Since I've joined up here, I've noticed a very irritating trend that seems to infect the whole design world since I've started doing this kind of work. This little rant of mine is aimed at people asking graphic designers, such as myself, to do work for them. I'm going to be somewhat harsh, so listen up because I think I speak for all the designers here. I'm going to start off by asking you people that can't design anything, do you really know what you want? Have you REALLY sat down with yourself and looked at your company and figured out what type of design or logo would really fit your company? I just entered a contest that asked for a jewelry store logo to be designed with a logo of a flower. Please tell me; what EXACTLY does a flower have to do with a jewelry company? Now don't get me wrong. You can have a cat as your logo for a puppy store if you want, it's none of my business. But did you really stop to think of how a flower actually represents your jewelry store? It doesn't...at all. Next thing is, do you have an idea at ALL for what you'd like your logo to look like? Do you need circles, squares, octagons, pink, red, blue, purple, sparkles, or do you even know what font you would like to see? How about a style? The biggest problem I see is that you've got NO idea and you throw up some [WTB] Logo for a measly $10-$30 and you want some Zales Jewelry or Nike "swoosh" logo or something similar or amazing. Let me tell you something now. A $10 logo takes me less than 5 minutes to think about and come up with. Am I going to spend all day on this busting my brains to come up with something amazing? No. I don't work in a sweat shop, my tools and my computer aren't free, and I'm not a millionaire that can just create some so called "amazing logo that represents the company" for $10-$20. You are pushing your luck. That's like asking a mechanic to rebuild the engine in your car, which you neglected to put oil in, for $100. Please....give me a break. You've never done any design work or anything creative in your life, so you ask someone here that will do it for pennies and hope it will look like something you want. Good luck! And listen up people. Don't ask someone that comes up with a design you like, to do something over and over and over, and redo this or redo that, make them work on something for 4 hours, and THEN pick someone elses work!! This happened to me this week and that's bullshit. If you like it, then decide on it, award the WINNER and THEN ask for refinements. I for one do NOT work for free. I like contests. But I'm not going to play like a contracted worker and then get the rug pulled out from under me. And this is for you so called designers. Why do you put up with this? Is $10 so much money for you that you'll do anything to be asked to redo a logo over and over and over. If someone shows some interest in your work, tell them to AWARD you and you will do the changes. STOP BEING PUSHOVERS!!! This isn't a sweatshop! I've stopped entering contests. I won't do anymore work here at all. I won't waste my time because all in all, the people asking for designs are just taking advantage of the situation and forcing CHEAP LABOR. So stop being a "pawn" and stop letting people rip you off for what you are really worth. If they want quality designs, then don't jump to offer them $5 for a design. This isn't cut-throat piracy. This is a legit profession and each and every one of you are ruining this for everyone else by taking a crappy job for $10. Screw that. Stop it now. If I think of anything else that really pisses me off I'll comment. That is all
You are right. That's true, but if you don't want to enter this, because probably your country's life level is higher, simply don't enter. Someone else would like to enter there, because ten dollars are their daily salary on their country. Think aswell that this is an international forum, so there are other people happy to work for ten dollars. Good luck.
You're from Spain. I've been there recently for a month and it's a beautiful place. $10 is not a days wage in Spain. Regardless, there is a big problem with true designers that paid $50k for training (like myself) and dealing with just anyone that will take a job for $5 or $10 and create some subpar design work. It does TWO things. It makes design UGLY and it gives everyone the impression that graphic designers that are worth anything are a dime a dozen and can be had for cheap. That's unfair. So please do not try to justify that because someone downloaded a pirated version of Photoshop online with their 200mhz computer, they can be a professional designer and deliver competent and unique designs. When you degrade something, not only do you degrade yourself but you degrade your profession and what you stand for. I won't kill my mother for a dollar...would you?
Yes, I know, I'm not talking about Spain now. I talk about other countries, (wont like to say names)... In my opinion, a good designer doesn't need to have a good computer, the last PS version, or 10 years of university... only talent. If you think that a forum has got low quality designers, try 99designs, crowdSPRING, 12designer...
I agree 99 Designs is pretty awesome and there's some GREAT stuff there. I'll keep designing there...but here. Forget it. This is like the back-alley of a bar where shady drug deals are made....it's pathetic.
Well said. I completely agree. However, the problem we face is the internet is worldwide, so a lot of people in low-paying Countries are very willing to work for peanuts. And if you are reading this and you are from a Country where $5 is enough to pay your rent, consider this... You can do the opposite of what we do here in the US- set your standards higher, don't be willing to work five hours for five bucks, because whatever price you set for yourself is what you're worth. If no one is willing to do that work for such low pay, guess what happens? The price goes up. It's called supply and demand. Let's all stick together on here and quit doing $50 worth of work for $5. Thanks RedStarMarketing, for bringing it up.
i agree with this 100%.. the best thing is to Value ur own work. If u make an amaizing logo.Dont sell it cheap. If they want to pay less. Give them a logo deserving of their price. Dont waste ur talent. This all has really devalued the designers. I was actually thinking about this the other day. People earn thousands of dollars using Logos made by us.. and we are willing to accept just 10-20$ for that logo which will earn them so much. i try my best to actually TIME my WORK. according to the budget of the CH
Pretty much everything you said about people WTB designs is true and I agree.... However, I and my fiancée enter contests here as a method of practise for various techniques and just view the occasional contest win as a sign we're doing something right to come out on top of other designers (obviously the quality of their work will always be questionable, but that doesn't mean I haven't seen the odd outstanding design here on DP...) and as a bit of money on the side of our regular jobs - I don't see the harm in that. If I'm harming somebody else's wage that depends on DP contests for a living that's their own fault for being so linear in their choice of work. I think I accidentally made myself sound like some kind of 'great designer' - I'm really not, I've won maybe 10-20 contests in my time here, but what I said still stands.