Spec work: how Moleskine is insulting its customer base

Yeah, I don't really get the big deal either. If the quality is so bad, people will stop crowdsourcing and if the pay is so low for designers, they will stop doing spec work. It seems like there's a lot of designers who want to make a cartel to keep prices higher and prevent direct competition between designers.

I suspect (but have no proof) that crowdsourcing appeals to designers who might have more trouble working on regular projects with obligations such as younger people, busy parents with day jobs and third-worlders who lack the English skills to effectively market and communicate otherwise. Which makes things better for the customer, but introduces new competition into the design world.