After listening to a debate 'Is spec work evil?' (from SXSWi 09) a few weeks ago and one of the questions raised (and not really answered), was [paraphrased] 'How does someone looking for logo design services find a reputable designer without resorting to spec work competitions and the like'?
It's been playing on my mind since hearing that, and made me start to empathize with people who use the 'competition' model for sourcing graphic work. I mean, if you don't know a designer, and have limited contacts to find one, then where do you go?
Experiment: Role play a person looking for a new logo.
Since nobody wants to look stupid when researching an unknown field, the internet is the first obvious choice for research...
Method: Google knows all. Search 'Logo Designer Detroit' (12,900,000 results).
Findings: The 3 Adword results at the top of the page have portfolios with work not much better than the quality you would find on say 99designs, and none of the 3 look like they're actually in Detroit.
Of the 3 'google' provided options with the map, the first is a dog-ugly site playing terrible music & must have hired Yoda to write their copy. The second is a broken link. And the third doesn't even offer logo design services.
Of the first 10 organic results (the first page), we get 4 actual logo design studios, 3 directory listings (of which very few had links to websites), 1 web design (no logos) studio, and a handful of random article and job posting pages.
Of the 4 that provided logo design services, the quality is significantly poor with the exception of maybe 1, but the website isn't very helpful and seems to promote a list of printers more than his own work.
I had to go through 3 pages of results before I found a Detroit (or Metro) based Logo designer with a website that had details about the service & a portfolio that looked like it was actually designed by a professional designer (thankyou Mr Kaufman for putting me out of my misery).
Experiment Result
Without knowing where to look, you are likely to get bombarded by '$50 logo' sites well before you hit anybody with decent skills. With this kind of result, if you're looking for the most cost effective way to brand your business, and not knowing any better - spending $100 on a competition seems like a logical solution.
So how do we combat this?
To be honest, I dont thik I have an answer. Maybe some kind of 'logo designer directory' where clients could post their work and a review would be a solution, but then again it's open to abuse by both designers and a disgruntled client.
I'd love to know your thoughts and or solutions. Maybe together we can come up with a solution that will stand a combined chance against the weight of the poor competition.
About Me
- Nathan Sarlow
- Web Designer by day, Logo Designer by night. I love letter forms, both admiring and recreating. Letters are a thing of beauty.
6 comments:
You raise some good points. Your experience in Detroit results is pretty much the same as what you'll see in Madison results. There is one good studio, but they do not work with local clients often.
See http://www.38one.com/
Other than that its pretty impossible to find a good logo designer in the area. A link to crowdSPRING even shows up on the first or second page or results for "logo design madison" I was listed up until yesterday when I took it down.
My fear with creating a directory for logo designers would be that you'd see much of what you see in Google results and you'd still have to rank it for area keywords.
Thanks for your comments Jared.
I'm actually a little concerned that the press that the pro design community are creating on the issue will actually only benefit the promotion of these types of services.
For the directory, maybe a small annual fee (say $20-30) would support the hosting & also pay for some Google/Yahoo Adwords listings for generic logo design searches. The fee alone should see most of the amateur studios fall away.
An annual fee would definitely be a good start. Let me know if you plan on building on this idea because I'd definitely be interested in participating in its production.
Comment emailed from Trish..
Even though I have clients in several states, I encourage those looking for new logo/design help to shop local if possible (I'm a big believer in supporting local business and community). Like researching on line it can be hit or miss as well, but if you don't research, online, locally or otherwise, you are just settling for what is easy. And what did our parents teach us about that.
When looking locally word of mouth is your best bet. Do you dig the logo of the business down the street? Ask them who designed it. Ask around a lot about designers/artists in general. Sure you'll get a lot of blank faces, but you may also find the gem you are looking for. Yes, sometimes a business has no clue who designed their logo, weird as that may be. Other resources for local designers are Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, and local Art/Design organizations.
I believe thinking your only avenue to finding a logo designer is through the internet is flawed. It is a great resource, but it should not be your only resource. Now like the internet it is not fool proof, but finding the right designer to create something so personal and yet so visible, should take some work!
Trish
I completely agree Trish, however the issue is how to compete against the flood of 'cheap' design online because thats where a lot of the market is being lost.
I'd definitely be interested in participating in its production.
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