A common topic among design professionals is the issue of spec work. Spec work—work being done without compensation, for the client’s speculation—is generally viewed as a negative business practice within the profession. That being said, relatively new companies like Crowdspring, who’s very business model is the spec work model, have come along offering “high quality” design delivered to clients at a premium price.

This issue was recently discussed at a SXSW panel discussion  and this dialogue, I think, is a good thing. My inner capitalist loves the idea of using competition to drive pricing down. Let market dictate the terms. But, when I put on my design hat, I know that buying such services cheapens the end product—and I’m not talking about price, but about quality.

The main issue with using a service like Logoworks or Crowdspring to create your company logo is that there is really no opportunity for the designer to effectively solve your complex communication problem. There is no review with the client, no competitive analysis, no effort to understand who the client is, and no dialogue between the two parties in order to create an inspired, smart solution. Its basically, drive-through-design. Would you like fries with your logo?

Now there may very well be a market for such services—the small startup business, the local coffee shop, they guy with 10 cents and a dream. My suggestion for such businesses is that they tread carefully. How do you guarantee that what you buy(in terms of services, i.e. your logo) hasn’t been used/shopped to other companies? How do you guarantee that what you end up with effectively represents your company? How do you guarantee that your logo will be viable and relevant 3 years after you buy it?

There is no guarantee. Sometimes there isn’t even such guarantees when hiring a professional design firm. The difference is the level of integrity that the firm/consultant brings to the table. Want to find out how happy their clients are? Talk to their clients. Want to see what kind of work they are capable of? Let them show you what they have done. Want to find out if they are the right fit for you? Look them in the eye and ask them.

In the end, the real question, is what do clients want? Decoration or Design? 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Design, identity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.