Wednesday 27 July 2011

Spec-work is uncool!


Last year I entered my work into a design competition, in attempt to win the major prize. I made the shortlist, but did not win over all.

I was saddened to see Fruchocs launch a campaign based off a design that also did not win! I read the terms and conditions after, and found out that once something was entered in the competition, it became the property of the company. :O

This has made me think twice about entering competitions. The company can pick from dozens of different designs and not pay the designers a cent! I think this is wrong!

I'm glad I have learned an important lesson. Graphic designers, artists and illustrators get screwed over a lot in their industry. What clients don't realise is that time is money. One unpaid job or cancellation can be devastating for someone trying to support themselves.


stay classy folks

6 comments:

  1. Is that your design or theirs up the top? It really sucks that they took your property without payment. I'll definitely be reading all the fine print next time I enter a competition!

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  2. It's my design, but they technically own it I guess... It's very disappointing, as I love Fruchocs.

    Yes, be super careful! There are sooo many competitions like this! David said there's some website which tells you of all the design competitions out that could be scams. There aren't many you can trust, unless you know their history, Like AGDA and The Fringe poster competition.

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  3. I remember seeing yours as a part of the competition, but I can't believe they've used it when it didn't win the competition (event though it should have!!! COZ IT'S TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!)

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  4. Oh they didn't use mine, they used someone elses that also didn't win. But it made me realise that they technically own this now. One of the ones with the fruchocs stacked ontop of each other like the rundle balls.

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  5. That is my biggest reason for not entering the Fringe competition with my garden poster. Yes, the bennefits you get if you win are huge but you also take the chance that you wont win (which is likely in my case) and that your art work is then the property of the organization and then no longer yours to resuse. It is absolute bullocks and a risk that personally, I'm not going to take. [End rant]

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  6. I like your rants. They should never end. :D
    But that's fair enough. :) Even if I do think your poster would dominate! :D

    But yep, has made me look at things differently. Terms and conditions ARE important! I have probably signed my life away so many times to i-tunes. I have never read them once...

    Also, are you guys writing up terms and conditions and legal jargen this semester?

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