Comments on: An Open Letter to Rick Warren about Spec Work

By: Michael Buckingham

Michael Buckingham — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:50:37 +0000

Ok…let’s slow it down.
We can have a conversation without throwing names and seeing who can throw the most cutting remark.
That’s not what this is about, and it’s embarrassing.

By: JIMBO

JIMBO — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:42:06 +0000

SD…I feel your post at the top was completely arrogant…ignorant of the facts…and presumptuous that you would know what people did or did not do as far as art work, just because they felt like the contest was an ok idea. You almost seem jealous as you are incapable of winning so you are just posting degrading remarks to others so that you can feel better about your inability to be nice! Chill out dude…I am sure that Jesus would have your back with your speech of cynicism…lastly, could we please see your amazing work so that we have something to be amazed by…since everyone else does crappy work…put up or please just shut up!!! BTW, this is not what Jesus would say to him either…the good thing is I am not Jesus! HA

By: Sean Salter

Sean Salter — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:27:52 +0000

Oh and before I forget, Travis, I want to thank you for affirming everything I say about the Church. People here at my job are not surprised at all by your words. In fact they themselves are used to it, its why they don’t go to church, profess belief in God, or like christians.
Great job being that witness!

By: Sean Salter

Sean Salter — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:22:53 +0000

Oh Tubby Travis,
I’d hardly call myself starving. More like comfortably successful.
I’d hardly call Rick Warren saving lives, he markets to the quire, and Jesus saves the lives anyways.
No one is attacking Rick Warren, painting it as such does EVERYONE involved a disservice.
I pray for your failure. I do. I HATE pastors like you. You’re a detriment to God’s Kingdom, and the purpose of the church. Arrogant, foul, and foolish. You are a serpent in the grass. You are a wicked tuddy man.

By: sean salter

sean salter — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:19:26 +0000

Jason,
Love your approach.
Hopefully this gets across as I try and explain simply where the big issue lies.
Spec-work contests is a rising trend, in ministry AND in the corporate world.
Why its dangerous.
This rising trend is making it increasingly difficult to be a full time designer and make a living. People can’t support themselves on the hopes of winning contests. Again, its a rising trend. Designers around the country have seen a great decline in freelance contracts and an increase in spec work contests.
It lessons the value of design. Spec work contests do not allow for connectivity with design. Your project loses its market place communication power if the designer is unable to understand the message and create a visual story to communicate it effectively. This is best when client and designer have an intimate working relationship.
It inevitably lowers the standard for what makes good design. Anyone with access to a torrent version of Adobe can claim they do design. Thus, it lowers the value and standards of the designer worth his salt.
Not sure else how I can explain why its bad.
Rick isn’t a bad guy, he’s a good guy with a bad idea. While it satisfies the immediate need. After all what can one little contest hurt right? But it is very bad in the long run. Its macro vs. micro, cause and effect, which apparently some o you actually Do have a VERY limited vision beyond the parameters of your own universe. Its a human thing, work on it.
and to the jerk of a pastor:
Travis Johnson.
The tough guy pastor thing doesn’t wear well with you. You just come across as the very reason people like me won’t step foot into a church. Marketing guru eh? Yeah, Marketing “experts” with “vast” experience with designers are a dime a dozen here in Hollywood, and they are the guys that make the decisions on the films like GI Joe. They can’t see past their fat bellies. You just come across as some insecure guy who failed in the corporate world and fell back on ministry, a common theme, and are over compensating.
But what do I know, I’m just an art director at a creative firm in Hollywood who is sensitive to artists, I need to get a life I guess. . . man you know, I’m just a wuss. Little ol’ me. . . a wuss hehehe

By: Travis Johnson

Travis Johnson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:17:25 +0000

FYI – it’s Travis Johnson, not Armstrong. I wouldn’t anyone to mistake him for me, the mysogonystic, designer starving, evil, designer-feeding-to-lions, sorry excuse for a pastor. ;)
Gotta love skewed priority here….skewer a guy that’s getting done….literally saving lives by the millions…all for not bowing to the starving artists just trying to feed their families. But, what do I know?…seems like a gnat flying around an elephant’s fly-swiping tail.
It all grows more comical by the minute.

By: Adam Gregory

Adam Gregory — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:02:27 +0000

Don’t you think it might be time to shut down comments and move on CMS? I think everyone has had a chance to say their peace and express their opinions.
Might be best to move the conversation on to a new topic here on CMS.
Once again I fail to see how this conversation is helping the church to communicate the message of Jesus more effectively. You got your point across.
All the designers are now up in arms.
All the non-designers are like “so what?”.
All the rest of the world is just pointing their fingers and laughing at the stupid Church “fighting over what color carpet to put into their new building”. I think that is probably the saddest part of what this whole conversation has become.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:32:24 +0000

Okay, don’t forget that I’m one of you designers, and know that you are all valued by me and our Savior, but let’s speak some truth. I can look at 1000′s of portfolios on-line & search out the best & the brightest & every one of them will do a design a little differently. So Warren & his team could have done that, but instead he said, “you guys come to me” if you’d like a few thou & your work in millions of homes. In the first situation a limited group gets valued for the opportunity. In the later everyone gets a shot. How are the two any different other than those who want a shot have to do the work beforehand? I understand that it would be ludicrous to have to do spec work for every job, but this single situation is not the norm for every single opportunity! If you have a great portfolio that you’ve built then work will be much easier to find, but saying that no one has the right to get a few different ideas before choosing is like saying any designer can do a perfect job on any assignment. It’s just not the case.
If I wanted to be a videographer at a church I hope that during the interview process someone would want to see my reel. If I wanted to be a preacher, they would want to hear me preach. If I wanted to be a sham wow salesman, they would want to hear my pitch. If I wanted to be an electrician they would want some proof that I know what I’m doing. To say that just because we’re designers we don’t have to prove nuthin to nobody is a little pretentious. (not calling anyone pretentious, just the idea is.) There are so many good designers around & so many opportunities to display work. If you got the chops, the work will come, but everyone at some time has to beat the bushes with spec work.
Love you guys…I’ll try to shut up now.

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:17:46 +0000

I find my self more than a little annoyed by all the non-designers telling designers to get over our frustration with mediocrity in our industry.
Unfortunately Warren will get a lot of mediocre work that will be seen by millions. This does not represent Christ.

By: J.R. Caines

J.R. Caines — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:49:43 +0000

@Travis Johnson ,
How about you step down from your church for a year and we pull random people from the congregation up there each Sunday to preach, you can even do it one week, and then at the end of the year we pick the best sermon of the year and pay that person your annual salary, sound good?