It seems September and October had been declared the unofficial months of the pitch. Courting new and old clients with stunning storyboards and competitive budgets. A traditional part of the designer and client relationship now re-invented by numerous competition based websites.
With these websites the brief has often to be fully realised and a final version submitted against sometimes hundreds of competitors.
By the standard working model it can take months to reach a pitching stage. Establishing a pedigree, garnering kudos and establishing a rapport with prospective clients and then finding the right project for the potential partnership is a lengthy process.
The upside? It creates trust and cements working principles of a mutually beneficial commercial venture. And although design is a creative industry, it is still industry and business rules apply. Yes, we do it for the love but we are there to make money for the clients and in return to make money for ourselves.
Being labeled a competition winner as opposed to a professional seems to diminish the years of experience and training (not to mention talent) that respected professionals posses. So why this competition business model?
The benefits to the client are clear. Hundreds of near complete submissions with sometimes a less than professional budget and without the protecting professional arrangements of an established business relationship.
The lucky winner can benefit as an entry level to the professional world. Gaining exposure and a hopefully impressive client name to add to their burgeoning portfolio. Offering a much needed break.
A seasoned professional with the luxury of time may also be able to expand their client base or perhaps be attracted by a particular type of creative challenge offered by one of the competitions.
However for the professional, marketing and brand knowledge, analytical creativity and the craft to realise ideas are our commodities. In demand and rarely given for free. Clients turning to this competition model, which perhaps plays on the eagerness of the entry level candidates, may turn design from a profession into a hobbyist pass time. With constantly renewed, low paid and inexperienced talent.
The prospect of work is hard to ignore and as a creative you may be for or against, but you can bet that the hosting websites have they’re own business model. And it relies on you as their commodity. As an individual I am still undecided if that is worse than any other agency or employer, and if it is worth devoting time too.
There are plenty of testimonials online for consideration, along side a backlash from designers. Two related articles representing the for and against arguments respectively;
Yannick Puig – Winner of the Saatchi & Saatchi Nothing is Impossible Challenge
For the animator you’re right – there are pros and cons to entering competitions. I’m not going to debate you on that.
I just wanted to let you know that Aniboom has an alternative for those who are not interested in competitions. The Aniboom Virtual Studio hires animators (as in work for pay) on brand name projects.
Warmest regards
It’s an interesting development. And it might be the best approach for large companies. What I mean by that is, large companies rarely innovate, despite what their marketing blurb says, and although they wish it was true, people in large companies don’t back risky ventures. No-one wants to be connected to the “failed” project.
However with the competition way, they get a whole bunch of “cutting edge” designs (submitted by people who might not get a chance otherwise) that they can look at, lay out in a line on a table, and then the committee can pick out the one that lands squarely in the middle.