Getting Around Spec Work & Outsourcing
In these tough times of recession, it can be hard to come across work. Perhaps you’ve pondered working at a lower rate simply to get more work or you may have even accepted to do that dreaded spec work. It seems that we creative folk can be quite prone to lowering our standards when we feel the pressure. The question is, should we have to?
If you’re like me, you get at least half of your work from other companies (design studios in my case). This is known as outsourcing. This has become synonymous with exceptionally poor rates, as the entry barrier is constantly being lowered—which in some respects is a good thing. The majority of my outsourced work comes from clients who contact me directly based on referrals or repeat work, although I sometimes have to rely on job boards such as elance and oDesk. It’s no surprise that the quality of work on these sites is average at best, which can make one think they’ll easily be able to dominate. Well, that simply isn’t true because the typical buyer on these type of sites is only interested in the cheapest possible designer that comes off as somewhat competent. Believe me, this is not hyperbole. oDesk is especially notorious for attracting this kind of client. It’s not a strange sight to see a buyer requesting a website be designed with a maximum budget of $50.
And then there’s spec work. For some, these two words represent everything that’s wrong in our industry. To the few folks out there who have never heard of spec work before, it’s where a client will ask for a mockup to be designed for free; if the client approves of it, they might just pay for it. Spec work inevitably turns into a beauty contest, disregarding usability, accessibility and pretty much everything that makes a web site great.
Is there a known cure for low rate outsourcing and spec work? Probably not, but there may be some alternative methods of paying the bills while you’re waiting for real work. Instead of trawling through job boards full of clients requesting a site be designed and coded for $150, why not work on a product that can make you money passively, even while you’re asleep.
There are literally tons of methods you can use to generate passive income. If you’re a web designer, you could design a website theme aimed at photographers who are looking for a pleasant looking web site to display their photos on. These website themes are ‘generic’ looking, so that they may appeal to just about everyone, and they’re designed to be sold multiple times, sometimes hundreds of times. An example of which can be seen numerous times on such sites as ThemeForest. There are designers that have made over $50,000 all in passive income from ThemeForest, and it’s only been online for less than a year. Not bad for something you designed once and then forgot about, huh?
If you’re a photographer, you could sell your photos as stock on iStockPhoto. The commission rates tend to be excellent, though the approval process can be frustrating for a budding amateur. If you’re an Illustrator, you can even sell your vector artwork on there.
If you’re a keen writer, why not setup your own niche blog? Through monetization methods such as Google Adsense and BuySellAds you could make yourself a nice income on the side.
Next time you’re considering working for half your rate just so you can compete, why not seriously think about getting into passive income?
Posted in the Passive Income category 1 year ago with 6 comments
Alex
1 year agoNice post. I’ve found work on Odesk to be good at times, but theres always someone who will work for half your rate and be fine with it
GregS
1 year agoThat was a pretty good read. I’ve never really thought about passive income before..
BazDeas
1 year agoThanks. Passive income can be an excellent source of income. All you need to do is a google search on passive income to see guys who have made a living from it. It’s certainly not easy, but it’s doable.
JaapRood
1 year agoGreat post Baz. Experts in the design obviously say spec work is bad. And from a designers and even end-user point of view it is. Spec work however comes with the nature of the business and the nature of the medium. The competition is huge, because if you put enough time in and have a bit of talent, you could do some design work. Because of the nature of internet, sharing knowledge and data for free making it available to anyone, the entry level to become a “webdesigner” is low. In fact, webdesign being relatively easy to step into (all resources to educate yourself for almost no money is all out there) is what it got most of us into in the first place. Therefore, unfortunately, the competition is huge and people can get away with spec work.
Where the nature of internet maybe against us at design work sometimes, with passive income you can take advantage of it. With a bit of talent you can start of your own blog or put photos online for people to sell. Ofcourse, professional (copy)writers and photographers won’t be happy with that competition, it’s the same thing
My advise? Don’t try to fight the nature of the beast, but instead try to use it. Writing your own blog with ads could turn out as a great side profit, so does selling stock footage. Always be sure where you’re competition is though and aim for a specific kind of client. Don’t get drawn into spec work, but don’t be afraid to try it when there is no better alternative.
Rajesh Satyarthi
1 year agoI believe competition sites are not very good option to go for us. In other hand passive income is better and more profitable in the long run. Most of all it doesn’t hurt industry instead it helps in a way for other designers/developers to do their small quick jobs.
Selling stock photos, Themes, Selling ads on blog its thousand time better than working on competition sites. I wont be surprise if these sites gone off the internet within 5 years.
BazDeas
1 year agoThanks for the comment Rajesh, indeed passive income can be very lucrative.