SEK recently announced a competition for the design of its commemorative logo marking the organization’s 80th anniversary. The main terms of the invitation concerned, among other things, is the participation of both professional and non-professional designers, the winner’s remuneration, and the intellectual property rights of the designs.
The competition was initially published in the official SEΚ website but was also posted/shared in Facebook under the account of Frederick University.
After communicating with SEK, the organization made certain changes to the terms, such as changing the title of the invitation from “Competition” to “Open Call.” However, many of the points we had highlighted remain unchanged, and the fundamental issues have not been addressed. CAGDI also communicated with Frederick University firstly to inform them about our objections with this competition and secondly to express our disappointment with the fact that they have endorsed this by posting/sharing the competition in their account.
Recognizing the importance of informing its members and the broader design community, CAGDI wishes to highlight certain aspects of the competition it deems critical and strongly disagrees with. Specifically, we point out:
- The remuneration, which does not reflect the quality and effort required in designing a logo and/or visual identity.
- The complete lack of a Brief.
- Intellectual Property Rights: The terms concerning the intellectual property rights of the designs neither comply with the relevant Cypriot legislation nor are they remunerated, making these terms exploitative.
- The limited submission timeframe.
- The non-compensation of participants (rejection fee).
- The open participation to non-professionals, which we believe undermines the professionalism of the industry.
- The composition of the committee, which does not include members or professionals from the field.
CAGDI, representing its members and the broader design community, urges everyone to consider the above issues and to act accordingly, in order to protect the image and standing of our profession.
