Is Blogging not another Form of Spec Work?
Posted on 21 April, 2009 at 16:25 PM
There are already 12 Comments
About the Show
David and Marc move location, from the couch to the car, and have a bit of a rant about whether blogging is speculative work or not.
Links on the 'No Spec' work discussion:
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User Comments
David Perel 21 Apr, 2009 16:43:29 PM
@Colorburned - Absolutely mate, but we had to play devils advocate. What I was saying is that many people who are complaining about spec work are the same people who blog to get work...
Rob MacKay 21 Apr, 2009 16:58:37 PM
Yay the spec work debate rages on...
This is my view.
I don't see competitions as spec work, whether its to design something for a company or whatever - a competition is a competition, you enter to hopefully win. If you win, you gain the title and the prize, if you loose you gain the experience.
Spec work is completely and utterly relative to the job, and to your position. If you have no portfolio, or recommendations to back up your skills then I see no way to avoid it - other than to get a normal job working for someone else.
I personally do not do spec work now, not because I'm particularly above it, but because I have a client base who trust my work and they can rely on me. It means there is little to no risk in it for me, and I can charge a good solid fair price for my services - which is better to both parties.
I do agree however that the whole spec work thing is a little bigged up, people flaming and angry posts isn't going to stop it - it will never stop, because like people have said in other posts... there is always someone who will do it... If you need to do it, you do it - simple.
If you are an established designer, spec work I think should be avoided for your own cash flow and possible "run offs" (where the company take your spec work and run away without a penny coming to you). If not then do it if you have to, I know I did and it help me build up my portfolio.
Fin. lol
kyle steed 21 Apr, 2009 17:04:00 PM
Love the "drive-time" video guys.
This is a touchy subject, but I think your viewpoint and experience you approach it with makes a big difference. Those designers with degrees and years of experience would be more suited in saying that spec work should be done away with. Whereas a new designer on the scene (with no formal training) won't understand what all the fuss is about.
I know when I first got in to web design, almost two years ago now, I loved entering competitions to push myself and test my abilities. It wasn't about winning (even though I hoped I might) but it was about the fun in competing. I also like to enter design competitions on flickr and other various blogs to get more exposure.
Design isn't just about making money, it's about loving what you do and doing it because you're passionate about it. When we focus solely on making money, then we're no better than the thousand of other "template" designers out there who make a bad name (and an easy buck) for us everywhere.
Thoughts?
Donna Donohue 21 Apr, 2009 17:07:46 PM
Blogging for business is marketing, as it is not for a specific client. It is not work, it is just another avenue that you have to drive down as part of your overall marketing effort. Yes, you hope to get clients from it, but you are not writing to their specifications. You are writing what you want to write.
Spec work is doing free design for a specific client. And it is done without any interview or finding out what they are about. Shooting in the dark hoping they like you, without getting to know each other.
I don't care about spec work. I am not going to argue the point with anyone. I've never done spec work, not even when I started my web design business 10 years ago. I've been asked, but refused. That is my business model. Each designer must determine their own business model. If it includes giving away work, then that is fine, that is their business, not mine to rag on. Contests? just don't enter them if you disagree with the principle. Simple enough.
The "from the car" idea was great!
Donna (who has not had time to get her "hash" blog running yet, too busy with paying work!)
Jacob Cass 21 Apr, 2009 17:08:00 PM
I don't think blogging is spec work at all, it is a form of marketing in my opinion. I also just finished a 1600 word essay on spec work for University and will be posting my views soon in "blog" format hopefully next week!
I wonder if a blog post on spec work is double the spec?
David Perel 21 Apr, 2009 17:25:49 PM
Whew, lots to read. Let me get my glasses... oh hang, I dont have any :P I am glad you all enjoyed the From the Car idea, we were scared of missing another day so the Car thing was a cool twist. Sorry about the dodgy camera angles though, I am not the best cameraman!
@Rob - Spec work is all relative to the person reading the brief, if they new to the world of design then enter, if you overflowing with work then don't.
@Kyle - I think you have hit the nail on the head. Its about passion at the end of the day isn't it? If you enjoy competing but can't kick a ball then its a good idea to do some spec work. I would also say its a good place to practice and if you win the deal then that is the bonus plan. But I really like your point about passion, if you have the time and are passionate about design then why not?
@Donna - I personally think that blogging is marketing but just had to ask the question. If you blog for work then you are putting in huuuge effort in the hope of landing ANY job let alone a specific one, so there is the same amount of risk that you would put into spec work and thats why we asked the question from the angle. But in our genuine view Blogging is marketing.
@Jacob - Welcome to FtC mate and good luck with your video posts on JCD, there is huge potential for your videos to rock the house. I will definitely be reading (some) of that essay when you post it :P
Doug S. 21 Apr, 2009 17:57:41 PM
I do love the faulty logic of this rant. While it is rather easy to draw a parallel between spec. work and blogginga tenuous one at bestit is still easier to rip that link down.
In the rant they say that posting blogs is similar to spec. work in that clients will see your posts and hire you for it. A valid point. However, they make the connection to spec. work by stating that since both are used to generate work they must be the same thing. At first glance maybe, but not if you look closer. Spec. work is done at a client's request and would not be done otherwise. Furthermore spec. work, unlike a blog posting, is useful only to that specific client. Blogs are a resource for everyone and while both spec. work and blogs are a form of marketing only one is truly useful.
Also, competitions are not spec. work. This is another area where a comparison may have been made but is easily proven false at close inspection. In spec. work you show your work to the client, they judge it, and if they don't like it no one ever sees it and your time is wasted. In a competition even if you don't win your work is shown to others and you still walk away with a portfolio piece.
As for the comment that it's good for people new to the industry, it's not. It doesn't teach them to be designers, it teaches them to be artists. Design isn't about making something pretty; it's about making something that fulfills a purpose. Should that final product be attractive? Of course, but that also fulfills a purpose.
It's great to foster the debate but I wish you guys had thought out your argument a bit more before posting it. There are some valid points and it does make spec. work seem slightly less vile but only just.
Niki Brown | The Design OBlog 21 Apr, 2009 18:28:42 PM
@jacob "I wonder if a blog post on spec work is double the spec?"
That just made me LOL at work... :)
Love the video from the car guys!
I'll have to say that the question of why people blog isnt really universal. My blog started out as a sort of collection of cool things I found on the internet and has transformed into something else. I blog to learn, inform, and sound off on topics that I feel passionate about. One of those subjects just happens to be spec work.
I dont think that blogging from my perspective is spec work at all - but more self marketing than anything. I'm not blogging to impress clients - but this seems to be a nice side effect to blogging :)
Keep the video shows coming!
Ann Storer 22 Apr, 2009 00:03:01 AM
Heya, I came here from Twitter. It's funny that this was up today; I was just thinking about blogging as spec work this morning.
I think it's all in the intent. All spec work -- any work you do at all, really, is done because you get something out of it, whether it's money, new contacts, or simple enjoyment. Blogging is something you do for free, but unless you're using it specifically as a tool to get revenue or clients I don't think I would class it as working on spec, it's just marketing yourself and getting your name out there.
Nice idea for a post!
Aaron Irizarry 22 Apr, 2009 17:05:29 PM
Hey guys... love the from the car version of from the couch... nice touch
I talked about this on my vidcast and agree with you guys... the one thing we need to remember... is to value our design.
I don't agree with working for free or anyone who would run a contest just so they wouldn't have to hire a designer.
When it comes to blogging I think it is slightly different... i don't make any money from my blog, but it is not really meant to be a portfolio type blog. more times than not blogs are opinions and so it might differ in some sense from actual design work...
but overall I think we need to move on... if you don't agree with spec work or contest then don't do it. If yo hustle, and kick ass on your design work then don't worry about the guy who is selling his logo for a bag of chips... honestly is that a client you want anyway?
one good thing is that this topic will never die so we will always have something to bog, and rant about. :)
keep it up guys
Aaron I
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives 22 Apr, 2009 18:59:21 PM
I've always looked at spec work as a specific entity requiring speculative designs/writing/whatever as a defined requirement for a CHANCE at a certain job/project. Of course, spec is often disguised as a "design contest," crowdsouricing or some other term. I don't see how blogging fits into that scenario at all. In my case, blogging is marketing/self-promotion, education, the sharing of ideas, therapy and so much more. Besides, no one is requiring me blog as a method of getting work - I'm doing it because I want to and I enjoy the process.
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Colorburned 21 Apr, 2009 16:37:54 PM
I think it depends on your perspective. If you blog simply because you're hoping that it will help you get design work then I suppose that you could consider that "spec" work, possibly. On the other hand, if you blog simply because you enjoy it or because you see it as a form of advertising then it's not speculative, it's an investment.