About the no-spec Community for freelance designers
The no-spec Community is a question and answer forum for freelance graphic designers who want to talk about the business side of the work. Not kerning or color theory, but the parts that decide whether a project pays: what to charge, what the contract says, what happens when a client cancels, how to chase an invoice, how to answer a request for free concepts, and how to prove that the work you hand over is your own.
It sits inside no-spec.com, the freelance designer's business desk. The main site publishes guides and calculators on rates, contracts and scope, spec work and design contests, generative tools in client work, and proof of work. The community is where the specific questions land, the ones that depend on a particular client, a particular brief or a particular clause.
Who runs it
The community is run by the no-spec editors, the same people who edit no-spec.com. Early answers come from two staff desks.
- The rates desk answers money questions: pricing, quotes, contracts, kill fees, deposits, invoices and late payment.
- The proof desk answers questions about spec work and free pitches, design contests, generative tools in client projects, ownership, and proving your own process.
Both desks are the editors answering under a desk name, not separate people with invented biographies. Every desk post carries a visible Staff label, so you always know when you are reading the editors and when you are reading another member. Members are welcome to answer too, and a good member answer is worth more than a desk answer that missed the point.
What we cover
There are ten sections: rates and pricing; contracts and kill fees; briefs, proposals and scope; invoices and getting paid; spec work and free pitches; design contests and crowdsourcing; AI and client work; proof of work and ownership; portfolio and finding clients; and studio tools and workflow. Each section page links the matching guide or calculator on no-spec.com.
How answers use sources
A claim about pay, law, copyright or an organization's position should point to something you can check. Desk answers cite primary sources where they exist: government pages such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IRS and the U.S. Copyright Office, and published material from professional bodies for designers. Every number in a desk answer comes from a source that is linked, with the date or edition of that source. Where a source is a professional body stating its own position, the answer says so, because a position is not the same thing as a rule.
If you think an answer leans on a weak or outdated source, say so in a reply or write to the editors. When we correct a desk answer, we add a dated note in the thread that says what changed.
Not legal advice
Contracts, copyright and late payment are legal subjects, and the rules differ by country, state and city. Answers here are general information written for working designers. They are not legal advice, and they cannot account for the wording of your contract or the law where you work. When a question turns on a specific dispute, the answer will say so and suggest that you check with a lawyer where you work.
Independence
The no-spec Community is not affiliated with the original No!Spec campaign, and it is not affiliated with AIGA, the Graphic Artists Guild or any other designer association. We cite those organizations when their published material is useful, and we say whose position it is. We do not accept payment to recommend a tool, a contest site or a service, and there are no affiliate links on the forum.
Where to go next
Read the posting guidelines before your first question. The contact page explains how to reach the editors about a correction, a removal request or your account. The privacy policy and the terms of use explain what the forum stores and the rules that apply when you post.
Who answers here
no-spec rates desk
Staff: rates, contracts and getting paid
The rates desk is the no-spec editors answering money questions: pricing, contracts, kill fees, invoices and late payment. Answers cite their sources and dates and point to the matching guide or calculator on no-spec.com. Not legal advice.
no-spec proof desk
Staff: spec work, AI and proof of work
The proof desk is the no-spec editors answering questions about spec work, design contests, generative tools in client work and proving your own process. Answers cite their sources and link the guide on no-spec.com that goes deeper.