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Title:

Design Contests vs. NO!SPEC

Your vote:
Level:
Beginner
Type:
Panel
Category:
Philosophical, Design
Organizer:
Kevin Yank , sitepoint.com
Description:
The successful and rapidly-growing SitePoint Design Contests community has been criticised by members of the NO!SPEC campaign, who believe that design contests serve to harm the professional design industry. SitePoint believes design contests actually serve a different market, and help to breed the next generation of professional designers.
Russell Wilson
on 20/8/07
Very interesting topic.
Andrei Gonzales
on 30/8/07
We support NO!SPEC ourselves. Design contests greatly devalue our work. Students and new professionals should not have to go through "gimmicks" such as this in order to bring in revenue. There are enough firms to work for. If they can't find work, then they shouldn't devalue the work of others (if you can't cut the mustard... try the ketchup.)
Kyle Neath
on 31/8/07
Totally stoked to see someone forming their own opinion on this rathe than following the herds. Definitely be good to see some real debate on this subject, rather than proclamations from the heavens :)
Rob Weychert
on 1/9/07
Do you have NO!SPEC people on board to participate?
Chris Brown
on 5/9/07
I'd like to hear the debate as I agree with NO!SPEC regarding the devaluation of professional design and development services.
Aaron Williams
on 20/9/07
Oh Yeah! I would like to see both sides of the debate. It's been a contentious topic in my business for years. IMO brokering access to "who will do the work for the cheapest?" borders on criminal from an industrial relations perspective. It seems only to serve business and drive traffic revenue for the sites hosting the "design contest". Flame on!
Al Partridge
on 21/9/07
I have used a Sitepoint contest to great success. It is a great way to get something out there without huge startup costs.
maryann little
on 14/10/07
No Spec! has been clearly debated and professional designers and the organizations that govern them have come out against SPEC contests. It's UNETHICAL. If you do a little research on it, you can see that. Imagine a world where we could just post contests to get free services all the time? It certainly IS UNETHICAL and exploitive of designers. I think I want a 1/4 mile stone fence built around my house. Let's hold a contest and have 20 gazillion masons enter. I'll pay the winner though $100. The rest get NOTHING!!! Even though, they put in the time as the rest did, they won't get anything, but that winner will get a hefty $100 for the hard work he put in. It's ridiculous. Sitepoint should be ashamed.
Do it today!
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