Say NO! to Spec Work (Speculative Work)

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From a post on Facebook by Alvin Yap, my former-mentor in CG Protege, I came to know about this no-spec website.

Speculative work (or spec-work) is a "test" set up by a prospective employer or client, that promises to secure a particular job or project, if the quality of your work that is representative of your skills is "chosen" amongst many other that are "bidding" for that job or to clinch the project, all of them doing the same "test".

The prospective clients / employers think they can get more choices, having many people present many alternatives so they can select the best artist to get the job done. Sometimes it is an ongoing job on their end, and by doing those "tests" the freelancers and artists unknowingly completes part of the project, or even worse, the whole project for the prospective clients / employers.

If the project involves creativity, the prospective employers could sometimes mix, match and alter ideas from the submitted works and eventually get someone cheaper to execute that idea. In that way, the prospective employers get to receive lots of ideas without spending a single cent.

This practice, in the long run, will only serve the hurt both the prospective employers, the freelancers and the industry.

For more information go to the website above, and browse the FAQ section to read about the nature of Spec work, how it came about, and why it is not beneficial to the individual designers / freelancers and the company itself.

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