Blogging And All That Malarkey

Could you be a dick?

I’m in the middle of preparing materials for a new book, “Hardboiled Web Design”. To demonstrate CSS3 selectors, transforms and transitions I’m putting together a page in the demonstration site, “It’s Hardboiled”. That’s where you come in.

Web designers are cool, but private detectives are cooler. No argument, but why can’t you be both?

Design a business card for your very own detective agency? Then upload it to the Hardboiled Card Flickr Group and you could see it printed in “Hardboiled Web Design”.

Although this is not strictly a competition, I will send the person whose card I like the most one of my For A Beautiful Web DVDs and eight other people will receive an S&N logo pin¹.

A few pointers

Standard business card size is 85mm x 55mm.
Be as creative, funny or just downright hardboiled as you like.
Think of a great detective agency name. Mine might be “Stiffs and Nonsense”.
Add a snappy tagline to help you get business.
Include your name and anything else you think will help you find work as a detective².

Then

Upload your card design to the Hardboiled Card Flickr Group.
Select an Attribution Creative Commons license.
I will post the nine cards that I like the most in a week.

Don’t be a mug. Be a dick.

Noun
private dick (plural private dicks)
(informal) private investigator, private detective (Source)

The small print

1. This is not spec work, if you have time and want to participate, fantastic. Do it because you want to, not because I’m asking. Nor is it a competition, not in any legal sense. My gun is quick and my decision is final. DVDs and pins are not prizes, instead think of them as gifts, from me to a lucky few. I will post the nine cards that I like the most in a week.

2. Your card may wind up printed in “Hardboiled Web Design”, associated and derivative materials. If you include genuine contact or address information, neither, I, Stuff and Nonsense Ltd. or the publisher will accept responsibility for anything that might happen if you do. Unless that is, you want people looking to hire you to track down their missing partner.

3. By uploading your detective business card to the Hardboiled Card Flickr Group, you implicitly grant me a non-exclusive license to reproduce it in the “Hardboiled Web Design” book, associated and derivative materials including articles and blog posts, video tutorials, workshop slides and materials or conference talks. Your name will credited each and every time your design is used.

Leave your comment

Paul Anthony

January 6 2010 @ 08:55am #

What a fun little task! Count me in

Lewis Dexter Litanzios

January 6 2010 @ 09:08am #

You had to pick the busiest week of 2010 to run this didn’t you. You dick!

Derek J. Kinsman

January 6 2010 @ 10:31am #

I would like to know how this is different from spec work.

You’re asking us for work for free, after which we may get a chance to be published in your book and if we’re super lucky get a copy of the book for free.

You say it’s not spec and candy coat it with “[…] if you have time and want to participate, fantastic. Do it because you want to, not because I’m asking […]” but, aside from that it’s still spec.

Spec is spec is spec. I’m not trying to start a spec is wrong / spec is right debate. There’s other places for that. I’m just honestly curious how you think this is not spec.

All I’m saying is call it spec.

Andy Clarke

January 6 2010 @ 10:53am #

Derek J. Kinsman: I would like to know how this is different from spec work. I’m just honestly curious how you think this is not spec.

— I don’t do or encourage professional spec work at all.

I take my values from NO!SPEC which says “the notion that spec work devalues the potential of design and ultimately does a disservice to the client.” I’m not devaluing anyone’s work or disrespecting their time. And I’m being very clear in what is and what is not. Unlike spec work, I’m not making false promises nor trying to deceive anyone.

NO!SPEC also says, “spec requires the designer to invest time and resources with no guarantee of payment”. At no time did I suggest nor imply payment of any kind.

It goes on, “At the end of the day, there is a certain irony in spec work. A prospect requesting it is ultimately saying, “My project isn’t important enough to hire a professional who will take the time to understand my situation and goals and invest the time needed to create a suitable solution.””

In fact, I am paying a professional illustrator to design bespoke artwork for the book as well as editors and others who are contributing (more about that another day). I thought that it would be more fun if not all the jokes in the book came from me.

Derek J. Kinsman

January 6 2010 @ 11:24am #

Thanks for clarifying Andy. Glad to hear you don’t do spec. Maybe I need some sleep, it just (to me) read like a spec request.

‘NO!SPEC also says, “spec requires the designer to invest time and resources with no guarantee of payment”. At no time did I suggest nor imply payment of any kind.’
I do think this is hard to avoid most of the time. In other design industries this would be called an RFP or a pitch. I guess it’s more of pitching a style/feel instead of pitching a complete finalized look.

I’ve no doubt you’re investing a lot of personal time and finances to this book. Of which I’ll end up buying, your first book was great. Wasn’t trying to say you were looking for freebie work.

I’ve no problem with friendly competition, provided it’s friendly competition and not spec disguised as friendly competition (which I’ve seen from respectable folks who claim to disagree with spec work). Again, thanks for clarifying.

Chris Bewick

January 6 2010 @ 09:35pm #

Great idea. Here is my contribution...

Alan Feekery

January 6 2010 @ 10:03pm #

Would love to create something for this but as Lewis said. I am flat out with work this week. Maybe I can make time this weekend. =D

Chris Neale

January 6 2010 @ 10:28pm #

Not sure I could be a dick, though I do have a http://trenchco.at/

Sulcalibur

January 7 2010 @ 12:14am #

Could I be a Dick? I struggle to be anything but :S Much to the distress of those around me.

*Dick – noun
An utterly foolish or senseless person. Fool, half-wit; imbecile; dolt, dunce, numskull.

Other than that, yeah, sounds superb, count me in Mr. Clarke

Paul Randall

January 7 2010 @ 06:17am #

I am thinking up some EGGceedingly good names for this ;-)

This may be a silly question, but what does “hardboiled” mean? (in the context you speak of)

Anne C. Kerns, AIGA

January 9 2010 @ 06:32am #

“Speculative work—work done without compensation in the hope of being compensated…”

I think it’s pretty clear there should be no expectation of compensation here.

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/position-spec-work

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Could you be a dick?

A few pointers

The small print

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Hardboiled Web Design by Andy Clarke