“SPEC” - four letter word?
“Inspiration never comes from just nowhere. It is the culmination of experiences stored subconsciously for the right moment to all click together. Speculative design work is an attempt to force inspiration without the benefit of experience.”
– no-spec.com
The word spec has become a hot topic within the design community as of late. Or is it just now that most designers are finally becoming vocal about their disgust for such a belittling practice? I think the latter is due to a well-educated design field that is tired of being looked upon as meaningless or generic.
Why is there so much commotion about spec these days? One word – appreciation. It happens in any profession. That’s why we have award shows, company picnics, employee of the month and bonuses. Everyone wants to be appreciated for their talents and the experience they have built behind those talents. Spec work throws all this out the window.
The first step to understanding why spec hurts designers is understanding what exactly it is. The creators of no-spec.com describe spec work as any kind of creative work rendered and submitted, either partial or completed, by a designer to a prospective client/employer before taking steps to secure both their work and an equitable fee.
Think about all that you do for your job. You’ve spent countless hours buried in books, magazines and newspapers to stay up to date on what the next big thing in business is, and what’s going to make you and those you work for your next big dollar. Then, when you’re ready to prove yourself and your idea to your superiors, not only do you have to present to them that you can do what you say and that it will actually work, you have to DO it too. Don’t expect to get paid for all this time and effort to implement a plan to make their business better either. Just leave it up to them to decide if they like your idea or not. Oh, and by the way, three of your co-workers (one of whom is your bosses nephew who just graduated from business school) will be implementing their own ideas and work, and whomever your company likes best will get the paycheck at the end of the job and the rights to fully implement their idea.
Sound like fun? Yeah, we don’t think so either. Yet far too often such is the pitfall of the client-creative relationship.
For more information on this topic check these out:
no-spec.com
ideasonideas.com
gdc.net