Feb 15 2010
Brought to my attention by David Airey's blog post by the same title, the Executive Director of the AIGA (a professional association for design), Richard Grefé has posted a letter in response to the National Endowment for the Arts' recent call for logos:
As the largest and oldest professional association representing the communication design profession in the United States, we would like to express our disappointment and deep concern over the RFP for the Art Works logo. We are concerned that your request for proposals includes a solicitation of design concepts to be produced on a speculative basis.
The approach you are pursuing is one that seriously compromises the quality of work you are entitled to and also violates a tacit ethical standard that has long standing in the communication design professions worldwide.
AIGA, the nation’s largest and oldest professional association for design, strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.
For some time the AIGA's position on spec work has been foggy at best. Event their official position only "strongly encourages designers" to be aware of the risks spec work entails. But this letter to the NEA is much stronger in that position, and I applaud Mr. Grefé and the AIGA for writing it. Spec work is damaging to the design industry.