Requesting creative services in advance of hiring is known as Speculative or “Spec Work.” Spec Work compromises the quality of work you are entitled to and also violates a long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide.
The “American Institute of Graphic Arts”, as well as the “Graphic Artists Guild” and the “Graphic & Web Design Trade Customs” are in agreement and most graphic designers will not provide speculative designs as it places zero value on ones services.
Creating custom designs are not part of Fascination Design’s presale process. Design is a collaborative process with the client that is affected by a variety of factors and is not simply a flash of creative inspiration.
Speculative work takes time which creates lower profit margins. A business with less cash to invest back into the business means a worse product, worse service, and customers that don’t receive as many benefits as they could.
Here are some other ways to ease into the transition of working with us:
- Ask for an estimate and try us out with a smaller project.
- Or ask for us to break out the first step of a bigger project in an estimate.
- Ask for references. We’ll check with some clients to make sure they aren’t too busy to talk and get you their contact info.
- Review portfolio pieces of similar projects.
- If we haven’t met with you already, we do offer an initial “getting to know you” meeting on the house. This can be a phone meeting if you don’t live nearby.
The AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) on Spec work:
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/position-spec-work
“AIGA, the professional association for design, believes that professional designers should be compensated fairly for the value of their work and should negotiate the ownership or use rights of their intellectual and creative property through an engagement with clients.”
“Clients and designers knowingly engaged in spec work share an equal responsibility to understand the potential risks and rewards:
Clients risk compromised quality as little time, energy and thought can go into speculative work, which precludes the most important element of most design projects—the research, thoughtful consideration of alternatives, and development and testing of prototype designs. Designers risk being taken advantage of as some clients may see this as a way to get free work; it also diminishes the true economic value of the contribution designers make toward client’s objectives.
There are legal risks for both parties should aspects of intellectual property, trademark and trade-dress infringements become a factor.”
More info for businesses on spec work:
