"Cheap" design? You should read this article.

[ImJustRickG]

It's long, but well worth the read. Plus Dan Apparatus makes an appearance.

The whole issue of spec work / contests / crowdsourcing is an old saw we pull out here on GeePee every couple weeks. This might add to the conversation, or it might just be yet-another-blog-entry. In either case, it raises some good points.

Here's the link

Personally, I'm conflicted. I don't want clients who are looking for a $50 logo. I don't make those kind; the last branding project I worked on billed five figures and was 'worth' a lot more than what some kid with a stolen copy of Photoshop Elements could muster. At the same time, as those pretend-designers grow legion it changes the perception of what design is supposed to do and what the value is. In sum, stupid work makes for stupid clients.

Anyhow, read.

[iamthesleepwalker]

bookmarked for this evening and a cup of tea.

[electr.]

good read. also quotes blondes' forbes article.

[sulmers8]

Good read indeed. As someone who hires the designer/artist, I would love to only hire the cream of the crop artist-wise and pay them top dollar, but budgets & artist's availability always creep into the equation. If I could, I would hire Arik Roper, Justin Hampton, EMEK, Daniel Danger, Tyler Stout, Jermaine Rogers, Jeral Tidwell (yes these are the guys I'm dying to do business with) et al for the bulk of the 50-75 posters I do a year, but sometimes the economics don't work cause we don't sell the posters at the show - we give them away to the fans as they're exiting. That's why for me, it really works when the artist can accept the ability to sell the posters themselves in lieu of their full rate. Plus, usually there isn't the budget to pay a meaningful fee for a poster for a band that's playing at a club.

that being said, I'm grateful I've gotten to work with amazing artists like Moctezuma, Ken Taylor, Mike Davis at Burlesque of North America, Mark Sgarbossa, Vance Kelly, Craig Varian, Mile 44, Zebulon Love, Julie Hill, Stephan Walter, Rhys Cooper, Kyle Baker, Gavin at TinyLittleHorse and am looking forward to our future work together.

[MrBlonde7]

They think I'm a capitalist tool. darn.

tried to be balanced. my personal opinion was definitely not injected as much as it could have been. next time.

[eyepeace]

They think I'm a capitalist tool. darn.

tried to be balanced. my personal opinion was definitely not injected as much as it could have been. next time.

Would it have been in Forbes if you had of injected more? I liked your article.

I liked this guys article, too, but he threw alot of blind punches.
I'm a "single-person home studio" but that doesn't mean I charge $99 a logo (even though that can be the overall assumption).

[Carlos Artest]

i do cheap. i got rent. and child support.

[evanmarnoch]

Plus it only takes you 4 seconds to draw a logo, right?

[Carlos Artest]

Ya. Drop in the bucket.

I'm a "really good" "designer"