It's easy to see why someone would see the Graphic Designers of Canada's "open letter" as merely whiny. It said that "contests like these are unethical, detrimental to students, to professional graphic designers, and to Canada in general" without a real explanation of what ethical standards were violated. 

Although I'm sure that the intent was to repeat the "detrimental to" claim but putting quotation marks around "winner" could easily be construed as disparaging a 19 year-old girl. It complains that "the 'winner' of this contest. . . did not receive due compensation for their time or intellectual property" but most people (apparently including Ariana Cuvin, the author of the mark) would see $5K to be reasonable compensation for a second year student's project.

Certainly, the case that "all those who participated" were insufficiently compensated is easier to make. The $5000 prize divided by 300 participants made the average compensation less than $17. Presumably, the organizers of the contest would point out that it was a public contest for students rather than a professional arrangement per se. Various organizations (including design societies) organize contests where the entrants neither ask for nor receive compensation.

As the "point man" for offers of competitions and uncompensated projects for my university  program's students, I spend a lot of time discouraging design competitions. I do find them insulting to designers and the design profession but I don't think my hurt feelings will (or even should) move anyone. I try not to assume ill will on the part of those who propose competition or "a chance to add to their portfolios." I think most such offers are naïve rather than willfully malicious and exploitive. 

As Sarah Rosenbaum points out, the short-circuiting of the dialog that normally takes place during such projects is bad for the client, the designer, and the resulting designed object. I suspect that, as she indicated, most such offers are the indirect result of people not knowing what they want and hoping that they will "know it when they see it" as US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart claimed about pornography. (I'm reminded of Ralph Caplan--many of you may know his book 'By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons'--who said that clients often say "I know what I want to say but I can't put it in words." Caplan said he always asks "What have you got it in now?") A professional designer is like a corporate psychiatrist; clarifying intent is as much or more part of the design process as is creating the object.

Furthermore, such contests often result in a winning entry with technical problems requiring reworking for use, resulting in extra expense and sometimes in disputes about authorship or proper interpretation. More importantly, I would hope that a professional designer (or a design student allowed dialog with the client) would get across the message that a mark is not a brand identity by itself.

It is clear to me that graphic design professionals should not engage in speculative work. This is for business reasons, not because of an ethical prohibition. In fields such as advertising and architecture, contests either make the prize worthwhile or compensate all entrants. It is rare that a graphic design competition results in more than the fees that would have been reasonable for a designer who was contracted for the job. Gambling when the winnings can only equal the value of the bet is a chump move.For a student, the choice is not as clear.


Gunnar

Gunnar Swanson
East Carolina University 
graphic design program

http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cfac/soad/graphic/index.cfm
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Gunnar Swanson Design Office
1901 East 6th Street
Greenville NC 27858
USA

http://www.gunnarswanson.com
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+1 252 258-7006


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