International NO!SPEC crusade launches

The international graphic design NO!SPEC crusade launched worldwide this morning. NO!SPEC is an effort to educate Visual Communication Designers and those who use their services, on the damaging effects caused by spec work and spec-based design contests, a group of designers from all over the globe banned together, fueled by passion and a lot of caffeine, to bring NO!SPEC to the public.With legitimate design opportunities turning into calls for spec work at an alarming rate, it is our goal to arm designers with the tools they need to take a stand against this trend, as well as provide businesses with resources and information on why spec work harms our industry, and alternative solutions to their design needs that do not involve working on spec. The NO!SPEC initiative includes contacting designers, educators, businesses and organizations, creating NO!SPEC promotional materials, protest letters, and writing petitions. In the future there will be NO!SPEC material for educators to use in classrooms, and more.

It’s time to take a stand! And with the international support of NO!SPEC, we ask that you please join us in promoting professional, ethical business practices by saying NO! to spec.*

According to Project Manager Catherine (cat) Morley, designers can support the cause by:

• grabbing a NO!SPEC logo at the web site and linking back (By the way, the NO!SPEC logo was designed by Piers Le Sueur of ArtnSoul Graphic Design)

• sharing the powerful posters created by Von Glitschka
with design schools, etc (shown below)

• posting on their blogs

• writing articles or sending in links pertaining to NO!SPEC

• sending protest letters

• signing the petition posted online

• contacting their design organisations

• filling out the NO!SPEC survey

• participating in the 'Have YOUR Say'

• offering to translate the NO!SPEC site to get the
word out internationally

Go to the NO!SPEC web site for much more information and to get involved in this important design industry crusade.

(*Text from the NO!SPEC web site)

1 comment:

  said...

This is a very worthwhile initiative, which I’ve linked to as well. I’m surprised that spec work still continues these days—AGDA did its own crusade against it. We need to be reminded of it regularly, and No!Spec is a great, international way of shedding light on how designers’ work can be undervalued.