Just wanted to remind everyone about another no spec site:
http://www.no-spec.com

I’ve just set this really simple site up!

We Don’t Do Spec!

:) I feel better for doing something and not just reading all these comments.

I run a design studio with my husband and also do my own illustration work. We don not under any circumstances participate in contests. Its truly our company policy :) We want our clients to work with us because they like the style of work we do and want to build a relationship with us. If we take on pro-bono we take it on for a reason that makes us feel good inside, not compete for it. It not only hurts our industry but it makes us feel low. I just get a bad vibe from that process…

I love the idea of creating our own projects and making them real. Why not create something wonderful and innovative and try to sell it? Agencies do it all the time… that’s how they win design awards, in fact :)

Sure Pixish might be a good place for the youngin’s to get their feet wet but honestly? I would suggest focusing on creating your own body of work rather than taking on spec or work for pennies. Unless its something that will grow a part of you in a positive way…

i like dave�??s �??another small wave that erodes our shores�?� analogy. that sounds about right to me.

…

i also like what luc said about doing our own projects on our own time. the most exciting trend that i�??ve seen in illustration these days is the fact that it is easier than ever to create and promote our own projects.

everything ~ books, prints, apparel, music, movies ~ is easier to produce thanks to the internet. so, while pixish erodes the shore of client-driven illustration, blurb and lulu and bepublished and gocco and cafepress and our own �??desktop publishing�?� machines provide tools that we are already using to build an even better creator-driven industry.

pixish is just a well-designed bulletin board. it�??s not going to derail our industry or warp young minds. at best, it will become another place where inexperienced artists will test their chops until they are experienced enough to find better work elsewhere.

if anything, the struggle for crappy jobs weeds out would-be illustrators the same way that medical schools weed out would-be doctors. in the end, that means bigger jobs and better pay for experienced illustrators.

this is how it has always been.

before craigslist, before the INTERNET, there were actual cork bulletin boards at art schools, art stores, and art museums. industrious art students scrambled for the jobs posted there! professional illustrators did not.

as scary as it might be to imagine a world where a single website could transform our entire industry, it�??s not really going to happen.

if he is as enthusiastic about feedback as he claims to be, he should create a public message board where visitors can post their suggestions for the site. it seems vital for a “beta” program and i was hoping that i would gain access to this sort of feature by signing up. the closest thing i could find was the “contact or report a bug” link.

even the “this so beta” message does not include a link for comments or suggestions. as a designer, derek should know that making it difficult to give feedback actually DISCOURAGES feedback.

so, if you are serious about feedback, derek, you have to make it easy for visitors to share their response. here are my first suggestions:

(1) create a public forum on the site where visitors (or members) can help you work out the technical AND ethical kinks in your site.

(2) allow visitors (or members) to comment on your news posts.

Interesting to note that he is now barring requests for design work, which I think further illustrates his design bias. Or perhaps strong reaction from his designer friends swayed him in that direction, I don’t know.

Truthfully though, I do not feel particularly threatened by the advent of sites like Pixish. Perhaps it will fill a gap of sorts in the market, but it is a gap that I would not be seeking to fill myself anyway. What concerns me is that Pixish may foster the idea that this is the way to get your toe in the market and build credibility as a professional creative worthy of professional rates. I have learned through hard experience that the undervaluing your work only leads to the further devaluation of future work.

To the fledging creatives out there who might be considering Pixish, I would caution them to think twice about what they are doing, be mindful of the pitfalls and also the fact that there are hundreds of other ways to get your work out there without compromising your worth or your time. Then make up your own mind!