

Tips For Running an Online Design Contest - swatermasysk
http://blog.kickofflabs.com/9-tips-for-running-an-online-design-contest

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liscio
Ugh. Say "no" to spec work: <http://www.no-spec.com/about/>

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cek
I read the no-spec site and while I kinda see the POV when thinking about
large design projects, I don't see what the problem is for small things like a
banner ad as the Kickoff Labs post was discussing.

There are creatives all over the world eager to get paid a few hundred bucks
for a bunch of small jobs. Sites like 99designs/crowdSPRING provide an
efficient market for them.

I needed a logo for a super-lean startup idea. In a few days, spending $400, I
got a kick-ass logo via one of these sites.

Customer happy. Provider happy.

What's the problem?

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kranner
The problem is that there were other almost-providers who worked for free,
didn't get paid, and aren't happy.

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cek
But those 'almost-providers' knew they might not get the deal. They choose to
participate knowing there was a risk.

They didn't "work for free", they made a decision that the risk/reward was
worth it.

Oh, and if you down-vote someone on HN for asking a question the least you can
do is fess up and explain why.

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kranner
OK, I "confess" that I downvoted your post because I considered the question
disingenuous. The risk/reward may not always be clear to all participants, and
in a fairer world such choices might not have existed in the first place.

My vote is really against encouraging people to view design contests as fair
enough, not you personally.

~~~
cek
Kudos for 'fessing up.

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lotides
No topic has made me more disappointed in the Hacker News community than this
one. It's frustrating to see my livelihood attacked by the very people I try
to help every day. It's not the "big agencies" that spec work hurts. It's
people like me. I've dedicated my life to design. I work with startups and
small business to provide great design on small budgets. I don't want to go
back to doing corporate work. I stopped when I realized the only people that
cared less about the work than me were the clients themselves. So I decided to
focus on small business. People that care about fresh ideas, innovation and
quality products, like I do.

I'll spare you the book-length essay on why it's wrong to exploit the design
industry like this. I'll just leave you with this: the only people that care
about ethics in business are ethical businessmen. You are what you do. You can
stab, claw and bite your way to the top or you can take a stand for something
more important: integrity.

Next time, give yourself a couple of hours looking at local freelance
designers. Call them. Ask them about rates, their design process, previously
successful design campaigns and their approach to design. If you aren't
satisfied after having at least tried, then go ahead and submit it to the
design sweatshop in the cloud.

~~~
JoshLedgard
I do fully support the local design community. In fact our site and product
design comes mainly from local resources. However... most of them simply don't
like or want to take on small projects like this.

Sure, if I have to spend $500+ dollars they can tackle larger things that I
would never farm out. But the GOOD local designers are generally too busy for
the small stuff. And the ones that have time simply aren't as good.

Also - for smaller projects like this - the small entrepreneur (me) has a
limited amount of time. Why should we spend it calling around to see if
someone has a couple of hours to do this. I've tried. The people I trust are
busy... so contest away.

