BlogmyQuery – BMQ

Here we have somewhat of a cautionary tale for all of those in the field, to help guide us away from those behavioral models that we should all avoid. Well, that we should avoid if we do not wish to have the often negative connotations that are associated with these types of designers impacting our reputation as a member of the industry. Which might prove very difficult to shake off and recover from in the eyes of other members of the community.

Most of us have had, or have been, that friend warnings were issued about. The bad influence whose behaviors the older generation were so afraid others would begin to emulate, and then it would all be downhill from there. Well they are back! And here come the warnings to prevent as many of us in the design community as possible from following in their damaging footsteps. So take a look below at the breakdowns of those types of designers you should strive to not be, and see if you fit into any of the categories.

The Browse and Biter

First up we come to the nefarious Browse and Biter. This designer-type is characterized by their tendency to browse the web for ‘inspiration’, and they end up biting, borrowing, or simply flat out stealing the styles or designs that they see there. No matter how pure their intentions may be, this type of designer never learned the difference between being inspired by and, well, copying another’s work. Taking a look through their portfolios, one sees a lot of familiar looking or feeling works that they know they have seen somewhere before.

They see a design they like, and they just have to copy it. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being a Browse and Biter

These unfortunately unoriginal folks have a way of upsetting the understood natural order of things with their browse and bite ways, so it is best to learn where those lines are, and stay on the right side of them. Know where inspiration ends and your own voice and work begins. Know the difference between an homage and an ‘Oh, my god they ripped me off!’. Understand that if you admire someone and their work, the right way to honor them in your design is to use the way their work makes you feel and voice that through your work. Not duplicate what they have done. That tends to not be looked on as an honor. So be original, not a browse and biter.

The Stag

Next up, we have the Stag. This type of designer is mostly known for having a really specific style that never really grows or evolves. They just get to a point where they become satisfied with where they have gotten to, and they just stay there. Being stagnant. Soon all of their designs begin to feel stale, as no new ground is really ever broken in their work. And each ‘new’ piece that they craft feels very close to the last piece they just finished before it. And the one before that. And so on, ad nauseam. With this designer-type good becomes the enemy of great. They become satisfied with good and they never strive to be better. To be great.

Tips to Avoid Being a Stag

Now this is not to say that as a designer we should never be happy with the levels to which we have progressed. It is simply saying that we should always strive to be keep progressing. Growth is not a journey’s end, it is a never ending journey. A quest to always be learning more and evolving our skills. Nurturing them so they can rise to the next level and us along with them. And when we finish a design and begin a new one, we should always try to begin anew, as it were. To start fresh, and give each design a chance to be unique and not just a variation of our last piece.

The Boxer

Another designer-type to avoid becoming is the Boxer. These designers tend to be completely boxed in by the field, and for some unknown reason can not allow themselves to ever think outside the proverbial box. These incessant rule abiders become so caught up in the rules and principles of design that they never dare to break outside of or think beyond any of them. While Boxers may exhibit a technical proficiency, and their galleries may be full of precise, sharp designs, the work itself will have no heart. No daring. And as most of us in the field can attest, usually the pieces that have a lasting impact, tend to be those with heart.

For the boxer, everything makes sense in the ‘ring’, and they can’t bring themselves to step outside of it. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being a Boxer

While it is easy to see how a designer can become so enveloped in the basics and those standard design practices that they forget about actually ever trying to push any envelopes through their work, it can be overcome. Design is a dynamic and versatile field that is built on those rules, but they are meant to be more of a guide for us than an absolute. As long as we have an understanding of them, then we can try pushing beyond them every now and again to find our way to true innovation in our designs. Think of the box as our arrival packaging into the design world. Now that we are here, we are not going to stay in our original packaging. We are going to unpack the box and use those things inside the way we best see fit.

The Safe-Player

Not moving on very much, we come to the next designer-type you want to avoid becoming, and that is the Safe-Player. This is actually somewhat of a variation on the Boxer. These designers do want to push the envelopes, and take huge design leaps of faith, but alas, they are too scared, and as a result they reel it in and always end up playing it safe. When you look through their work, you get that comfortable safe feeling exuding from all of it. None of the designs feel like they dared into any new or unfamiliar territory. This often stems from the designers desire to not make any mistakes, so they opt for the safer route. Forgetting all the while, that we need to be making mistakes so we can learn and grow.

Tips to Avoid Being a Safe-Player

For the most part, the advice here follows in suit with the tips for avoiding the Boxer model. However, we should stress that if you want to cast off these Safe-Player shackles, then you really need to be comfortable taking risks in your designs. You cannot let fear of mistakes or failure keep you from trying something new. Not if you want to stand out from the masses.

The Offended Defender

Now we move into the next warning section, that of the Offended Defender. These designers are usually characterized by their offended defenses of their work against any criticisms. Even those that are intended to help the designer make improvements. And they may actually be a good designer by and large, but the fact of the matter is, that they could be great if only they knew how to take and use these critiques of their work. As you look through their gallery, you wonder why some of the works seem like they could benefit from some slight tweaking. You might even go so far as to send them a polite note suggesting one such tweak. That is when you learn why those designs are and will forever stay that way.

It does no good getting all offended and in someone’s face because they tried to help. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being an Offended Defender

The main thing that one can do to step out of this less than favorable light, is to learn how to take criticism without imploding or defensively clinging to the critiqued element and allowing the work to suffer due to some over-inflated sense of ego or pride. And that is unfortunately the way that some designers take it. Even in the harshest of critiques we can often find some useful tips or hints to take away. We just might have to dig down to find it. We also can not let someone else’s negative tone let us get defensive and tune out to what useful tidbits might be buried underneath it.

The Apt-less Pupil

Now we come to the Apt-less Pupil designer-type. Now here it is not that these designers are so much slow learners that makes them less than desirable to become, it is just that they never quite get there, but think that they have it. There is nothing wrong with being a slow learner, but clients and colleagues working with you on a project should not have to suffer through your learning curve. These designer-types also can reflect poorly on the industry overall, as they introduce a segment of the market who call themselves designers, and hire themselves out as designers, but they are not quite designers.

Tips to Avoid Being an Apt-less Pupil

Basically, learn the field before stepping onto it to play in a game. Plain and simple. Also, do not take a job that you are not yet fully qualified to be taking, and you will steer yourself clear of this label easily.

The Underwhelmer

Now we come to the next designer-type, the Underwhelmer. These not-so over-achievers are mostly recognized by their tendencies to effectively under-deliver for their clients. In fact, they even tend to talk a really good game, which makes them hard to recognize to most. But even though they themselves have set the bar of expectations they rarely, if ever, live up to their own hype. Where most designers will tell you that the secret to success is to always over-deliver for your clients, this flock tend to fall short of that mission statement.

We want to make the best of impressions all the way through the project, not completely drop the ball by under delivering on their expectations. Image Credit

Tips to Avoid Being an Underwhelmer

To keep from baring this brand, again you have to know your limits and not let yourself get in over your head. Whether it is by committing to a project that you do not have the design background or know-how to come through on. Or whether it is by taking on too many clients or projects so that you end up coming up short on one or more of them when the deadlines roll around. Make sure that you can stay ahead of your workload, and have enough skill to deliver on all of your promises, and you might be able to keep from falling into this category.

The Space Cowboy or Cowgirl

Moving on, we come to the Space Cowboy or Cowgirl types of designers. Sufficed to say, their heads are far beyond just being in the clouds, they have left our general atmosphere and are floating in space. These designers are typically characterized as promisers of the moon, without any consideration given to the coding that will have to breathe life into their designs. Also known as the Coder’s Nightmare. Most designers for the web understand that some level of coding background is necessary so they can proceed somewhat reasonably. The Space Cowboy or Cowgirl makes no such concession.

Tips to Avoid Being a Space Cowboy or Cowgirl

Basically, to keep from wearing this dreaded label you need to be informed. Come down from those heights and plant your feet on the ground for a spell. Walk a mile in a Coder’s shoes. Then give them their shoes back and work together to make the most of the design project. Be reasonable in your expectations from the coders, just as you would expect from your them, or as you would expect from your clients.

That’s All Folks

That pretty much wraps up the discussion. Well, from this end anyway, but things are far from over. Now it is up to you to take over and let us know your thoughts on the subject at hand. And remember, for any of those finding themselves fitting into one of these roles, acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery. What designer-types would you warn your kids not to grow up to become? Are there any additional tips you would offer any sufferers of these behaviors that were left out?

(rb)

One of the topics that the design blogging community touches on from time to time, concerns the saturation levels of the blogosphere with regards to design blogs. There are so many design centric blogs filling the landscape that the chances of capturing enough of the available audience out there so that you can generally consider your blog a success amongst the rabble are decreasing with every new RSS feed introduced into the mix. This can paint a fairly grim outlook for the future of the online design blogging community.

Could many of our beloved design blog’s futures be as shattered as this monitor? Image Credit

Now some will dismiss these claims, discounting the threat that we as an entire community are facing. Perhaps they are right. Perhaps the growing number of design blogs is a sign of industry strength and market stability. But what if it is not? What if these alarm bells and red flags that seem to be sounding off in some of our heads, are in fact valid? There are those who not only believe this is an issue that we either will face, or are facing now, but who also believe that there is hope.

And that hope, lies in a much more refined focus for our design blogs. Now there are a number of blogs in the design community that have an area of design that they tend to focus on. For example, Pro Blog Design tends to only focus on blog design, and for the most part WordPress. Many in the ranks focus purely on logo designs or on strictly inspiration, and you can even look to the Envato network of specialty sites to see more of this focusing in action.

And though many of us have a specific direction in mind, we have to wonder if it is enough? Are these focuses the keys to keeping ahead and keeping our audience? Is the future of the design blog in the finding an extreme niche to serve? With sites like Media Queries and We Love WordPress, is the landscape changing on the design front? Is this a necessary evolution?

The Discussion

The online audience is a finite group. Growing? Yes, but still finite. So at some point, we are going to reach the level where this simply becomes a numbers game. With a finite audience, also comes a maximum level of content consumption. If the audience only consumes a maximum number of blog offerings per day, and the blogosphere continues to grow and oversupply that demand on a weekly basis, then how long before the majority of the content being produced is simply wasted time and effort from the community? At what point does the growth of the design blogging field, actively begin hurting the community and the content? And the bigger question, have we already reached it?

Are we slowly tipping the scales out of our favor? Image Credit

There are many who think that we have already passed this proverbial breaking point, and that the design blog ranks will undergo something of an evolutionary die-off. Numerous blogs will simply disappear from the landscape, while others stagnate and simply cease to update. Without an active audience to appeal to, many bloggers will essentially just be screaming into the dark. Hoping that someone might happen by and hear them. A select few powerhouses will remain among the virtual ruins and ghost towns, those who have already established themselves as a valued resource. So what will be left for the rest of the design blogging community? The niche!

Trying to compete with these titans, is known to be a fruitless and frustrating venture, so in order to stay relevant after the die-off, most blogs will need to be niche focused in order to keep an active, sizable audience, and be able to label themselves as a success.

Defining Success

Now we understand, that what constitutes a successful blog is extremely interpretive. Many bloggers have established benchmarks for themselves to highlight their progress and ensure that they are in fact on a path of forward mobility. However, forward movement only tends to matter if you have some sort of endpoint in mind. An actual goal that you are moving towards. And we understand that it is really up to each individual, what that goal will be. So when we talk about having a successful blog, we cannot possibly know what each design bloggers endgame is. So we are speaking about success in terms of audience attention. Basically, in these terms, having a number of regular followers and content consumers.

After all, visibility and awareness tend to be two of the main reasons that we blog, so if the targeted audience is not responding to, or even seeing what we are doing, then our blog is not going to be much of a success. This is why the over-saturation of the design blogosphere is as pressing a matter as it is. For if we create content that is meant to benefit and improve the design community, but we have no audience reach, then our content is not so beneficial or improving anything. Much like the tree that falls in the woods without a witness, our content does not make a sound.

A Matter of Monetization

In this equation, does money matter? Image Credit

Perhaps one of the biggest measures of success for some bloggers, is their ability to monetize their site. This tends to be done via selling space to advertisers, which tends to depend on traffic. After all, there has to be some incentive for the advertisers. Focusing on a niche can actually have both negative and positive impacts as far as ad sales go. It can help because advertisers know that you have a specific target audience, and those who wish to reach more directly into that market will appreciate such a niche focus. Unfortunately, this is the same reason it can hurt your ability to sell ads. Those who wish for a broader audience reach may be turned off by this finely focused approach.

So when it comes to setting up a niche, you may have to also rethink your monetization strategy for your design blog, and attempt to redirect your efforts to yield more positive results. However, to survive when the divided online audience tires of wading through these saturated information byways, and a sort of purge occurs throughout the blogosphere you are going to have to realize that it is not all about the Benjamins as we have been programmed to think. What a lot of bloggers are going to have to realize, is that a money driven mission statement, can often drive your blog into the ground.

Those who set up their sites just to make money, tend to have subpar quality sites that reflect their desperation for monetization. They heard about the potential for revenue, and like the gold rushers of the past, they thronged to the web. Logobird had an article lamenting about some of the issues with monetizing your blog, The Shady Side of Design Blog Monetisation that is certainly worth a read.

Not only does the content of your blog begin to reflect this mission statement, but your drive will begin to diminish if the returns on your efforts are coming in lower and slower than you would like. Readers will feel this coming through, and in the end, it could actually cost you. Those who tend to be focused on the experience and the community enrichment, will tend to be the ones whose content has more appeal to the masses. Having an extremely niche focused blog, tends to show that you have a passion for the field, and for improving it. Not just grabbing for numbers. Not to mention, it allows you to worry less about blogging for advertiser’s visibility, wherein frequency wins out; and focus instead on blogging when you have something of quality to add to the overall design dialog.

The Road Not Taken

“…Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost Image Credit

Finding a nice design focus that is being somewhat overlooked by the rest of the online design community, that proverbial road less taken, can not only improve your blog’s chances of surviving in this overly saturated market; but it also improves and strengthens the community. Suddenly, designers have a resource to turn to for specific areas of their needs, rather than having to search through expansive archives for a single piece that perhaps touches on the subject. When we set ourselves on a focused path such as this, we tend to dissect that area of design fully. Rather than just brush the surfaces every now and again.

And when you look at it like that, we can see the inherent value in this niche approach. It sort of borrows on the Less is More theme. When you have less of a subject to cover, you have the ability to cover it in much more detail. Also, when we regularly dissect our niche area of design, it alters our perspective. We begin to relate to the subject in a whole new way, and as a result, we can also make it more relatable to others. The more angles we view the subject from, the better we understand it as a whole. This makes dissecting it, and explaining the sum of its parts much simpler. When we try to take on the entire field of design, we get a much less comprehensive exploration of each of its numerous deep facets.

You Are Not Your Design Blog

Now one reason that some designers are leery of adopting this approach is because they feel like this somehow limits their own design work. Like their own focus has to be limited to their blog’s niche. But that is not the case. While you have to ensure that you have a good grip on your niche so that you can blog about it accurately, that does not mean that your entire design career now has to fit within that niche as well. You are not your design blog. And you are not limited to only contributing to your niche focused site either. You can still guest on other sites with a different or simply wider design focus.

In conclusion

Yes, there are both upsides and downsides to adopting this niche approach for your design blog. But in the end, if it means that your blog will remain standing and relevant after the over-saturation induced die-off occurs, then aren’t the costs worth paying? Doesn’t it make more sense to refine the focus of your design blog so that the content still reaches those who need it, rather than investing time and effort to develop content that falls through the cracks? This is no Field of Dreams, and just because we build it, doesn’t mean that they will come. Not when there are thousands of other fields that they can go to.

Needed Web Design Niche Coverage

Below are a just a light handful of some of the areas of web design that the online community to could a little more niche coverage on. So if you do decide that this route could potentially prevent your blog from becoming one of those lost to the proverbial wastelands, then perhaps one of the niches listed here might just be the perfect fit for you and your blog.

Mobility

Make no mistake about it, mobility matters! Image Credit

One thing that no web designer can deny is that the future of web design is gong to be heavily influenced by the mobile market. Since it burst onto the scene, the mobile web has exploded by leaps and bounds, promising to take the web into a whole new direction. Now whether this market becomes the dominating direction for the web design industry or not, it is clear that it is going to be a major player in some form or fashion. It’s here. It’s taken root. It’s not going anywhere. So this creates a huge opportunity for designers to get there niche blogging on.

Given that this market is still in what some would consider its infancy, that means designers are going to be looking for authoritative voices and sources for nurturing its growth. The blogosphere could certainly use some focus in that direction, so perhaps that would be a route you might entertain.

Usability

Now as the web evolves and changes, both in scope and direction, one vital design field that must also evolve is Usability Design. Interfaces and user bases are an extremely fluid area, and keeping the web design community up to date on the latest and greatest advances in UI and UX is not only a noble cause, but a much needed one. There are some really great blogs that focus on usability, but given its nature, we could always use more. Usability is beyond a fundamental aspect of web design, it is the structural framework that we build our entire designs around. So if you are looking for a niche for your design blog, perhaps this is one that you should seriously consider.

Marketing

Everything evolves, and so do our marketing strategies need to as an industry. Image Credit

Another area of web design that could use so more focus and attention, would be the marketing aspect of the industry. Not just marketing the client’s site and maximizing their potential for traffic, but marketing ourselves and our field. Web designers often lament about the way that the entire industry is undervalued and under-appreciated. Part of that impression comes from the way that many market themselves to the masses. Devaluing others in the community in order to make themselves look better in comparison. With bargain basement belittlers effectively crying out, ‘Don’t pay those over inflated prices. Pay for design not ego. Starting as low as $49.99!’

This actually reflects poorly on the industry as a whole, but without anyone telling us otherwise, we think this is the best way forward. But perhaps if we had some blogs dedicated to nothing more than helping designers find better marketing practices things could stand a chance at getting better. This could also lead to more sound industry marketing practices all around. Getting us away from SEO and Social Media Marketing, which some in the community would like to see gone as it is. This is another potential impactful niche for you to focus on your blog on.

App Design

Also, with the rise of the mobile web, and the push for a much more enhanced, and in some cases a browserless way to experience the web, apps are a big wave of the web design future. Application design is another area that the community tends to focus too few resources towards. Especially with not just the web’s evolution, but with OS’s as well. As Google continues to develop their new wave of web technologies, pushing Chrome more and more towards an independent operating system of sorts, we see new opportunities for this design focus to move even more to the forefront beyond just for mobile devices and development. Apps are effectively changing the way the game is played, and web designers need some guiding forces in that arena to help show us the way.

Anything Other than WordPress

Don’t get us wrong, WordPress is a powerful CMS, and one that is put to use in countless contexts. But if you were to take a look around at the web design blogs, you would think that WordPress was the only content management system out there. Or at least that was worth checking out. But that is so not the case. With wonderful alternatives like ExpressionEngine and Drupal, just to name a couple, the web design blogosphere seems to be completely missing out on these opportunities. So there is always potential for your niche in those arenas as well.

That’s All, Folks!

That wraps things up on this end, but this conversation is hopefully just getting started. Use the comment section below to fill us in on what you think this growth means for the future of web design blogs. Are there any niches that you think the community could use more focusing on? Do you see any positives to this sort of saturation or any negatives that we failed to mention?

(rb)

For years the web design and development communities have had an enemy amongst the ranks. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, parading through the communities as a friend of the game, when really it is more of a foe. Perhaps a well intentioned foe, as some might argue, but a foe nonetheless. That enemy goes by the name of Spec Work. We see posts popping up all over the web condemning this community damaging practice, yet still it persists. And what is worse, is that it there are still so many in the community buying into the lie this backward business model projects and perpetuates about it being good for the community.

A No!Spec poster from designer Jeff Andrews

After years of dedicated sites and services springing up around the web to facilitate this selling out of the community, it is easy to see why so many struggling designers and developers see these contests as opportunities, and not as what they truly are. Part of the reason they are struggling. So today we are going to take a hard look at the downsides and damaging impacts of Spec Work on the design and development community in hopes to open a few more eyes to how much partaking in these communal contests for work do more harm than they do good.

The Breakdown

If you are unfamiliar with how this beast operates, we will break it down for you briefly in this first section. The Spec work model is one that relies on the ‘spirit of competition’, where a prospective client comes to the community with an ‘opportunity’ to showcase their skills and potentially get paid for the work that they complete. On the surface it seems like a fairly simple, lighthearted and fun approach that works out well for all parties involved. When in reality, it doesn’t.

A No!Spec poster from designer Rob Gough

In this model we have professionals being asked to use their time, training, and developed skills for free. Time, training, and developed skills that they could be directing towards a more promising and prosperous job. And we hear examples all the time about how you wouldn’t ask this of any other business professional, but that is really not the point. Many of us know that several businesses and handfuls of those outside the field of design undervalue it. So it should come as no surprise that we would be asked to give so much of ourselves so freely. The surprise is that there are so many in the design and development community who are willing to participate.

A Labor of Love Alone

Most of us who chose design or development as a profession do so because we enjoy it. It truly is a labor of love. However, for some, this translates into the fact that the love of doing it is all we should need to work for them. And this Spec work model is simply an evolution of that mindset, as there are a number of these so-called contests that end unresolved because the person hosting found nothing that they liked ‘even after all of their encouraging notes prompting revision after revision spoke otherwise). But the dream is not to just do what we love, there is more to it than that. We seek to make a living doing what it is we love, and Spec work is making that more difficult than ever.

The Impact on the Community

If we want to see the negative impacts that this model is leaving in its wake we need only examine a few ways that it has effected the fields so far. After all, if this model is being represented as being beneficial for the design and development community, and it is through this misguided marketing that so many buy into it, then a look at the true impact could shed light on why there are so many who are avidly anti-spec work. So many that an entire movement has sprung up to rally the community against this model.

The Competitive Market

With so many qualified professionals having chosen to populate this field of business, the market is a fairly competitive one. Just like with nearly every field of business, you have each designer and developer vying for potential clients over the rest of the field. All looking for that proverbial edge that will get them favored over the others. But there is still an artistry behind it which elevates the industry and causes everyone to step up their game. Reflecting positively on the field as a whole. The Spec model amps up the competitive aspect of the market, so that it becomes overly so, without the rest of the benefits this competition usually yields rising in balance.

Lowers the Bar

Not only does this competitive imbalance tend to lead to less than perfect end products, but it also can cause the perception of the field to get driven down from those outside it. Given that these contests undercut the overall design process by hugely shortchanging the project brief and research aspects of it, the work that gets churned out for the contest holders does not measure up to our best work. And with the highly publicized nature of these competition sites and services there are many who see this as indicative of the entire field’s potential. They see these contests and set all of their expectations of the industry based on this model. And what exactly is this saying to them?

A No!Spec poster from designer Von Glitschka

Furthermore, these contests can also leave somewhat of an less than professional taste in the outsider’s mouths. Giving them the impression that the entire field as a whole is still in the the professional infancy stages, and not growing into a fully grown industry demanding to be taken seriously. If we allow our business to determined by these games, then what incentive do they have to treat us as professionals? It is hard enough to get those outside the field to take our profession seriously because our work is steeped in creativity. Creative’s contributions are often undervalued and underestimated as it is.

Reasonable Rates?

As those outside the field begin to let their perceptions of the industry slip, witnessing these contest results and in turn discounting our processes more so than before, the rates that the rest of the community try to charge for their time and work no longer seem reasonable to them. Suddenly it seems as though those charging what should be seen as reasonable rates are looked at as greedy overchargers. And the mindset gets pushed that if there are those willing to do the work that cheaply, then those trying to scale their prices above those more minimal contest rates are doing for no other reason than avarice. In their eyes, a large portion of the community is attempting to gouge them with the pricing model.

And if the rest of us try to explain the rates by breaking down what all goes into the processes and overall time and effort involved, then we are looked at as being dishonest. After all, they can watch the results of these contests come in and argue that our quoted lengthy and involved processes are unnecessarily so. They get to then point to these examples of Spec work as indicative of the industry and say, but it obviously does not take all of that work and planning to complete the task at hand. Because for those outside the industry, they do not see any difference between those contest entries and their potential end result.

Declining Demand

And where does that road lead us? To a bit of declining demand for those wishing to not partake in the Spec work system. Given that so many see this model as a viable solution to any design and development needs, when they find themselves with needs of their own, which direction are they likeliest to turn? They will opt to hold a contest and watch the slew of puppets dance for them with the pull of a single string. So how are the rest of us in the industry supposed to compete? As this leads to less actual paying work being available as more of the potential client base align themselves with this bastardization of the design and development system.

When Scales Tip Beyond Balance

Welcome to the design and development new world order. Look around today and you can see that the scales are already tipping out of balance. When the Spec model was introduced, it was seemingly done so as a cheap alternative for those small businesses and sole proprietors who did not have the financial prowess of their big business counterparts. And so it was initially looked upon as a path of accessibility to the industry, but that is no longer the case as the model reaches beyond these smaller businesses these days. Suddenly we have big companies and businesses who can afford to pay some of the best designers and firms out there, holding competitions to get their design work done rather than handling it the professional way.

Another No!Spec poster from designer Von Glitschka

Facebook recently ascribed to this Spec approach when they decided to host an architectural and urban development contest for their new corporate headquarters that they want to build in New York. So a company that is worth as much as Facebook sees no harm in asking hundreds of professionals to give of their time and expertise freely. And they can do so because of their status. People believe that just by being associated with Facebook in some fashion that they will be looked after and safeguarded against being taken advantage of. Or what is worse, they do not care that they are being taken advantage of because of who is doing the taking.

The Huffington Post also opted for this approach in a recent logo redesign competition. With businesses this large taking part in the devaluing of the industry, it just further demonstrates to others that this is how designers and developers work. It is a labor of love and we are expected to bite any bullet we are asked to simply because we enjoy our work. No other professionals are expected to work for free, competing for a chance to maybe get paid for their work, and we should not either.

Field of Nightmares

This makes the playing field less populated with opportunities and more populated with frustrated games of chance. We end up looking down at a field of nightmares upon which we are expected to slave away with the odds stacked against us, and the rules being written without any consultation or consideration for their impacts on us. They have built it, and we are supposed to come along and be thankful for this damaging construct that undermines the industry as a whole, and our chance to play within it. But we have the opportunity to correct this slight by simply refusing to play this game. Though for some it is not so simple.

Hunger Pains

One underlying and well known reason that Spec work has taken such a hold on the industry is not because of a streak of greed that runs through the members of the community, but because of the hunger pains that run through it. With such a large number of active players in the game, naturally the amount of work we can get for ourselves can be somewhat slim when it comes to pickings. So as we see less actual opportunities on the horizon, and more of these contests cropping up, then it is easy to understand how many of the designers and developers end up with their hats thrown into the Spec work ring.

A No!Spec poster from designer Matt Clarke

Which effectively makes the entire Spec work model that much worse when you consider that by and large it is taking advantage of those struggling to find their footing in this new field. And most of them are hungry. Considering that there is faction of these participants who are also fresh to the field, it is also easy to see how they could get caught up in this industry debacle. Especially if they are students. After all, students are conditioned through internships and work of that nature to understand that not all time and work is compensated. Forgetting that with most internships you are at least given room and board of some sort, so some of your needs are effectively being looked after. In the Spec work model, no one is meeting any of your needs or looking out for any of your interests.

In Conclusion

In the end, the sad truth is that there more than likely is a small niche that the Spec work model could effectively and beneficially serve in the design and development community. However, given the rampant greed and devaluing of the industry by the large corporate sector of the business world, reigning that model into that small a niche may never fully be possible. There will always be those who are willing to take advantage of others situations and circumstances to save themselves money. And unfortunately, there will more than likely always be those hungry enough to allow themselves to be taken advantage of for a shot at bettering their situation. No matter how long a shot it is. What are your thoughts on Spec work and its impacts on the design and development communities? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Further Reading

• Don’t design on spec by Jeffrey Zeldman
• Why CrowdSpring Owners Should Be Ashamed of Their Business by Brian Yerkes
• The No!Spec Campaign vs crowdSpring by Ross Kimbarovsky
• Why the No!Spec Movement Isn’t Working. And Why That’s So Awesome! by Nick Campbell
• To Spec or Not To Spec by Ben Tollady
• Awesome and professional form letter from Supernice Studios which wonderfully explains to any potential clients expecting you to work on spec why that is an unreasonable request.

Consider Some of Our Previous Posts As Well

• Quality-Price-Ratio in Web Design (Pricing Design Work) is a post from the Smashing vaults that looks at the difficult question of whether good design always has to have a hefty price tag.
• Why Wait For The Opportunity? Create Your Own! is a another previous post from here at Smashing that discusses taking charge of our own fates and not letting our design opportunities be controlled by others.

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Today we will will go through creation process of a Medieval Knight Shield in Adobe Illustrator. We will try to create nice, shiny Shield that can be used as the website icon or a company  logo. Creation process is quite simple. All we have to do is to use simple shape as ellipse, to distort it a little bit and to combine it with other shapes. Beside that we will get the chance to play with nice metal gradients, trying to create an impression of the light reflection on the shiny metal.

In the end, our shield should look something like this:

Now let’s get down to work!

Combining Elements in Order to Create the Shape of the Shield

Set the new illustrator document in 500 x 500 pixels in size.

Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel and create the ellipse.

To distort the ellipse grab the Direct Selection Tool (A) from the Tool Panel and click on the lower anchor point. Hit the down arrow key on the keyboard to nudge the anchor points downwards for the few pixels.

Select the Convert Anchor Point Tool ( Shift + C ) from the Tool Panel and click on the nudged anchor point. It will make a sharp corner.

Use the Add Anchor Point Tool (+) to add the anchor point as it shown on the picture below.

With the Direct Selection Tool (A) remove few anchor points. Set the Fill color to none and for the Stroke color chose any color you like.

Under the Object select Transform > Reflect. Set the Axis to Vertical and hit the Copy button. This way we will reflect the path we have just created.

Holding the Shift key on the keyboard move the reflected path to the right. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select lower endpoints and under the right click hit Join.

Grab the Pen Tool ( P ) from the Tool Panel and close the path.

Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel and create the ellipse. Place it as it shown on the picture below.

Select both objects and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Minus Front button.

We have to do the same thing to the right side. But instead to trying to do exact the same thing and to create symmetrical shield we will simple divide our object to half, remove the right side and reflect the left side.

Grab the Line Tool (/) from the Tool Panel and create the vertical line (hold the Shit key on the keyboard for straight dragging). Select both objects and align them under the Align Panel by hitting Horizontal Align Center. After that hit a Divide button under the Pathfinder Panel. It will divide the Shield exactly to half. Remove the right side of the Shield.

Under Object select Transform > Reflect. Set the Axis to Vertical and hit the Copy button. Move the reflected part to the right until the middle parts meet. Under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Unite button. It will create the final shape of our Shield.

Applying Gradients

Select the Shield and under the Object select Path > Offset Path. Set the value for Offset to -10. It will create the scaled copy of the Shield.

Let’s apply a nice metal linear gradient to our Shield. Under the Swatch Panel open the Swatch Library. You can find amazing source of the metal gradients. Chose one of them and apply it to our Shield. In case you don’t like them feel free to adjust some of those gradients or to create your own metal linear gradient.

Select the red shape and under the Object select Path > Offset Path. Set the value for Offset to 2.

Apply linear gradient to the new shape as well. It will represent the inner part of the metal frame,

and the red radial gradient for the color of the Shield.

Select the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel and create a small circle for the screw.

Scale it down and place it on the metal Part of the Shield. Duplicate the circle ( Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F ), set the Fill color to #58595B, nudge it downwards for 1 pixel and send it backward ( Ctrl / Cmd + [ ). It will be a tiny shadows from the screw. Group the circles.

Duplicate ( Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F ) the screw six more times in order to create enough of them for the entire Shield.

Creating Details

Roughly speaking, our Shield is done. At this point we have to try our best to improve the illustration as much as possible. First, we will create the reflection for the metal part of the Shield.

Select the largest part of the Shield and under Object select Path > Offset Path. Set the value for Offset to -1.

Select the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel and create a big ellipse. Place it as it shown on the picture below. Select the blue ellipse and the scaled shape of the Shield we’ve made in previous step and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Intersect button.

You should end up with something like this.

Select the inner part of the Shield, as it show on the picture below, and under the Object select Path > Offset Path. Set the value for Offset to 1.

Select the shape we have just created and the blue shape and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Exclude button.

Ungroup ( Shift / Ctrl + Cmd + G ) the new shape and remove the lower part. Apply the same gradient we have used for the larger part of the Shield. You should end up with something like this.

Now we will change the gradient a little bit. Make sure to set the lower part of the reflection to light gray color. It will create a nice illusion of light reflection.

Let’s do create a similar reflection for the red part of the Shield.

Grab the Ellipse Tool (L) from the Tool Panel, create the ellipse and place it as it shown on the picture below.

Duplicate the red part of the Shield ( Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F ) and holding the Shift key on the keyboard select the gray ellipse as well. Under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Intersect button.

Set the Fill color of the new shape to white (#FFFFFF) and lower the Opacity to 5%.

Duplicate ( Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F ) twice the red shape. Scale them up and rotate both of them. Select them and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Minus Front button. Set the Fill color of the new shape to white (#FFFFFF). You should end up with something like this.

Create one more copy ( Ctrl / Cmd + C, Ctrl / Cmd + F ) of the red part of the Shield. Select it together with the white shape we’ve created in previous step and under the Pathfinder Panel hit the Intersect button.

Lower the Opacity of the new shape to 15%. Under the Object select Transform > Reflect. Set the Axis to Vertical and hit the Copy button. Move the reflected shape to the left and place it as it shown on the picture below.

There are many different shapes of the Medieval Shield you can create. Just feel free to be creative. Try out some other colors as well.

The Conclusion

There are many ways to create a nice shiny Medieval Shields. The great thing about creation process is that you can use different shapes and forms and to combine them in order to create nice Shields. Using the same technique try to create a Medieval Shield in perspective. Applying reflections, highlights and shadows will lead to professional look of the illustration. I hope you like this tutorial. If you have any questions or comments please post them in the comments section below. Thank you for following along!

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Once the sun had set on our Sunsets and Color Palettes post the search was underway for the yin to its yang. Knowing how photographers like to turn to the skies to capture the natural colors that each new day paints upon the waiting canvas, we have turned our attentions there as well. Once more showcasing some inspiring photos, this time of sunrises, and offering the accompanying color palettes derived from them.

The first time around was such a hit, and even as one reader commented asking to see a version of the posts from this side of the coin, we were planning this one. The differences in the colors between the skies at sunrise versus sunset seems somewhat more subdued, and less fiery. The softer colors that tend to show up in skies come morning ease us into our days, and in this case, provide oodles of inspiration for designers and more.

The Goods

Sunrise in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India by Mehul Antani

Sunrise in South Korea by Puck Goodfellow

Sunrise by David Ashford

Sunrise through the clouds by Chris Betcher

Sunrise by Stephen Bowler

The First Sunrise of 2010 by ptrktn

sunrise by teknorat

sunrise by Shirl

Sunrise 5 by Matthew Juzenas

Sunrise May 15 2007 by Paul Aloe

Sunrise in Odaiba by Kiên Nguyen Phan

Sunrise – Cascade Mountains Backdrop by brewbooks

Sunrise over Flynn Reef 2 by Alpha

Sunrise by Andy Wright

Sunrise by Ken Dyck

Sunrise by Richard Smith

Sunrise Kawana Island 15th April 2010 by thinboyfatter

Sunrise by John Vetterli

Sunrise by John Vetterli 2

Sunrise by Peter Pearson

Sunrise near Uluru by David Ashford

Sunrise by Jody McNary

Sunrise at Perth International Airport by planegeezer

Sunrise over St Helier Jersey by David James Ovens

Sunrise by David Ashford 2

Sunrise In Kaashi Dhoo Kandu by Mohammed Malick

Sunrise by Jenny Huang

sunrise by dcJohn

Sunrise over the high desert of south Idaho by Charles Knowles

sunrise by Ben Britten

Sunrise in the Black Forest by Schwarzerkater

Sunrise by Frapestaartje

Sunrise @ Vilano Beach, FL by Don Dearing

Sunrise by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region

sunrise by John Kratz

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