I like iStockphoto, too – I use it and post my work there. I think their logo offering is misguided at best.

It doesn’t affect my business for the reasons I talk about above. The bigger concern is that some well-intentioned small business owners looking to save money on their logo design will be duped by this deal.

I could let it roll off my back, but i feel I have a responsibility to educate small biz people who don’t understand what the value they could be getting by working with a pro. They can’t see the effects of a bargain bin logo in the long run, but I can.

For my biz, I’ll be fine. It’s about helping someone else’s business.

Honestly, I saw the same add (thrice, apparently they’ve got three of my email addresses in their system)and at no point did it jump out to me as anything that is new or isn’t already out there. It did seem a bit odd for iStockPhoto (a place I really like, btw) but just didn’t phase me.

While I was reading your article, I was unsure why I wasn’t feeling the same anger you had. I personally don’t like any type of commercial ‘contest’ site or ’stock’ logo site. (Pure contests just for fun or perhaps for humanitarian causes are another matter altogether). I think they hurt the artists, demean the clients, and put both artists and clients at risk for various reasons. Still, it didn’t phase me.

It wasn’t until I got to the final paragraphs of your article that I realized why. I was already there with you in many ways. The key isn’t to sell what everyone else sells, or in the cheapest way; the key is to differentiate yourself. As an artist, you ABSOLUTELY do NOT want the type of client that will pay for art like this. They aren’t your market. I realized that a while ago. If you do end up landing a client like this, they tend to be absolutely horrible to work with, anyway. Sometimes real nightmares, impossible to please and hard fought to land in the first place, and to get to pay up at the end.

So, I acknowledge that they aren’t my market, this is not the sandbox I choose to play in, and so no skin off my nose. It actually makes finding my market easier, since they draw the clients I really don’t want away from me in the first place.
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