Currently there is a competition running on biz community - where entrants have been asked to design a logo for a design company. They are offering R500 for the winning entry. No this isn’t a typo - R500.  Now; as much as I would like to buy those Quicksilver Boardshorts, I think this is blatant exploitation and a cheap stunt to get a logo designed.

However, this got me thinking about other competitions I have seen in the press recently - a Wired Magazine competition to design a wireless icon, an ad in the Sunday Times to design a logo for an energy company, etc, etc, etc. They offer better prizes (the Sunday Times one is offering 50 grand!) but isn’t this also an unethical way to get your design work done? It’s fine for the winner - a great prize and some exposure, but the rest of the entrants are not getting anything valuable in return.

Similarly, SAA called for tenders earlier this year for some design work and Think, the SA Graphik Design Council, responded with this open letter.

Think believes that professional work cannot be executed without a proper brief and a collaborative process with the client. Also there is a lack of understanding and respect for design professionals. After all you don't find any other professionals having to do this to secure work. A possible solution to this problem of pitching, as suggested by Think, is for the client to review agencies’ portfolios beforehand and then select an agency based on this.

Then there was the much publicised competition to design parliament’s new emblem. Is designing for national honour any different? Do Think's arguments mentioned above also apply to this? Apparently not since two members on the judging panel are also signatories to the Think letter.

It is possible that designers are ripe for exploitation - we generally are very passionate about what we do and just plain love designing but this doesn’t mean we shouldn't be compensated for our time and skill.

Visit http://www.no-spec.com/ for some info on taking a stand against speculative work. What is your standpoint on this situation? We’d love to hear it.