Ethics of a Site Redesign Contest
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
I currently do some consulting for an ex-employer. The company has been around since 1999, survived the dot com bust (barely) and is currently running very lean. The site could use a makeover, design, XHTML, CSS, etc. Budget constraints don?t allow for much in the way of going and hiring consultants to handle the project. The site caters to college students and college grads. My thinking is that this would be a good situation to offer a cash award to the person who comes up with the best re-design. Not only will it provide cash for their effort it can also act as a portfolio piece.
I question if this is the right way to go. On one side the company is looking for an inexpensive solution but is working a contest angle. On the other side interns are hired everyday to do dozens of tasks for little to no wages, what is so different about this?
Thoughts?
As long as the end result is understood by all…
Posted by on 07/12 at 12:06 PMMy feelings are against the idea of contests for work, based mostly on principle. I’ve seen so many companies use this as a cheap ‘cost-effective’ solution to their design needs, but it just dirties the pool for all designers, who are trying to earn a real living in the industry. Contests always feel like an old excuse to save money while giving the contestants a ‘portfolio piece’. I understand money’s tight, and this is an alternate solution, but consider the overall consequences before adding another design contest to the list. I could go on, but it’s probably been argued to hell already.
The difference between a contest and internship? Relevant work experience in a real-life studio/company for interns, regardless of pay, that holds much higher value in the long-run than a contest.
I wish I had another idea for you though… I hate being a pessimist. This just touches a nerve sorry
Posted by McEvil on 07/12 at 04:23 PMI disagree with these sorts of contests for commercial entities. I agree with McEvil here. If there’s (even a small) budget for a competition it would even be better to just pick a few people you’d like to work with and say “we only have X budget but can promise you great exposure and experience, do you want to do it?”—At least the person selected knows that the work he/she does will be remunerated and there won’t be any losers. I’d rather know I’m being paid a little than do work that might not be paid for and won’t be properly valued. Thousands of young designers have portfolio online, pick some, be honest about the job and see what they say. You’ll be surprised.
Posted by Alex Schleifer on 07/13 at 01:02 AMThe problem with a site redesign contest is that most particularly good designers (who may be very inexpensive if you hired them direction) wouldn’t consider putting their time into a contest where the odds are against them.
A site design takes a lot of work, and few people are willing to participate in such a project when the odds are against them getting anything for their work. I was recently able to pull off a design contest relatively successfully, but that was only because the site in question was very popular and the credibility (and traffic) for the designer was even more of an incentive than the fairly hefty prize.
I don’t necessarily think it’s unethical to hold a design contest—you’re presenting an opportunity that may genuinely interest some budding designers —but it’s unlikely that you’ll get a result you’ll be happy with.
Instead of going through the hassle of putting together a contest, the legwork of promoting it, the agony of reviewing submissions, and the disappointment of not seeing what you had hoped for (all of which is eating up company time, which is as good as money), I’d strongly recommend that your company just pony up the cash to invest in its future.
(If your company is running lean now, trying to save money by slashing the marketing budget is suicide. That’s probably the most important investment you could make right now.)
There are a lot of great designers out there who are performing work for surprisingly low rates. Start asking around and you’re much more likely to find a situation that will make you and your company happy.
Posted by James Archer on 07/13 at 08:39 AMGiving away your wok is ALWAYS bad!!! Why spend hours toiling over a project and get nothing out of it? You are actually helping somebody profit from it. Companies that do this should be put under.
The only time I ever “give” away work is for non-profit orgs or schools, but I am a photographer so my work has already been done I’m just recycling it. I would never in a lifetime do an all out web or logo contest for free.
The company at least should offer a cash prize to the victom the rip off. If they don’t it is just plane cruel.
Posted by Caleb on 07/13 at 11:29 AMYeah I agree ... I think its shady ... but if your upfront about it ... anybody who answers the call is willing to do it for some reason.
I dont think youll have a problem having somebody draft an inital design .. but then you gotta think about all the supporting pages and all the little shit that happens.
Never mind the fact getting somebody to throw the design into HTML/CSS whateva.
Posted by Web on 07/14 at 07:01 AMbest intern design gets hired full-time.
Posted by kat on 07/15 at 10:28 AM