs.

This is how the real world works when you become a full-fledged designer, so might as well use a system that is already in place.

Does that mean that if we sell our work, we’re selling our souls? This over-the-top language tries to confuse the issue. This is an economic problem, not a moral one.

I thought Ram’s comments were interesting in that he used the spec process to learn about the design world and make some money, but once he established himself he “realized how damaging” spec work is, “especially to full time designers.”

It seems that most people who condemn spec work have already made it to the top of the profession. They’re doing a healthy business based on their established reputations and don’t like the way spec work erodes their income. That’s understandable. But it’s also understandable how someone who is desperately trying to establish themselves would go the spec route.

When I hear established professionals tell young designs to just do pro bono work or work non-design job on the side to make money, I can’t help but think how condesendingly dismissive that is. Opting for the pro bono route may give you some experience, but it won’t put food on the table. Working as a waiter or waitress might put food on the table, but it won’t give designers the resume/CV they need to be considered for bigger jobs.

I’m not sure what the solution is, but a healthy first step in finding one is understanding the problem. It isn’t a matter of good vs. evil. It’s a matter of competing economic interests.

What you want to do, if you need portfolio work, is do it pro bono. What is the difference? There is a big difference!

In the spec model, the relationship is one-sided and upside down. You are the slave and maybe you’ll get paid. It feels bad. The design process is affected by that.

In the pro bono model, you are the aggressor, the one on top and in control. You decide who to give your services to and under what conditions. Since the receiving party will not be remunerating you, they have no sway. You feel good the whole process through.

Find a way to give away / donate work to the business, person, charity, or other group of your choice. Find out what they need and do the work for free. You will feel great about the work, do a great job, have a happy relationship, spread goodwill, and it just might lead to paid work from the pro bono client as well as referrals.

Just say no to spec and yes to pro bono!

Kathy, so 99designs offer sample questions about copyright infringement, but I don’t see how that will prevent it from occurring. If a “designer” is perfectly willing to steal a design and pass it off as their own, don’t you think it’s a fair assumption that they’re also willing to lie about it?

Adam, we’ve been chatting about RFPs and spec work, summed up in this comment above.

and what about when a design firm does work for a proposal or bid? we are doing the work and then competing against the work of other firms, without knowing for sure we will be getting the job. or is it because that has been a part of the industry for so long and we are competing against other professionals and not against some plumber, stay-at-home mom or teenager who happen to have a computer and pirated versions of software, that we accept this but not the latter?

what about the little coffee shop owner who realizes he needs to spruce up his logo and collateral and such to stay relevant, but doesnt know any designers or how to go about hiring a freelancer so he turns to the all-powerful interwebs and stumbles upon a crowdsourcing site? he is not intentionally trying to crumble the design industry, but that route seems like a good route.

how do we reach him and help him get what he needs and to understand that a professional can help him with much more than by just designing a crappy logo? he doesnt care about a bunch of designers bitching if he gets what he wants/needs for a good price (well, what he thinks he needs, anyways; )

While you look at these sites and see designers working on spec – I am seeing behind the scenes on the client side of the table.

99designs has recently begun giving contest holders “questions” to ask a designer before the contest ends… and it includes such pesky little things like image licensing issues.

AH – when those questions begin to fly – the rubber meets the road and suddenly the bored unemployed factory worker with an artist aspiration and access to flickr can’t answer questions about licensing.

Education is an important tool. When you’re a designer – you’re “selling” more than your design – you’re selling your expertise.

I think designers will eventually find the crowd sourcing sites will provide a new crop of “educated” design consumers in the future.

I personally don’t want to work with any clients who leave it up to a contest to create their future logo/CI, one of the most important communication elements of their business.

That somehow tells me how these clients value business and business partners.
Usually clients who know that they have to pay for quality are easy to work with.
(although some of them participating in contests might just be uneducated about the whole thing)

I also think by now (after following these discussions in the US, here in Australia and in Germany) that specs work will always be around in some way but I also think it’s a bit of a hype at the moment which will slow down again, the market will regulate itself.
Back in Germany they had the slogan over the last years “Geiz ist geil” which means something like “being stingy is cool” – this now seems to start backfiring.

A young designer can get experience in working pro bono if it’s really tough to get proper jobs at the moment or as an intern. Being in direct (non virtual) contact with clients/agencies would also help to learn more about the costs involved running a design business.
I agree that it would be more effective to get any job for awhile to make some money and concentrate to get a proper start in the design industry.

Astrid