Pixish Visual Assignments for Creative People

The response to Pixish in the first few days of our public beta has been awesome. So much interest, so many assignments, so great! Thank you.

Sorting through the feedback, there's been one concern that we've heard loud and clear. There's this thing called "spec work" where large companies take advantage of designers, getting work without paying. Some have worried that's what Pixish is for. As artists ourselves, we totally understand the concern. Here are some thoughts.

1. We're in beta. We're nowhere near done yet. The reason we put the site out publicly at this early stage is to gather feedback, so trust me when I say that we're listening and will be making changes. Thanks for helping!

2. One of the reasons spec work is evil is because it's sometimes required by big companies, which takes advantage of small designers. But in Pixish, everything is in the hands of the artist. So if you think an assignment isn't worth your time, don't do it! It's our hope that Pixish becomes a true marketplace, where publishers who list assignments with too few rewards will have to raise their pay to what the community thinks is fair. This is good for artists.

3. Generally, when people talk about spec work, they're talking about design. Pixish is not really for completed designs. It's mainly for design elements: photos and illustrations that will be incorporated into a larger design project.

4. We're sincere in our desire to help artists get paid. So we're working on tools that will better distinguish paid assignments from the "just for fun" ones. Right now, the payment is left to the publisher and the winning artists to work out. In the near future we'll be releasing tools that make this much more formal, making the process more secure for artists.

5. No one owns your work but you, period. You are giving up no rights by uploading your work to Pixish, and you can remove it at any time. If you submit your work to an assignment, you're entering into the terms set by the publisher. We're working on tools to make those terms more explicit, but don't worry, publishers have no rights to your work if you don't win.

6. There are lots more tools we're developing to help artists. For example, a publisher will soon be able to offer an assignment directly to an artist, privately. This way, an artist can set up a great Pixish portfolio, get noticed by publishers, and get offers for paid work.

Here at Pixish, we know that none of this works without the trust and support of awesome artists like you. We're going to do our best to help you get found, get published, and get paid. Thanks for giving us a chance.

 

Posted by Derek Powazek