Graphic Designers WAKE UP!

The Huffington Post has a logo contest. They are "crowdsourcing"
their logo design ( http://huff.to/p2cYht ). This is wrong! (
http://bit.ly/p8FEqy )

This is called speculative work, and it is wrong ( not just me saying
it, http://bit.ly/ocT9KO ). This adds to the mindset present in most
business students that creative people are a dime a dozen and need to
have business type people "manage" them. After all, no business
student would go out and set up a corporation in a contest but one
would figure graphic artists would line up for the chance to "win" the
opportunity to provide a logo (and "get credit for it, of course").

Imagine going to a doctor and telling them they have an opportunity to
"win" the chance for them to perform an appendectomy, for free (but
get credit for it, of course). A mechanic to compete for the chance
to fix your car for free, but get the credit (of course).

But compelling graphic design, creating a logo to represent all the
work of a popular web site, is work that they should pay nothing for.
I would argue that a graphic artist is every bit as skilled as a
mechanic yet a mechanic can charge an hourly fee without people
raising an eyebrow.

If photoshopping a logo was just as easy as that, then I am sure some
MBA can powerpoint up a OK logo in a few minutes.. then they would
have the crap they deserve and the price they are willing to pay.