Asking for spec work is not good for business.

Asking for spec work is not good for business.

Let us define spec work. Speculative work is work done in advance to having a contract with a client in anticipation of being paid. There are many risks associated with spec work for both the designer and the client. The client takes a risk of getting lower quality work because the designer invests less time, energy and thought into the project. The most important part of a project is the research, consideration of options, and the development of design mockups. Designers risk being taken advantage of by clients looking for freebies. While it isn’t always the case, free work often diminishes the value of the designer’s abilities.

The position of AIGA, the nation’s largest and oldest professional association for design, strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project. Designers should be fairly compensated for their work.

There are very few professions where clients ask for work in advance. Imagine asking a dentist for a free cleaning and telling them you will only pay if you like it. A more effective approach to seeing which designer you would like to work with would be to ask for examples of their work from past projects. From this, you would be able to determine if their style would be a good solution for you.

AIGA, 2013. AIGA Position on Spec Work. Retrieved April 10, 2013 from http://www.aiga.org/position-spec-work/