Why should I work for nothing? I might as well not work, right?

Meet 99designs. One of the companies that is the demise of the graphic design industry as we know it. What do they do? In a nutshell, they put out a design project for spec designs, a gazillion designers across the world submit designs like a contest, and one is picked by a client for a pittance of a fee.

As a graphic designer, I will never do spec work. Period. Why? Because what I do for a living is worth something, it's my job and it's valuable. The implications of the services that 99designs offers, are devastating. Giving away creative talent will not provide a living and will not help careers to blossom. What it will do is kill an industry I love. It could kill creativity as a way to make a living for us right brainers.

For my critics, I offer you this to respond to comments like "get with the program": Your program sucks. I am young, progressive, open-minded, a tech geek and a passionate creative. But this is the "long tail" approach gone wrong.

Why should I work for nothing? I might as well not work, right?