Being a Starving Graphic Artist Sucks

All Aboard! What a Single's Cruise from Hell and Design Contest Web Sites Have In Common

While I don’t have any problem with a company trying to set up a business model like this, you’d have to be an absolute fricken moron to want to be a part of it (as a designer).

Take this analogy for example: if you're a single guy, why in the hell would you ever want to waste time planning and driving to get on a cruise ship with 1000 passengers...and you're told AHEAD OF TIME that they'll only be 1 woman and 999 guys? Your odds are horrible.

Well, in that same light, you're odds are even worse if you're entering design contests with 200 projects available and 20,000 other registered freelancers. You're going to end up blowing 6 hours (about how much a freelancer will pour into a logo or other design project) for JUST the chance to get paid. It's pure insanity. 

 I know...I know, the contest sites will tell you that this is a great way to build your portfolio, get your feet wet and make connections. Hmmm, last I checked I couldn't pay the mortgage by building my portfolio and getting my feet wet.

Guys, you only stay in the freelancing game if YOU GET PAID.

You can enter as many "contests" as you want but unless you get paid you're not really a freelancer - you're a hobbyist.

It boggles my mind why any designer (unless they were really confused or desperate) would do this.

These contest sites don't really give a crap about clients skipping out on the deal or pulling some other stunt (which I've been told happens more than you think). Nor do they really care about copyright infringement and protecting other freelancer's work (which I KNOW happens quite a bit). These contest sites really don’t want to help designers, they just want to make money. I don’t blame them for this, they have every right to do it - just don't be fooled into thinking they are totally looking out for you as a designer - they're not. 

On the designer’s side, instead of going out and finding their own clients, I've discovered that many designers just want someone to do it for them. Instead of focusing on the things that REALLY matter in helping them to become a success, many designers waste their time twittering, message boards, IMing, and checking out Photoshop tuts. Some actually are diluted enough to believe these activities will make them a success.

 Freelancing = having to market, promote & sell. If you don’t like to, can't or won't do these things, I suggest you learn to farm.

PS – I’ve seen CrowdSpring's new sales technique (which is actually a pretty good one), on Twitter they announce a big company or celeb is crowdspringing their project. Designers start dreaming, “Hey that could be me, I have a good shot in winning this – wouldn’t it be incredible if I won?” Going back to my single’s cruise analogy – oh great, now there are 4999 guys on the boat and still only one woman.  

If you're into long shots, play the lottery. If you're serious about freelancing, drop the contest sites and develop your own clients. I have nothing against contests sites operating and promoting their business, and honestly, if designer's want to run the risk of their work going unpaid (maybe to get experience), that's cool too. I just don't want naive designers to mistakenly feel this is their ticket to fame and fortune - get out there and get your own clients, guys. 

PS - Not trying to cut on the single's cruise industry - never done it, never will. (it just made for an easy example).

Does Star Wars' Han Solo Have the Key to Being a Successful Freelancing Graphic/Web Design?!?!

Yeah I admit it; I am sort of a Star Wars geek, to what degree is still left open to debate. I do still have all of my old Star War toys (my Grandmother who bought most of them insisted I take good care and hang on to them). To my defense of not being a compete sci-fi nerd:

• I've never dressed up as a Star Wars character (although I've always wanted a blue lightsaber)
• I don't even like the last 3 movies Lucas made - rubbish
• I actually don't currently own any of the Star War movies on DVD or Blue Ray

All of that said, a few days ago while my mind was wandering I discovered an odd comparison of a scene between Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan in the original Star Wars movie and the changing landscape of freelance design. I know it sounds odd but give me a chance; I'll "tie" them together. (Uh...I made a funny there didn't I?)

If you're familiar with the movie skip down a paragraph...this back-story section here is for the less nerdy or younger generation that hasn't yet seen the original Star Wars movie. I am describing the negotiation scene in Episode 4 (Star Wars) between Han, Luke, and Obi Wan in Mos Eisley Space Station. This scene would be similar to a freelancer interviewing a few prospective clients in a Starbucks. 

Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan: two men living on a desolate world, "Tatooine" suddenly find themselves in a distressed position whereby they need immediate transportation off of the "Wow, this place really sucks" planet and into outer space to rendezvous with rebels who share the same cause. Desperate to find a willing and able pilot with spaceship to assist them, Luke and Obi Wan find themselves in a cantina negotiating with a Han Solo - a space pilot who coincidentally is a desperate character in his own right. The three of them are sitting at a table trying to determine if they can cut a deal or not.

Check out time code 4:48 - 5:58 in the video below:

Han: $10,000...all in advance
Luke: 10,000?!?! We can almost buy our own ship for that!
Han: But who's going to fly it kid...you?!?!

Can't you see the parallel between this and where freelancing is heading? It's perfectly clear, right? Okay, maybe not...let me drop some ideas on you.

In this analogy we (freelancers) are Han Solo: we've got a product/service that we're willing to offer to clients (Luke and Obi Wan) for the right price. With me so far?

Luke, (like some clients both you and I have met), is staggered by the cost of the service, he immediately blurts out that he doesn't need a professional, doesn't need to pay an "outrageous" fee - Luke foolishly feels he can do it himself (keep in mind that while Luke isn't an idiot, he has NO experience flying a ship like the one their talking about). Luke isn't willing to pay for Han's expertise as a space pilot, instead Luke feels that all he needs is a ship - he can do the rest on his own.

Hmm, is this starting to sound like some of the clients you've met now?
Does it feel more and more that clients are less willing to pay for expertise and more like they can do it themselves?

Going back to the Star Wars example, in response to Luke's ridiculous comment Han comes back with a zinger that I believe encapsulates the way the freelancing industry is heading and how freelancers will be able to continue to be successful, "But who's going to fly it kid...you?!?!"

With all of the discount web/branding templates, tutorials, spec work web sites and cheap drive-through logo companies and freelancers who'll work for nothing, it's easy for clients to feel like Luke - there's no need to pay for expertise, all they need to be successful is a second-rate brand, web site...or spaceship and they can do the rest themselves.

They're wrong, most companies that try to go it alone in terms of marketing and design without an expert helping them will fail within 2-3 years, so there's an opportunity for skilled freelancers who can offer consulting (and marketing) advice rather than just pretty design.

To be successful as a freelancer now, not only do you need to have a good "spaceship" by offering appealing design (which I've just mentioned is readily and cheaply available in template form), but you need to be able to provide a client with expertise as a consultant that will help them achieve their objectives...in the Star Wars example, the objective was fast, safe travel, for your clients it's more revenue and more clients...can you help them do that? If you can, you have a bright future in freelancing.

Hope you enjoyed the analogy, if you did please pass it along!

It's Not Just Spec Work That's Taking Business from Freelancers

While spec work and spec work/contest sites like 99designs and crowdspring receive most of the ire from the graphic design community (by the way, whether they deserve it or not is beyond the scope of this post...check out some of my older posts for my take on them), I wanted to quickly share an email that I received yesterday, see below.

NEWSFLASH: Spec work web sites aren't the only ones that are taking a portion of the freelancing work out there, check out this tactic:

I would like to redevelop your website. I will create a concept that is not template based and that fits your firm perfectly. There is no charge for this. This will prove we can build a site that fits your needs without obligating you.

If you would like to view your site on some of our other designs, please use this link: http://www.only-website-design.com/concepts/. You will simply be asked for the name of your firm for confirmation.
Sincerely,
Mallory Vesilo
Only Websites, Sales Manager
1432 E 840 N, Orem, UT 84097
(800) 932-6030

If you are concerned about the growing amount of design competition out there, this is probably disconcerting but it does't have to be.

Whether it's spec work sites, people offering free stuff like in the email above or the kid down the block that will do a web site for a ball of lint and a bus pass - you can compete with all of them as a freelancer without cutting your costs to nothing.

If the goal of your design is to just look good or in above email, "it will fit your firm perfectly" but it doesn't help the client accomplish their goals, and you're going to have to resort to things like giving away freebies or charging close to nothing. I cover this at length in the Being a Starving Artist Sucks book, for now focus on this one truth that will always be true in freelancing - "If you can help your clients bring in more money and customers, you'll be able to find work and you won't have to give everything away to get it."

This type of stuff's always going to exist guys, no matter how mad you get or how many people in the industry you rally - you can't stop people from doing this unless it becomes illegal (and it never will). But that's okay, you don't have to fight, you just need to learn to compete.

PS - If you haven't checked out what freelancers are saying about BASAS and VKFU, click here...there are some big names and nice endorsements in there.

Is It Necessary to Warn Clients that You Don't Do Spec Work?

In exploring both sides of the spec work debate (at least as objectively as I can), I found myself on a web site that fervently promoted against the "exploitation of creative freelancers". This by itself it didn't really catch my attention, but what did was that the organization encouraged freelancers to slap one of their organization's logo/icon on designer's web site boldly telling clients that they refuse to be exploited and won't do spec work.

While I won't get into whether designers should do spec work or not (I don't...but that's another story), the idea of slapping a sticker like this on my web site to warn clients seems strikingly similar to putting up razor wire - not a good idea in my opinion. In fact, I want to appear as welcoming to clients as possible, and warning stickers don't exactly fit in that approach.

I thought about what it would be like to be in the client's position - they find a designer's web site, and one of the first things that catches their eye is a neon warning sticker in the side bar. So one of the client's impressions is not, "I am glad you're here", it's "Don't screw with me" - not good for attracting clients.

If you're a freelancer out there that has one of these warning labels, you're probably chomping at the bit right now...easy. Hey, it's your right to slap as many warnings on your site as you want - heck, you can even put a Surgeon General's warning on there for all I care. But I will tell you that clients aren't going to feel all that welcome, furthermore most clients I've run into don't even know what the heck spec work is. It's like warning tribes people in some remote village in the Congo about the dangers of eating too many Hostess Cupcakes or Big Macs...is it really necessary when most don't even know what they are?

Most small business owners I've talked to don't even know what spec work is.

I've got no problem sticking to your guns on this spec work issue, but you don't have to point your guns at client's even before they decide to call you. If you're looking to attract folks, get rid of the stickers and the warnings. If by chance you get a rat bastard that tries to get you to do spec work (as I have in the past), THEN you deal with her/him.

Patrick Swayze said it best in the silly but still entertaining movie, Roadhouse, "I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice."

Agree, disagree? Drop me a comment, and please feel free to retweet it or share it.

PS - Jacob Cass has a comprehensive post on this with a lot of differing viewpoints on this subject (including a few of my older posts) - you'll definitely want to check out his thoughts.

PPS - I stumbled on this nice clip with Seth Godin - he's about 40 seconds into the clip, he briefly touches on why some clients treat others (including freelancers badly...trying to take advantage of them).

The Seedier Side of Graphic Design Spec Work - Something I Knew Very Little About

Steve over at the Logo Factory's turned out to be a good friend and a great source of knowledge - he's an "ol' schooler" who's got enough mileage to know what he's talking about.

A while ago we had a back and forth conversation about spec work/design contests - each of us approaching it in a different way: he as a freelancer and me as a client. Like many people (freelancers included) until earlier this year I've been largely unaware of spec work/design contest web site, but Steve's been "carping about since around 2000", so he's got a pretty good handle on what's going on.

In running my own social experiment from the client's perspective, I found some challenges with the spec work/design contests business model that made this an okay fit for some business owners/clients and a really bad idea for others. I am pleased to report that whatever side you're on; the feedback on my review was that it was "honest and fair". After you read this post check it out for yourself if you'd like http://tinyurl.com/c54nvu.

Still, from a designer's perspective: I've never entered a contest, never planned on entering a contest and don't closely know any designers that have entered a contest. Needless to say, I knew very little about what really goes on in these contests, so I asked Steve to give me the inside scoop on what most freelancers like me didn't know spec work/design contests, here's what he came back with...by the way, make sure you're sitting down, I was blown away:

• The amount of copyright infringement is incredible. There's a lion project (from home page) that has versions of a lion's head that I'm sure Disney might have something to say about.
• The in-fighting and bickering among the 'creatives' is awesome.
• There's also a lot (and I mean a LOT) of designers posting complete rubbish (as protest I suppose) in contests - some of their comments are quite clever and the buyers don't know if they're serious or not.
• Large amounts of stock art images being entered into contests - many times different 'creatives' are entering versions of the same stock art into the same contest (most stock art licenses prohibit use in logos and/or trademarks).
• The latest thing is that buyers are planting designs (from sock-puppet accounts) and paying themselves the 'prize'. They're absconding with all the designs - though the designers are wise to this.
• Many 'creative' accounts are being opened by IT companies from India and Pakistan (the $39 unlimited revision crews) and they're not only flooding contests with entries, but moving 'buyers' off from the main contest site onto their sites where they then offer even cheaper services than the contest site. All fair enough, but it leaves the other 'participants' holding the bag when the 'buyer' walks away - (http://tinyurl.com/dkhuzd). Some of these sites guarantee their "awards" but clients still end up walking away.
• Creatives are sending really offensive e-mails to buyers when they don't win - see Twitter for some of their comments.
• The number of 'Past Due - We're On It' notices (when the buyer takes off without picking a winner) is growing.

Holy crap...never knew, though my advice to freelancers hasn't changed much. If you want to get into this type of business model to help your business grow, I've got no problem with it - but I think you're making a huge mistake. Why would you ever put yourself in a situation where you're competing with thousands of other folks for a couple hundred sporadic projects?

Let's look at this another way...guys, would you ever go on a cruise where the number of dudes outnumbered the girls 100 to 1? You're odds are terrible...as they are on spec work/design contests sites, so why are freelancers trying them. Not sure about this, but I suspect it's a combination of desperation, laziness - and wanting to avoid running a real business, fear of sales and marketing, low barriers to entry - anyone can jump in.

Am I on target or off-base, what do you think?
Feel free to comment (I'll respond) and please share this with the design community if you found some value in it.

PS - If you design logos, think about logos, talk about logos or want to know more about logos and logo design, you'll definitely want to jump over to http://www.thelogofactory.com/logo_blog/ and get some great insights from someone who knows what the hell he's talking about. Thanks for sharing Steve.

Oh Great, Spec Work Companies are Now Spamming Graphic Designers

I've long defended spec work companies the opportunity to get out there and earn a buck just like the rest of us. As a freelancer, whether I like their business model or not, I don't feel I have the right to tell others how to run their business (so long as it's legal). Today however I received an interesting email that I wanted to share with you - mind you that I didn't sign up for a newsletter, list or anything else.

These guys were "kind enough" to send me this "wonderful invitation" without me even asking for it:

"Dear Designer,
We would like to invite you to send quotations to clients around the world and build your client base.
Few of our latest projects that are awaiting quotations are:

Respect Our Lakes - $3000-$5000
Sweet Pea Daycare - <$1000
Sherbrooke painting - Negotiable

Sending quotations is very simple. All you will need to do is to register with us and select the project you would like to quote.To register visit: http://www.onlinedesignquote.com/register-designers.html

We look forward to serving you and building your client base.
Wishing you good luck,
team@onlinedesignquote"

Hey look, I've got no problem with these guys trying to put bread on the table, but sending out spam email to freelancers that didn't ask to be emailed doesn't feel quite ethical to me. My suggestion to companies like this is to get involved with the design community, use social networking and build relationships versus trying to make the quick score.

Whether you're an independent freelancer or a spec work company like this, the result is the same: emailing everyone on some list you purchased (without any social or trust building marketing) may get you a couple of quick sales but it's going to turn off a lot of people. I would be one of those people.

I do wish this company that emailed me the best of luck, but I do wish they would remove me from their list.

Want to learn more about what I think about spec work - get the honest truth here (and please retweet and share these with other freelancers if you got some value out of them!)

Initial Thoughts on Spec Work (based off of Forbes Magazine article)
Why are we Still Debating About Spec Work?
Love 'em or hate 'em, I decided to rate 'em: my first-hand experience & review with spec work, using CrowdSpring.com

A Freelancer's Non-Biased Look at CrowdSpring - Through the Client's Eyes

If I Am a Freelancer, Why Did I Do This?
What I wanted to do here was to take an objective (as much as I can) look at what all of the buzz was about concerning CrowdSpring and this concept of "spec work". Jeremiah Owyang (social media and cutting-edge Internet genius) tried a similar experiment with one of his creative projects - I figured I'd do the same.

Concerning the whole spec work debate - I know both sides and I know their talking points, honestly I can empathize with both of them. I've already covered that terrain in past posts (search for them if you'd like) so I won't get into that here. Both sides will undoubtedly be checking this post out and looking for ammunition for their respective side - I can appreciate this, but I've done my best to just write a simple, objective look at what I experienced being a client instead of a designer.

I'd also like to point out before getting into the actual review that the folks at CrowdSpring were both respectful and encouraging when it came to this review. I know some love this company and some not so much, but whatever side of the fence you're on I wanted to first say that they were pretty cool about hearing I was going to review their process - I appreciated that.

 Pros

• The designer that won the contest (Brad) was friendly and fairly timely with his designs.
• I made a comment about the speed of the customer service at CrowdSpring, but they were quite helpful and friendly.
• I was able to upload sample files for designers to look at and get inspiration from - nice touch.
• Even though some of the logos weren't of the best quality, there were a few in there that weren't bad - and my client did pick one of them and seemed pretty happy with it.
• You don't have to leave the office.
• You can have a lot of different creative looks to your project (versus having 1 designer try many concepts).
• Payment is quick and easy.
  
  

Cons (Many of these have nothing to do with CrowdSpring, just the nature of working with someone purely online - eLance, Guru and Sologig would have many of the same issues):

• As the client/business owner, you have to type EVERYTHING out. From working with clients for years, I know they despise this - they would rather dictate and have me scramble to take notes.
• You can plan on investing 1-3 hours typing communications/emails and reviews back and forth. Between feedback and clarification this can eat up a lot of time.
• As a business owner, if you aren't really sure you know what you want, be prepared for ANYTHING. I laid out pretty clear instructions (again, I've been doing this for over 10 years), but I still got some wacky concepts. In all fairness, I'm sure I've created off-the-wall concepts as well.
• The logos I received varied in quality quite a bit (some good and some were pretty bad) in fairness to CrowdSpring, I placed a $200 bid which the site indicated was a bit low (sorry this was for a non-profit). I am sure if a client places a higher dollar figure on it, they'll get better results.
• The site does promise 25 different entries/designs to choose from - I received 26. However, many of the entries were designed by the same artist and varied just a little from their other designs. I am not sure if I have a better solution for CrowdSpring on this, but I felt a little cheated. Again, I am sure at a higher dollar figure would ensure this might not happen as much. 
• The customer service at CrowdSpring was a little slow in getting back to me (a few hours to a day)...I don't think I saw a phone number either. But in fairness to them, I am used to Twitter's speed so I am spoiled.
• Don't expect marketing advice or guidance, CrowdSpring and other sites like it focus purely on design. If you are a savvy marketer, this shouldn't be a problem. If you don't know positioning, niche marketing and psychographic profiling from the hole in your rear, you might want to look into someone who can provide both marketing expertise and design.

The Bottom Line:
Based on my experience, do I think spec work will completely obliterate traditional freelance designers as we know them...and perhaps replace them all with super cyborg designers who will work for next to nothing?
No. I can see where spec work might be attractive to some clients, but for others I am not sure it's a good fit - especially when they haven't worked with a designer before.

Did I feel badly for those that didn't win?
Absolutely. I am not sure every client out there will, but didn't feel right about telling artists that clearly put some time into their logo that they didn't win. By the way, I offered everyone who entered a logo their choice of my Being a Starving Artist Sucks or Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers book for free.

Do I think spec work is evil?
Hmm, I think the word "evil" is tossed around a little too loosely. Sadly, there's a lot of evil in this world - I mean real evil but I am not sure I would put spec work in this category. I see this is causing freelancers to rethink their strategy (including me), but I still see opportunities for those that can adapt.

Was this review fair or foul?
Drop in a comment, share it, or retweet it...

PS - Tutorialblog.org just reviewed Being a Starving Artist Sucks and Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers, did think they were "sleepers" or "keepers"?

How to Compete with Sites CrowdSpring and eLance (Without Beeaching and Moaning)

Well the dust has settled after the big "Is Spec Work Evil" debate at this year's SXSW event in Austin...I am jealous that it didn't work out that I could attend - sounds like it would've been a blast. Hopefully the debate was both lively and civil, but I don't know. What I do know is that life carries on today, freelancing carries on and so does spec work - no matter what was discussed.

A few folks have already written in this week and ask, "Okay I get that I can't change this crap, what do I do about it."

I thought I'd give recording my post a whirl on this one and try to provide some audio inspiration.

Feel free to forward this on to others if you like the clip...and as always, feel free to drop in a comment if you've got something constructive to add to the conversation.