Why we don't work for free*

Or why we don't do spec work (i.e speculative work) and why you won't find us on a crowdsourcing site.

Another 'business of design' blog post - a chance for me to get on my soapbox and speak for those who feel they cannot. A subject very close to my heart that needs much more exposure than it seems to get.

Anyone who follows me on Linked In will know that I'm anti unpaid internships and am always quick to point out the legalities of this in the UK - they're not legal unless part of an educational course or for a charity - you are entitled to UK minimum wage. As Philip Green from Top Shop found out last year when the HMRC caught up with him and forced him to backpay dozens of previous interns for the time they had worked.

I'm not mad on sites such as People Per Hour either- you won't find me touting myself on there - they seem to be all about the lowest possible price, I don't think serious business people use sites like that to recruit designers, only those who think they can get the job done for $20 - these are not people who are going to last very long in the footwear trade if that is their design budget - it would buy about 2 pairs of production! :D  Some of them (hello Zintro?) employ underhand tactics  - setting up profilebots (fake profiles that are a software program - not a real person), on Linked In in order to spam their website.  Ask yourself - if this is the tactics they use to attract you to sign up to their service, do you think they really care about you?

But as well as this, I get my knickers in a twist about crowdsourcing competitions and spec work, these are all related as they demand that you do design work for free with only a slim chance of being paid if you win.

I was recently invited to participate in one such design competition on a new fashion website and I thought I'd post my response.

''I see an opportunity for you to gain a large amount of design work for free, then cherry pick only  the best,  with very few people from the crowd rewarded for their efforts. This is the reason why I'm against crowdsourcing. 

It's a modern disease and it's especially unfair in this financial climate. Add to this unpaid internships and other kinds of spec work, because it discriminates against those who aren't wealthy enough to work for nothing. It's also wasteful, effort for nothing - this is one reason our planet is in such a mess and people are so unhappy, because of waste, or surplus.  And it works both ways. If I'm not sure I'll 'win' the contest, will I put the same amount of effort as I would for Ms X who is passionate about her business and has provided me a thorough design brief and that I know I will be paid for it? Is this really the way to get quality work? 

We should treasure creative people enough to pay them for the work that they do. So they can uhm.... eat and pay their bills, you know, live and stuff, just like you. 

For instance would you dare ask five accountants to do your annual accounts for free then pick one and pay only him?  So why is it ok to treat creative people in this way?

I personally don't think it is.''

For those of you who have read this far and agree with me (or perhaps you don't), there is more information on this website.  If you're a designer and you agree, then why not join the movement?

http://antispec.com/

/Rant over, I'll get off my soapbox. Thanks for listening.

*Actually I am fibbing a bit.  We do work for free but not for commercial businesses.  As well as doing talks and setting projects in state educational establishments,  I also volunteer at a local community enterprise every week, and then once a month at a Buddhist grand culture centre - Taplow Court near Maidenhead as a team leader, manning the reception, welcoming visitors and tourists and arranging tours around the house and grounds. My business partner is webmaster for these charities
www.thepiratecastle.org 
www.compassionindying.org.uk/
It's *this* kind of working for free that creates value in your environment - give your free work to non commercial concerns  - it feels great!

ITS International Design Competition

I've just been contacted again about this International design competition. This year it's the eleventh edition.

The prizes are excellent, 5,000 euros for the accessories design prize and 10,000 euros for the YKK Award.

Website is here http://www.itsweb.org/jsp/en/index/index.jsp

http://vimeo.com/27026419

Fashion Fringe UK Shoe Design Competition.

This is pretty much the Footwear Designer competition of the year (the other one being the Footwear Friends Award) and has been won in the past by fantastic new shoe designers who went on to become well known and successful in their field.

This year Fashion Fringe have partnered with Bruno Frisoni, who will alos be judging the entries and the top prize is a six months apprenticeship with him, working on the Roger Vivier line in Paris. So a fantastic not to be missed opportunity.

Applications for the 2011 awards are now open. http://www.fashionfringe.co.uk/accessories/

Image courtesy of www.stylefrizz.com Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier

Just to add: it has been drawn to my attention that there are shoe design 'competitions' out there that may not be what they seem. Please be careful. Do not enter any competition that requests that you to pay them money to enter. Be sure of who you are dealing with. No genuine shoe design competition that I have ever seen has demanded money. The competition should be about your talent and not about how much you can afford to pay.

Fabulous magazine shoe design competition

Another one!

fabulous is the free mag that comes with famed scandal sheet News Of The World. So, once you have read what Ashley Cole has done and what Cheryl plans to do about it, get your pencils and sketchbook and get creating.

......and the deadline is March 29. the winning shoe design will be produced and on sale in faith stores this Winter 2010.

Link to article / how to enter here: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/fabulous/fabulous_competitions/733535/Design-a-shoe.html

Shoe design Competition - Steve Maddens Sole Search

Here's another shoe design competition, this time from zappos.com in conjunciton with Steve Madden.

What I especially love about this competition is that you upload your entry directly to their website, I have really enjoyed browsing the entries this morning. This is crowdsourcing at its best, because you can be a judge and vote for the winner!

It's also pretty different in that Steve Madden chooses the 'kits' that you can work on. Kit is what we call the last and outsole - us fashion footwear designers usdually choose from existing kit in the factory, mostly because developing your own 'kit' is expensive, so if you enter this competition, it gives you a little flavour of how a commercial designer might have to work, with existing kits and a swatch book. You have to learn to be creative within these design constraints.

Link to enter is here http://www.zappos.com/sole-search

The first prize is a trip to Las Vegas and New York where you get to pitch your design to Steve Madden himself!

Micam was excellent

I had a really good time at Micam. Some productive meetings were had. Some lovely new factories (to me) we met.

Although new trend was a bit thin on the ground I'm pleased to announce that the gladiator sandal is in it's death throes. I do actually like gladiators, I just get a bit bored when a trend hangs around for what seems like an age.

Super high platforms are still on trend too - no good for a boater like me. Still, at least I can 'get it out of my system,' by designing them. :)

Anyway, I took some photos of some fantastic student projects which had been made for a Micam design competitition. Hope you enjoy them.

Shoe Design Competition #2 Donald J Pliner

Another shoe design competition, again where the winner gets their shoe made, they get a cash prize and even better, its for a good cause!

In this one they're not going to help themselves to your fantastic idea for a new heel (well I hope not!)

More info here - bizarrely I can't find the information on Donald J Pliners website, but it does say you can pick up an entry form in any of his stores, link to the blog post is here

http://www.stylelist.com/blog/2009/09/03/contest-alert-design-a-shoe-for-donald-j-pliner-and-win-money/

Design your own shoes #1

http://www.fluevog.com/files_2/os-1.html

Now I'm in two minds about this, this isn't really a competition as there isn't really a prize....

Ok, crowd sourcing, it's the latest thing isn't it? I for one love the t shirt site threadless. http://www.threadless.com/

Ok, if they pick your shoe it gets named after you and you are featured on their site....

But alarm bells start ringing in my head when I read, 'We might use the whole thing, base a design of our own on it or just part of it. And your idea might only be for part of a shoe anyway.'

Ok, got that, so you're going to use us as a free design resource, just cherry picking our ideas, right? Thanks but no thanks all the same :)