I need a new look...
I sent out my last newsletter last week and more than 60% of you opened it, which is fabulous because that’s about 46% higher “open rate” than industry standard!
This means that my newsletters don’t completely suck! Yay!
As a result I thought I should give the design a bit of some love since it’s not much to look at and I thought I’d make it a community-based activity.
TentBlogger Newsletter Design Contest:
If you’re interested in participating then all you have to do comment below with a link to an image of the design which shall be your entry!
The community will then vote on the one that they like the best! Although you can be as creative as you wish here are some thoughts:
- If you know me pretty well then you know I like to have a lot of fun. Make the newsletter fun looking!
- Template should work with MailChimp since I use that system.
- Spots for images and other collateral should probably be included as well as your typical round of copy treatments and styles (quotes, bold, italic, call-outs, etc).
- You are free to use any of the existing brand identity images that I’ve had created. Check out these posts in the Community Category (go back a few) and you’ll see them like this one or the original caricatures. If you want the original files just let me know which ones.
For those that participate here are a few things to note:
- No obligation to participate! Some people consider this type of stuff “spec” work and that’s cool and that’s their opinion – I don’t have issues with it from time to time.
- Each participant will have links back to their blogs/sites in the voting blog post and a big “Thank You!”.
- The winner will have some pretty sweet recognition and a dedicated blog post showcasing their awesome work.
- No cash award (just to be explicit).
Thanks all! I’ll leave this open til the end of the month. Can’t wait to see what some people come up with!
I wish I knew enough about design and such to do this. Sounds like it would be a fun thing to do.
ah.
sally, do you have a gravatar? http://tentblogger.com/gravatar/
I will get workin’ on this soon! I love design!
aw, sweet!
I will get on this right away!
haha. sweet!
Without being Troll like and with the greatest of respect…
I’d love to design something for you John, but I just don’t agree with doing it essentially for free, even if there is a trade off down the line.
I know that you called this out upfront in your post, but the vast majority of designers don’t like working for spec. Industry peak bodies AGIA in the states and AGDA (in Australia) where I’m from actively discourage it.
I guess it would be like someone approaching your business with the promise a mention on their high trafficed blog if you’ll do the design and coding for them on their blog.
Great awareness, but not great business. Sure it may lead to more business but I don’t think the ends justify the means.
Love your blog, love being a part of the community here, just want to give you my 2 cents worth, hopefully with the greatest of respect and tone of voice… and un troll like.
i knew that at least one person would mention their distaste for “spec” work! you are entitled to your opinion but know this: I am in the business of creating web apps and websites and have done it for years. I don’t mind paying at all for great work.
But, with that said, there are sometimes great opportunities and reasons to try spec work both from a personal and organizational perspective.
this is not the first time the community of designers have “risen up” to defend their cause against spec work so I’m quite used to it: http://human3rror.com/design-me-a-business-card/
And, even in your example, if that business didn’t choose my design for their blog i still could use it for something else. the work hasn’t been completely wasted.
Finally, it’s both great awareness and great business. Your blanket statement of “ends justify means” is a circular argument in this context and doesn’t hold water.
I respect your position but do not agree.
I’m not going to say much, but you’re right on boss. This is really disappointing to me. Spec work uses a persons status and takes advantage of people and shows much disrespect to the craft of design. Sad way to use influence.
It’s not great business.
It’s not a great opportunity.
It’s not the way to treat people.
And that’s why you shouldn’t apply or participate. I’ve heard your side a number of times already (publicly, I might add) so your comment is old and disrespectful.
I don’t seek approval from you so I don’t apologize for disappointing you.
This saddens me. You have been jaded by a world that revolves around monetary gain in exchange for service. Maybe you both have been victims of clients who have taken advantage of your generosity and have decided to sign up for the Union of Bitter Artist Against Artistic Generosity. I’m sorry for that, but you have a choice to let bitterness and bottom line drive you OR you can decide that you won’t be imprisoned by the limits of selfishness. I wrote a blog on this topic, don’t bother reading, you’ll dislike me even more.
I plead that you go watch this video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=youtube_gdata_player – then think through what brought you to this place of “I can’t just give away my gifts!”
I only say this because I love you, and want good for you.
For the record Dustin, I give away my gift throughout the year. In fact next month I’m traveling for a week to help a group of churches, for free. This isn’t about me deciding to give my gift away. I do that all the time.
This is about respecting art and the artist enough not to expect them to work for free. This is about recognizing that people are hurt in spec contests, I’ve talked to many of them. This is about putting people first. Most are struggling designers trying anything to make it, trying anything to get paid…and rarely does it work out for them.
So you can shrug your shoulders and say oh well, or you can step back and see the person behind the work.
michael,
perhaps you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a new designer with a long-standing portfolio, client work, and business to boot?
i remember when i was a young programmer and designer and i loved spec work to help me get started, free exposure, and testing the waters as a freelancer. i welcomed it openly and used my time between hunting for new jobs, managing the small ones that i did have and then using spec work to fill in the gaps.
i cherish and remember those days fondly and appreciate spec work to the utmost. i didn’t feel taken advantage of and i didn’t feel hurt at all. i didn’t feel like my “art” was hurt or that i was hurt at all in the process.
sometimes i feel like your perspective is far too elitist and “established” to remember where you came from, unless you were born with a portfolio and awesome work history.
probably not, but i’ve been wrong before.
I remember contacting churches and offering to do work for free. They appreciated it, and I was learning. I remember a pastor seeing something in me and asking me to create my first ever logo, and paid me.
I also remember other’s that knew I needed work and expected me to work for free and feeling degraded and taken advantage of. Too often that’s what spec work does. Too often the artist is not respected, and it seems especially true in the church. Spec work continues that degradation of the craft of design. And it is those artists that I’m concerned about.
The point that I hope designers hear is that you don’t have to do spec work to gain exposure. You can contact your favorite organization, business and offer to do a project. You can create a logo for your mechanic in exchange for new brakes. You can find a design firm you respect and be mentored or intern at. There are other options. Options that I took and built a portfolio and craft without spec work.
And as far as spec as a way to generate buzz and have some fun (I imagine your reason to do this, I don’t believe you’re just looking for cheap), there are better ways to do that too. Create a contest where people are given 3 photos, 2 typefaces and a theme and the community votes on the best. Or Tony Morgan did a fun thing where people could create a blog banner and he rotated them through, each getting a day…it was fun and then he ended up paying someone to design his blog. Maybe you even.
There are other, better, more fair options out there.
And honestly John, you don’t know me well enough to imply that I’m elitist. Do you know how much time every week I spend with beginning or struggling artists both individually and as a part of the Church Marketing Lab? How many times I fit into a churches budget and don’t ask them to fit into my fees? How many churches and organizations I do work for for free because I believe in them and yet know they truly don’t have a budget.
I don’t speak up against spec work for me. Spec work is not about me, or even “the industry”. The type of client that loves spec work is -typically- not the type of client I want to work with. I speak up because people get hurt with this type of thinking and deserve to be treated better and because there are better ways.
There are a lot of weaknesses in your statement here, but let me share a few things:
1. Spec work is an option. You said it yourself and I believe this to be true. If you really believed this though you wouldn’t repeatedly come onto my blog properties or tweet publicly your “disappointment”. I’m quite sick of that and again, it’s disrespectful. It’s just one option of many so leave it at that and stop being rude. I don’t jump on your blog properties and slander you, do I? I just see you having a different perspective and respect it. Period.
2. You choose to build your port without spec work. Guess what? As I shared with my story I build my port with it. And guess what? We’ve both been blessed and had some great success with it. So why the dogmatism? Get over it!
3. Your comment about “better, fair” options is limited. Again, see the first two points above. It’s from your perspective that you see them as better when I (and many countless others) have benefitted, grown, and been blessed by spec work (and continue to do so).
4. I don’t know you very well you’re right but you have to admit that I have only your negative remarks to work from, right? Not once, not twice, but multiple instances of you bad-mouthing my perspective and not privately, publicly. Now that I know you didn’t build your port off of spec I respect your position even more but I simply wish you’d treat me with more respect as well. Your polarity on this subject is quite bothersome and it makes people feel like it’s “your way or the highway”… at least that’s how it comes off. As such, since I have very limited info and engagement to work with (and history) it seems that you have been “elitist”. I take that statement back but you’re still being a jerk in your words, comments, and tweets. I don’t expect an apology but it sure would be nice.
5. You say it’s not about you but any 3rd party viewer would interpret your words as being personal as you speak from your own blog posts and tweets about it. You’re responsible for your tweets and blog posts as am I.
6. Some people have certainly been burned by it and I have friends who’ve been burned so you speak truth here. But, there are many who have been blessed by it (like me) so you have to give it a fair shake in the other direction as well. I can speak just as passionately about how spec work is awesome (and i believe there is a time and place for it, especially for small businesses and n00b designers/developers) but I don’t throw that into anyone’s face publicly or jump on your blog and beat you down with my opinion.
And that’s the point. It’s your opinion. And it counts and is valid… but not at the cost of being a jerk.
John I’ve not meant to be disrespectful. I’m really sorry you took it that way. I did stand up against spec work, but I’ve really tried to focus on the issue and purposefully didn’t point to your contest. I didn’t tweet it out, you tweeted a slam on me bro.
“you bore me with your consistent chatter about spec work and leadership. Your perspective is too small and limited.”
I’ve really tried not to make this personal. But by calling me names, that’s obviously not possible and that is disappointing. So again I’ll just reply with thank you for your input, may God bless you.
Yeah, for sure. That’s the first time I tweeted about you publicly and the last.
I saw your tweets about “leadership and spec work” and so don’t blindly think that I could de-couple and decontextualize your tweets and this blog post, especially after you made a comment.
Your tweets are public as well as your comment but please don’t think I’m stupid not to connect the dots.
You do great work for a lot of ministries as I’ve seen and as I’ve been told and for CFCC… i mean, shoot, I’m one of the regional coordinators (or something like that)! So let’s keep the peace, shall we?
But here’s what really burns me up: You’ve stepped onto my properties more than a few times giving the same speech: “Spec work is not good and I’m disappointed that you’re not using your platform, in my opinion, for greater good.”
I heard it the first time and I don’t need to hear it again. Got it. You hate spec work. Thanks. Done. Noted. End of story.
You’re right, this is your house.
For the record, while I don’t like that you’ve used your platform for spec I in no way meant for that to come across that you weren’t doing good with it. I’m not disappointed because I think little of you, I’m disappointed because I’m impressed by what you have accomplished.
But this is your house, and while you keep comments open for dialogue and conversation and probably don’t expect everyone to agree with you, you certainly have the right to show me the door. So, I’ll put my shoes back on and head out.
Michael,
I’m a little confused. You talked about other options to build your portfolio like doing some design for your mechanic in exchange for free brakes, but I don’t understand how that’s different from doing some design work for John in exchange for free advertising?
The only difference I see is that in one case, you’re approaching the client and in the other case, the client is approaching you.
In both cases, as far as I can see, there is a trade of services. Design for free brakes or design for free advertising (on a very popular blog).
This conversation here is the first I’ve ever heard of people not liking ‘spec’ work and I haven’t been able to work out from it exactly what you think is wrong with it.
please see my response to michael here: http://tentblogger.com/newsletter-design-contest/#comment-17537
i know that’s not the case for you… right?
Making a living off of design, opportunities like this seam like “spec” work.. but if you are a driven designer can be worthwhile. now days getting your name out can be worth more then a couple hundred bucks.
we could go back and forth all day what is right and what is wrong. I think it’s a great opportunity for someone..
i think the camp is divided down the middle. there’s almost no possibility of a “winner”. eh. it is what it is.
Like you said in the comments above… it’s really a perspective issue and no one wins in arguing on that. To me it’s one of those, “let’s just all agree to disagree and move on.” Personally for me I think spec work is up to the individual. They should know the potential risks and benefits before they decide to do it and weigh that out themselves. Why should we police someone else’s decision when it’s up to them? If they aren’t smart enough to consider the possible risk and reward and make an informed choice then they probably don’t need to be in business anyways because they are likely going to make far worse business decisions on other matters.
thanks for sharing your perspective daniel. appreciate it.
Spec work defined is designing something in the hope of receiving something in return. (monetarily or in recognition)
This is definitely spec work. The difference between spec work and volunteering your gifts would be putting up a post… “Hey I need a new design on my blog, anybody wanna do it for me… for free?” This would be asking for a volunteer and with the social media clout you have, I’m sure you’d get some great people to help you out. The spec work part comes in when you put some bullet points on there showing the benefits of what they are going to get. We give (volunteering our gifts) to give. We work (spec work and recognition) to get. In either case there are benefits it’s just completely opposite motives.
I’ve won design contests, but my work nor any other of the entries was not used for a companies marketing because that is spec work. These were actual art contests. There is a difference between contests and spec work. It’s the difference between 99designs.com and brickfish.com… both offering ‘contests’ but one is a spec work site (99designs) and the other isn’t.
Finally (thank you Jesus) there won’t ever be a ‘winner’ in this conversation until designers are educated enough to understand the difference. All that to say, I hope someone designs you a killer newsletter, they get some awesome recognition with some great financial opportunity down the line, but I kinda wish you would’ve just hired that person on those terms instead of going the spec route.
thanks for this ashley. i mentioned that it is spec work in the post.
So you did. The line has gotten fuzzy between contest and spec work. But hey, at least you’re upfront with it and ya gotta respect that.
i love how this comment section has totally degraded into a debate. what a waste of life.
Agreed, but that’s the risk you take with spec work and having an audience of designers. Oh well…like you said, ‘eh. it what it is.’ Guarantee if I did this nobody would complain…. because hardly anybody reads my blog! ha!
http://tentblogger.com/newsletter-design-contest/#comment-17537
i never want to become so “big” that I forget where i came from.
That’s cool, none of us do.
I didn’t sign up for your newsletter when I thought I did, so didn’t get your latest. :-/ (I’m subscribed now.)
Would you consider putting the current newsletter somewhere to see what kind of newsletter you have now and what kind of content you send? Or can you send a copy please? Thank you!
marcy,
i can include an archive in the next one I believe…!
John,
I just heard about this contest from a friend who was already subscribed. Like Marcy, I would also like to view your first two newsletters.
If you still have copies of those newsletters in your inbox, you can click the “view with images” link at the top and share that URL with us. That will let us all see it!
I love me some MailChimp! It’s been a blast to learn all of their intricate features.
Since this comment stream got a little bogged down, can we send our newsletter submission directly to you? I’ll also post a copy here. Only 18 days left to design. Eek!
Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I went to MailChimp’s documentation and looked at how to pull your archived newsletters. I didn’t know you could host them on your site, too. I’ll have to figure that part out.
Anyway, here’s the quick video on newsletter archiving:
http://bcove.me/hh9o95py
From this page, that has some more documentation:
http://www.mailchimp.com/features/campaign-archives/
MailChimp rocks.
Thanks matt! love it. i’m going to look into it!
Here’s my entry John:
http://www.dustn.us/blog/tentblogger-newsletter-template.png
Hope you like it!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! i like the bottom! that is so cool!
I really like that! It’s a genius idea!
I love it, Dustn!
dustin,
i just sent off my next newsletter… and i want to use this design for the next one… could you edit the template for mailchimp and send me over the design/html?
rocking!
Alrighty John, I got one for you, but I don’t know how to get it to you…or to get a preview I can copy…
feel free to upload it publicly and share a link…!
Aha, well this is slightly embarrassing
Can you tell me how to download it or something? In MailChimp I can only get it to send an email, and any link I use for a preview makes me login in order to see it….
Uh, okay, I think this will work:
http://www.calvinkoepke.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/tentblogger.html
sweet! thanks! this looks great!