Spec Work Explored at AIGA Event

Is speculative (spec) design work productive and fair? Can it enable clients to achieve goals that are not possible with traditional work-for- hire practices? Does it advance the fortunes of some at the expense of others? What are the rewards and perils of speculative work?

Join AIGA Metro-North for RESPECT, a civilized dialog between advocates and opponents of speculative branding and design work.

Once a rare practice, spec, or try before you buy, work is being requested by a growing number of businesses  startups to global organizations. Many believe that the call for unpaid work is being fueled by changing mores, new forms of crowd-sourcing, and economic stress but whatever the cause, spec work has the potential to upend the economic model of the branding and design industry.

Moderated by New York State Supreme Court Justice Colleen D. Duffy, the panel will include:
Ric Grefe, Executive Director, AIGA
Connie Birdsall, Creative Director, Lippincott
Jerry Kathman, President & CEO, LPK
John Gleason, Founder & President, A Better View
and others

The diverse panel will explore if, why, and how spec work has a rightful place in the way projects are structured. The evening's goal is to outline a way forward that meets the functional, economic, and ethical needs of clients and practitioners.

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