David, thank you for putting this article up. I only wish there were more ways to promote it and unveil what CrowdSpring actually means for the entire creative industry.

I’ve gone to about 10 meetings in my lifetime with ’sharks’. I could imagine CrowdSpring is the same type of people. They spend time selling *you* the idea of their website or creative project. In hopes you will do it for free or low cost.

Here is my question. Who built CrowdSpring? How much did they pay for the custom software and design? A lawyer as a CEO? OH MAN! I already hate working with account managers, let alone a lawyer.

I say we offer up some chopped meat to 4chan, let those guys take care of CrowdSpring who is practically raping all of us professionals of what it is we do. Hey, here is an idea. Let’s all signup at CrowdSpring and submit stick figures for every project. You get what you pay for.

Please excuse the delayed response.

My personal experience with 99designs (and occasionally from CrowdSpring) is that every few weeks I notice the site sending traffic to my similar original logos post (over on Logo Design Love). So I follow the traffic back to the referring page and witness a slagging match over who was first to create various contest entries — who ripped off who. I often hear how design contest sites have a community of designers or creatives involved, but from what I’ve witnessed, they appear to be fighting amongst themselves over whatever prize fees are offered.

I’m sure this doesn’t apply to everyone who takes part, but it’s what I see every time my attention is directed that way.

“If a business owner believes that they know what they need, and base their selection solely on what they like, then that’s the business owner’s prerogative. At the same time, they must also understand that when a short-sighted, quick-hit, price-first strategy to communications fails to produce the results that are intended, then they can’t go blaming design.”

Well put, Eric.

If you all are real designers, you should have nothing to worry about from CrowdSpring because they’re not actually stealing your business.

I’m interested in YOUR position, not that you agree with Forbes that all designers are snooty and overpaid. Perhaps we should take this offline. I’d be happy to spend some time discussing design. This shouldn’t be a pissing match. I don’t need to agree with you and I don’t expect that what I have to say will change your mind, but I do believe we’d have an enlightening exchange. And who knows? We both might learn something.

Best,
Eric

It’s what’s going on now, an alternative the traditional design process that is more client oriented.

“Are you suggesting that you’ve brought anything of value to this conversation?”

I assume you’re one of those people who doesn’t believe in taking part in conversations with people you don’t agree with?

“Why wouldn’t designers challenge a model that attacks the value of our work?”

I can understand WHY you would attack that model while still disagreeing with you.

“And in doing so, attempts to define each and every designer as “snooty”?”

The designers replying to this thread (doctors/lawyer delusions, do you know where I went to school?, if you can’t afford the price do without, etc.) have done more to define themselves as “snooty” than Forbes or any single person could do.

While you’re a late-comer to the original argument, you likely realize that the genesis of this response was about a poorly-written article by a magazine that claims to be an authoritative voice for all things business. Please. Design is business. There have been many comments with regard to crowdSPRING and whether the model encouraged spec work. That’s an involuted debate. Frankly, I am of the opinion that cS is merely a temporary symptom of a more deep-seeded condition in the manner with which business is being conducted. It appears to be a quick fix. There is a call for change, and services such as crowdSPRING will address a limited function in a very large market. Let’s not make more of it than it’s worth and let’s not forget what design does and can do. If it’s merely ornament that defines the success of a business, then by all means, spend and choose accordingly. It’s incumbent on every business person to do just that regardless of the overall budget. If a business owner believes that they know what they need, and base their selection solely on what they like, then that’s the business owner’s prerogative. At the same time, they must also understand that when a short-sighted, quick-hit, price-first strategy to communications fails to produce the results that are intended, then they can’t go blaming design.

May I ask what you realistically feel is the ultimate positive result for this?

Regarding the requirement to pay if your contest doesn’t find a good result, that’s why I don’t use designspring, I use 99designs. Out of the contests we’ve run on that site, we’ve only had one that didn’t end up with a design that we were happy with.

Regarding the first part of the post, it’s simply redefining the question to suit your point of view. It condemns them under the idea that the designers are poorly paid employees which they are not. The vast majority of the people who design logos on the crowdsourcing sites wouldn’t get a sniff from a design firm (especially in this economy) because they didn’t spend $120,000 at the Art Center College of Design.

You folks seem to care about that stuff, business owners like myself don’t give a flip about anything but talent and results. Why should the designers on those sites feel guilty for going where they are accepted?

Once again, you are looking at it under the old paradigm which has changed for your industry just like it has for the dozens of others that have been impacted by the Internet…

Travel agents are virtually obsolete.

The next time a reporter has a nice thing to say about a blogger will be the first.

Photographers raised tons of hell about Istockphoto.

Realtors are up in arms over numerous services.

Why designers think that the inevitable democratization that Web 2.0 has brought to industries is something they can prevent, or should be prevented, is beyond me.

I realise that very few people will read every comment left on this blog post, but there’s one in particular that stands out for me, and is most certainly worth reading. It was posted before you joined the discussion, so you might’ve missed it.

The comment, from Steve Douglas, can be found here, and details much of what I also disagree with regarding design contest websites as a whole.