You've seen those contests for designing a logo, layout, or whatever for a new site. I hadn't given these much thought, then
Airbag held a contest and the sparks flew. (Check out the comments at the bottom).
There are some good points made, but I'll offer an alternative after sketching out the objection to these 'contests.' AIGA has this to say, "A designer shall not undertake any work for a client without adequate compensation, except with respect to work for charitable or nonprofit organizations. A designer shall not undertake any speculative projects, either alone or in competition with other designers, for which compensation will only be received if a design is accepted or used. This applies not only to entire projects but also to preliminary schematic proposals. A designer shall work only for a fee, royalty, salary or other agreed-upon form of compensation."
Quote:
The similarity to speculative design work is blatant in many of these “competitions.” Designers are being asked to create work for the chance that their work might be selected or used by the client. In these cases the carrot being dangled is often a prize of significantly less value than the designer could earn if contracted directly to produce the work. Instead of committing themselves and contracting with one design professional, the business or organization in question is setting up a veritable smorgasbord of creative possibilities for themselves, with little consideration for the individual designer or the value of their time and talents.
-- Jeff Fisher; When a Contest Is Not a Contest
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Like Airbag, I handn't fully appreciated this perspective before. However, with a few guidlines, perhaps there is an alternative.
1. Fictional companies are probably okay. A design contest for a fictional scenario and design target can be a great way to explore new ideas which can be freely shared.
2. Real contests which can help your career promote you in a press release, throwing their reputation behind yours. In many cases this requires the company to
actually have some kind of reputation. If a startup has no money to pay for design work they might not have a budget to advertise or market either, so the promotional value is negligible. If they don't acknowledge your work is yours, nor intend to refer (a lot) of business your way -- and articulate this up front, without prompting -- then reconsider entering.
3. Real companies provide information. Imagine a company which requests a design for ....an application they won't tell you about ...to fit a marketing strategy they won't disclose ...against competition they will not (or can't) brief you about. Again, think twice about this 'contest'. (If they can't trust you by providing the basic information you need to do a competent job, then why should you trust them?)
On occasion, contests simply substitute mass for decision making. The company doesn't know what they want ...except on the off chance they may see it in the stack. If a company doesn't know what they want to do because they have no money for proper planning, the value to your portfolio is minimal (Either 1.The company won't be around long enough for many to check out and/or 2.This lack of focus will show up in any possible endorsement you hope to get, robbing it of effectiveness.)
These contests don't seem nearly enough like a client relationship for entrants to think they'll be getting "experience." They'll get a chance to perform the content creation task, of course. It would be misleading to think this translates to the breath and scope of experience needed in negotiation, specification, and client communication.
Finally content can be the images and styling of a layout, copy, illustration, diagrams and infographics, logos and business identities, even cartoon characters and company mascots. Good content is the embodiment of strategy and tactics, not a substitute. Even if the entrants don't see it that way, these contests are a business decision for the sponsor. How they conduct it is an indirect communication of how they intend to conduct the future business you might hope to gain from the relationship.