Logopalooza on NO!SPEC

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Steve Douglas with ‘Logopalooza’

I’m now going to introduce you to a steadfast campaigner for the design industry. Steve Douglas. Steve has quite a lot to say on the subject of working spec, so I’ll let him explain.

Why spec projects and logo design contests suck … Well, in my humble opinion, logo design contests (and other types of spec – speculative – logo design offerings) are nothing more than visual Spam. With similar results and driven by similar motives.

Here’s the usual pitch – somebody who wants a new logo created for their fledgling business offers a prize (I’ve seen everything between $50 to a few grand and some with nothing but the glory of designing the job) as part of a contest (or spec project) during which designers will submit their work, without any contract, payment or agreement (other than the winner), in the hopes of having their work selected.

It uses the visual Spam theory – if enough designers, throw enough ideas (for free, natch) at a project, one of these entries should be a winner. It’s also a variant of the something for nothing approach.

And my mother has been lecturing me on that one since I was a wee ladť.

From the blog:
Logopalooza is the official daily web journal of The Logo Factory. While our main site is a showcase of our design, as well as our click-and-mortar storefront, Logopalooza is where we’ll let our hair down a little bit. We’ll discuss graphic design (and logo design, natch) but we’ll also talk about other things that interest us, and may interest site visitors – designers and clients alike.