Work for Spec?!… Seriously?!

Work for spec is probably one of the most discussed issues over the artistic community since "Joe the Caveman" decided back in 35.000 BC to splash his uncle's cave with some jumping reindeers! (...then all the troubles began to poor Joey... and to some of us.)

Is working for free such a big fuss?! Well it is when others make profit using your work and dedication...
For a serious clarification on this matter with no further jokes because this is a very serious matter that many went through or will go through eventually, I will quote AIGA’s (American Institute of Graphic Arts) description of spec work:

Speculative work — work done without compensation in the hope of being compensated, for the client’s speculation — takes a number of forms in communication design. There are five general situations in which some designers may work, by choice, without compensation:

• SPECULATIVE OR “SPEC” WORK: work done for free, in hopes of getting paid for it
• COMPETITIONS: work done in the hopes of winning a prize—in whatever form that might take
• VOLUNTEER WORK: work done as a favor or for the experience, without the expectation of being paid
• INTERNSHIPS: a form of volunteer work that involves educational gain
• PRO BONO WORK: volunteer work done “for the public good”

For students and professionals, there may be a different line drawn on which of these constitute unacceptable practices. In each case, however, the designer and client make the decision and must accept the relevant risks. Most designers would consider the first two types to be unacceptable.
In certain design disciplines, such as architecture, advertising and broadcast design, business practices differ and professionals have been expected to participate in speculative work. This usually occurs in fields where the initial design is not the final product, but is followed by extended financial engagement to refine or execute a design. In communications design, this is often not the case. The design submitted “on spec” is all that the client is seeking.

Maybe too many companies and clients got used to "force" on artists the free design... but the ones to blame the most are not they... we are after all...