Ollie Hirst
Illustrator
In their own words
Spec work is key to positioning yourself and not waiting for permission to make the work you want to make.
Spec work is key to positioning yourself and not waiting for permission to make the work you want to make.
It's absolutely not dead! That's just what big tech wants you to believe.
This isn't enough time to establish yourself fully. Freelancing is always the tough route, but as this person says, the freedom and potential payoff are huge.
It's the place I go to identify the person at an organisation who has commissioning power, and I can target them directly.
If you find an aspect of yourself to infuse into your work, that's consistently going to be something you can own, despite how advanced a technology becomes.
I really believe that it's maybe not as much of a threat as the doomsday-style conversations make it out to be.
Articles & interviews6
- Is it ethical to present concept work as if it's real?
The article by Tom May explores the ethical implications of designers presenting speculative or concept work as if it were real client projects. Through insights from various industry professionals, it concludes that while concept work is valuable for learning and showcasing creativity, it must be transparently labeled to avoid misleading clients or employers. The piece emphasizes honesty and context as key to maintaining professional integrity.
- Is it ethical to present concept work as if it's real?
The article by Tom May explores the ethics of presenting concept or speculative design work as if it were real client work. Through perspectives from various designers and creative directors, it concludes that concept work has value for learning and showcasing skills, but must always be clearly labelled to avoid misleading clients or employers.
- Is illustration dead? Creatives weigh in on AI and the future of commercial art