Clink. Clink. Clink. jeezzzhhhhhhhhhhhh… shunk!
Sorry, I was just grabbin’ up a quick snack. I needed an awesome web site header and just couldn’t get out of the office. This one looks okay. And, it was cheap.
I recently read something about “crowdsourcing.” It’s where a business throws out a project to a mass audience and reviews the results, paying for the one that strikes their fancy.
So in one of these scenarios, a company who needs a logo but has a very tiny budget goes to a web site, describes their project, and names their price. Soon, oodles of options start pouring in (one site says the average is 68). The company can even ask for revisions before choosing a final design.
I looked at some of the sites. The rates are pretty good and there are some great designs happening. Everyone should be happy, right?
Think about this. On both sides of the coin, something is missing, folks.
It’s called a relationship.
Graphic design is a reciprocal process that involves understanding a client’s business, goals, and future plans. It ain’t just poopin’ out some graphics.
It’s one thing to take a description and create a design that you hope hits the mark. It’s something else entirely to listen to your client, take notes, have discussions, and go away to create something that’s accurate to the vision.
A true logo designer is going to be guiding the client. A client isn’t just paying for some vector lines and colors, like wallpaper. They’re paying for the experience that tells the designer why a dog is on the logo and why that dog is red and not black. Why a certain font was chosen and at what size. Will the logo need to be embroidered on shirts? Will that be costly if it’s got fancy gradients? Will it appear on roadside signage? If so, will that tiny butterfly show up?
These are things that come out of a one-on-one discussion with a pro.
A business owner really, really likes cats. She thinks cats should be in her logo somehow. That’s lovely, but her business is named Zenith Electronics. So what do you do, just throw a happy kitty in there because she said so? Or, do you have a deeper discussion about why a cat? Will it be effective branding, how will it fit into her marketing plans? Hey, it might work out somehow but these are all important questions.
Likely this lady knows a crapload about electronics, but does she understand typography, color, output, and balance like a professional designer? No, and that’s what the big bucks pay for.
Dear Artists: If you’re going to be in this business, you need to think about the long-term. You might grab a few bucks doing one-off crowdsource projects. What you need to be doing is building relationships. Relationships are the key to your success. It’s not just graphics for cash, people!
How long can you sustain regular revenue by competing in contests where you might be paid for your hard work? Truth is, you can’t. It’s not a good business model.
Don’t be a vending machine. People kick vending machines, but they respect the chef who makes their meal.
Sparky Feedpants
