Spec Work

Lobby Update


December 1, 2009
RGD Ontario's Ethics Committee issued a statement in order to clarify its position on the issue of Crowdsourcing as it pertains to graphic design projects. RGD Ontario strongly objects to the use of Crowdsourcing on graphic design projects whereby the following rights are not granted
 •  Copyright is retained by all contributors
 •  Final product to credit all contributors with by name and or firm name
 •  Compensation for all contributors
For more on the statement, click here.

November 24, 2009
RGD Ontario's Ethics Committee issued a statement to clarify its position on the issue of graphic design contest web sites, namely logo and web design contest sites. RGD Ontario considers a graphic design contest website to be an online presence that facilitates the ability for contest holders (clients) to post proposed graphic design projects, and to receive submissions of ideas, concepts and/or artwork, without any guarantee of compensation to the participating graphic designers. For more on the statement, click here.

October 1, 2009
RGD Ontario responded to members' concern over announcement of commercial database of logos concern by iStockphoto which is adding logo designs to its library of creative content available for purchase and download. For more on our response, click here.

May 15, 2009
Report on Business magazine recently announced a competition for the cover design of the 25th anniversary issue. RGD Ontario (along with the GDC) has since been in contact with contacts there and RGD Ontario is endorsing a revised program that addresses our concerns. For more, click here.

February 9, 2009
Based in part on discussions with RGD Ontario, the LCBO issued an addendum to an RFP for Art Direction of FOOD & DRINK Magazine that removes the spec component that appeared in the original RFP. For more, click here.

January 15, 2008
A Waterloo communications company was recently alerted to a spec work RFP by its R.G.D. employee and passed the information on to RGD Ontario. RGD Ontario sent a friendly email to the organization in question, the Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU). We explained that RGD Ontario advocates for its members and the industry in general on this subject and provided information about our policy which includes suggestions for professional methods of choosing design services. We also made an offer to work with the MLHU to make the RFP spec-free. The MLHU was gracious in its response. They told us that an R.G.D. member in the London area had already expressed concern about the RFP, and that they were willing to study the issues that had been raised and get back to us. After an internal review of the RFP, the MLHU contacted RGD Ontario and proposed an amendment to the document. We suggested a refinement to the MLHU amendment, and after the MLHU responded with a second revision, we made some further suggestions for improvement that were deemed acceptable with an assurance that they would be incorporated into the RFP.

July 30, 2007
RGD Ontario responds to Design Edge Canada regarding CGC contests Design Edge Canada magazine recently publicized two contests that promote user-generated advertising and design, which has raised concern within the graphic design industry. RGD Ontario's President Nicole Vallée R.G.D. has submitted a letter to Design Edge in response to the issue. Download the letter here.

May 7, 2007
TSA Design Matters Poster Competition - The Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) responded graciously and accepted RGD Ontario's recommendations to amend the rules of their poster competition to make it ethical.

May 1, 2007
Air Canada - On May 1 RGD Ontario wrote to Air Canada about their 70th anniversary poster spec work contest - see www.aircanada.com/en/contest/poster/index.html - and we alerted the GDC about it, who followed suit with their own protest letter to Air Canada.

Some of the organizations that asked for spec work in 2006 have included Canada Health Infoway RFP, RazorPoints Logo Design Competition, Bluenotes Digital Signage Design Competition, Natura, Barrie Chamber of Commerce, Toronto Public Transit Performance Commission, Via Rail, Human Apparel Resources Council and the Barenaked Ladies. More often than not, the organizations in question appreciate receiving the information provided to them: "Thanks for your reply and concerns. I agree with your points. I have just fired an email off to our Director of Marketing with a few suggestions on how to rectify this."