This section of the forum is for discussing the business and finance issues of the t-shirt industry. Which business structure to use (sole proprietor, LLC, S Corp, etc), how to handle billing, where to register your business and get the proper licensing, etc.
I was recently discussing the pros and cons with a fellow artist friend of mine.
We decided that over all the cons out way the pros.
(these are the best of both)
Pros:
Usually cheap for Business owners
there is always work
Cons:
No guarantee of payment
Possibly a waste of time for artist is piece isn't accepted.
There are other pros and cons that we have come up with. I was curious to know your thoughts on this. As, a business, most of you will support it, if you do do you really think it is honest?
Should there be a code that we as business owners should abide by? Or should artists continue to waste valuable time and yes supplies on work that may or may not get compensated for?
__________________
Thomas Beer- Fractured Clothing & Design -It's a fractured world, dress accordingly. Fractured Apparel
As, a business, most of you will support it, if you do do you really think it is honest?
That might be true, but personally as a business I don't support it. I strive to run an ethical business... granted like most people I draw that line wherever it suits me, but this one happens to be on the other side of that line. I don't believe in being roped into doing spec work, so I don't expect people to do it for me either.
I also don't believe it's the best way to get quality out of an artist; it encourages a certain way of working (spread yourself around as much as possible with minimal effort) that isn't really what I'm looking for.
In desperate times there are talented workers doing spec work, but the better at it they are, the more their work will be saturated.
As far as should we/should they... that's just supply and demand. I consider some of it unethical because it breaks my particular standards, but realistically much of it is an amoral business practice where people have the choice of whether or not to allow themselves to be exploited.
Should there be a code that we as business owners should abide by? Or should artists continue to waste valuable time and yes supplies on work that may or may not get compensated for?
You're already starting it out with a presupposition that all the artists who participate are wasting their time and that it is universally against an ethics code for businesses who use those type of services.
I think, like most things, done correctly, it can be beneficial to multiple parties.
Done incorrectly, it can bolster the argument that the whole system is flawed so those against say "see, look at this example"
I think that it's not only "cheap" work that happens via spec. I think it's not always inexperienced artists that get involved in spec type work. I also think it's not always unethical business owners who have spec work done.
Honestly I am still inbetween myself. I am for it and against it. I think if anything is done right it is good. But my experiance as an artist tells me that most spec work unless some formal agreement is made the artist is the one who gets screwed in most cases.
As a Business owner who has tried this process it does help keep cost down. However, the artist isnt bound to finishing anything and you could be waiting for nothing.
So I think that it could work if the Business/artist line of communication was better and true. I see the benefits in practicing this and in not practicing this...It has given me a headache for some days now.
__________________
Thomas Beer- Fractured Clothing & Design -It's a fractured world, dress accordingly. Fractured Apparel
We consider spec work charity and only do it in that capacity, usually for projects that we want to be part of that we separate from our business. We are upfront about our feelings on the subject so that if the person turns into a customer they understand it is not standard business practice.
You wouldn't tell an architect, landscaper or dentist that if you like their work you'll pay them for it and this is no different. Asking those guys to work on spec would result in a lack of their services and the same should be true for art. My dentist doesn't even have a portfolio and my landscaper only has one because I built his website and insisted he take pics for it. So my customers have a better idea of what they are paying for ahead of time.
Well here's the thing, the world is lousy with 'artists', many of whom lack good work ethic, many more who can draw pretty pictures but cannot translate that into something marketable. Spec work sites thrive on this and it gives those who do have a work ethic and who are capable of producing commercial work an opportunity to break into the business and develop clientele. I once worked next to an art college and so many of the students graduate under the assumption they are worth $120/hr and they are god's gift to the world. Then after a year or two of starving and working at McDonalds some give up and become bank tellers while others start to realize that yes, they do need to meet deadlines, return customer phone calls, deliver something the customer wants and maybe it isn't worth $120/hr, at least not yet. I've seen young folks with talent and drive come in, develop a client list and be independent artists within a year, earning that $120/hr (or more).
Does it drain work away from other 'artists'? Probably some. I suspect that many of the businesses buying spec art aren't your bread and butter clientele anyway. Most are the folks who in the past would have chosen a logo out of a clip-art catalog.
Work for hire or "spec" pros and cons 
