Posted On January 8th, 2010 Author Kyle Racki
Filed Under Headspace News, 1
Well, Headspace now has it’s first official year under our belt. Where did the time go? Actually, I know exactly where it went—designing, developing and marketing for our clients.
Together, Kevin and I have experienced the emotional roller coaster that is running a small business, enjoying the thrill of success, while learning from our failures. But overall, our year was spent developing our client base, building a solid team, and continually improving our individual knowledge and skill-sets so we can service our clients better.
So what is on the horizon for 2010? Regardless of how the current economic climate goes, we will keep plugging away, just like everyone else. There’s a tremendous amount of exciting possibilities gathering already, most of which I can’t talk about yet.
One thing that I can announce is that Headspace is now official partners in MediaBadger, the internet marketing company owned by Giles Crouch and Robert Snell. With them, we are going to be building and extending our own social media web application. We have found that while Social Media is forming an ever-growing presence in the marketing professionals’ arsenal, few have yet really discovered how to wield this mighty tool. As we have done throughout last year, Headspace and MediaBadger will continue to perform in-depth social media analysis and monitoring for our clients. We can’t wait to show off our product later in the year—trust us—you will find it useful.
Thanks to our clients for their continued patronage, our in-house team for always over-delivering, our contractors and suppliers who extend Headspace’s core offering, and our families for putting up with us when we pull late nights.
Here’s to a great 2010.
PS For more web-related end of the year wrap-up, see the best web design of 2009.
Posted On December 24th, 2009 Author Kyle Racki
Filed Under Design, Business, 30
So recently, a rather bold individual walked into our offices and proclaimed how 99designs has made our jobs obsolete, and now any company can get top-quality designs at bargain basement pricing. How true is his claim?
For those who don’t know, 99designs works this way:
- You the client have a project. You upload your brief and your budget to 99designs (your budget may not even be enough to rent a motel room for a night)
- Thousands of designers can compete, uploading designs for you to review
- You choose from a bunch of entries, maybe even hundreds, possibly thousands, and provide feedback
- You pick whichever one you like best, and pay the designer
Sounds great doesn’t it? Finally, a way to avoid shelling out thousands of dollars to a designer or firm, and a way to get exactly what you want.
Why it’s bad for designers
For ethical and sustainability reasons, spec work is bad for the design industry. Designers do not sell products, they sell their time creating products. In other words, the service of designing. This is similar to how lawyers do not sell successfully won cases, they sell their time preparing and consulting with their client with the hopes of winning said case.
To ask a designer, who would normally charge money by the hour or by the project, to give away free design work “competing” to win a project is like asking a carpenter to build you a chair with the hopes of getting paid if you like it. Would you pull 8 hours of shift work with the hopes that you would get paid if your employer is pleased with your performance?
99designs is bad for the design industry as a whole because it cheapens the profession, literally and figuratively. It perpetrates the notion that graphic design (web design etc.) is easy, and all you need is the right software and a ‘good eye’ to be able to do it effectively. The fact of the matter is, good design is not easy. More than just making nice-looking graphics, it requires problem solving ability, strategic thinking, knowledge of business, communication skills, knowledge of art history and popular culture to name a few skills. Good designers require years of training and work-experience to hone their craft and be able to deliver strong, effective design.
Therefore, to poison a clients’ mind with the idea that it is simply a matter of splashing digital paint on a computer screen and letting them decide which option they want to pay for destroys the credibility and profitability of our profession. By the way, did I mention that the budgets on 99designs are horrendously low? If a professional designer were to actually take the proper amount of time to work on any given project, at these prices, they would make more money flipping burgers.
You may ask why so many designers even bother if there is no money in it. I will explain that next.
Why it’s bad for clients
One might say that it is the designers’ choice whether or not he wants to take part in a design competition website like 99designs, and so you can hardly fault the clients for wanting cheap work if there is a professional designer out there willing to give it away.
Let me explain this with a question; What would your initial feeling be if you were to walk in a pawn shop and see what appears to be a high-quality item priced for less than 1% of what it would cost in a store? If you said you would think it’s stolen or counterfeit, then my point has been made.
So who are these people out there giving away their services for free in the hopes of getting paid, and how can they afford to feed themselves canned chick peas, let alone enjoy a comfortable living? I would put them in the following categories, and keep in mind, the term ‘designer’ is used loosely:
1) The Kid
A whiz with Photoshop and Corel Draw, this mid-pubescent designer works in the safe comfort of his parents basement and uses the competitions as a way to kill time between rounds of Unreal Tournament, and hone his understanding of lens flare effects. He’s using the 99designs projects in his portfolio to apply for design college where he will actually learn about graphic design. Is this who you want designing your corporate identity?
2) The Mass Producer
This designer believes it’s all a numbers game. She has built up such a massive library of design templates over the years, that to submit for a competition is like pulling out 2 year old Halloween candy from a barrel and dumping a handful into a new treat bag. There is no strategy, uniqueness or customized problem solving here. Just stock icons, textures and illustrations with “YOUR NAME HERE” replaced with… your actual company name. So much for “the best possible design to meet your needs”, as stated on the 99designs website.
3) The Hack
This designer just plain sucks. Having a slight understanding of design software but no understanding of design, this guy makes countless amateur mistakes like squished-type or vertically stacked words, and overused 3-D effects like drop shadows, reflections and lens flare. To him, typography is a study of maps, kerning has something to do with corn on the cob, and Paul Rand makes a brand of guitars or something. This designer needs 99designs because frankly, he couldn’t get a job designing popsicle-stand signs for the neighborhood kids even if he was paid in frozen Kool-aid. The children would just point and mock.
4) The Thief
This designer knows what good design is, but just doesn’t have the skill or patience to actually do it himself. So he finds good examples of design and rips it off. From awards galleries to Wordpress Themes, no lovely design is safe from his money-grubbing hands. What you think is an amazing design for your company brand is actually already in use by someone else, maybe even your competitor. You may not find out right away, but your customers sure will. You’ve just paid for counterfeit goods.
Okay, while I’ve clearly had too much fun writing these description, I think the point should be clearly evident; Just because in your opinion, the designs look professional on 99designs, it does not mean it is. Anyone who told you that 99designs is the same as hiring a design company or professional freelancer is simply wrong.
Professionals take time to understand your business problem. They research, they brainstorm, they get inspired, they concept and sketch before they even open Photoshop. Their finished work is not just attractive - it is original, it’s customized for you, and it strategically communicates your message to your target audience in a way that will make them remember you and buy from you. They may actually create work that you do not personally like, but unbeknown to you is precisely on target and will be effective. In fact, a professional designer could, and should challenge your perception of what good is.
Closing arguments
In many ways, I don’t envy clients. When shopping for design, they are being asked to spend money before they’ve seen a finished piece. They are buying in faith that the finished product will be good. Sure 99designs is tempting because it gives you multiple design options quickly and cheaply. Don’t be fooled. You’re better off going to a local design school (community or private college) and at least giving the students some experience. The results will probably even be better.
Especially if you are a company with a proper amount of marketing money, don’t be cheap. Hire a reputable designer or firm who will work with you. Pay them for their work. Remember that most successful companies—from Fortune 500’s to locally-owned private companies—have used good design to get to where they are. Rest assured, they did not use 99designs.
Posted On November 18th, 2009 Author Kyle Racki
Filed Under Headspace News, 1
We have received some flattering recognition for two of the tourism websites we designed earlier this year.
One of them, Lunenburg Region has been featured on web50.ca Canada’s Best Web Design. One of the judges said:
“What we like: Attractive look. Great wooden background image. Easy navigation. Nice call to action (”Request Information”) in the main area and all the subpages. Nice, up-to-date events calendar on the homepage. A great site overall.”
This posting has also been covered in the South Shore Now, as proud co-recipients of the award. We created Lunenburg Region to be an information resource for those looking for a unique, rural experience. The website showcases all that there is to do, stay and eat in the area from beaches and arts and crafts to festivals and events.
Web50 is made up of Canadian creative designers, marketing managers and on-line media buyers. Its mandate is to showcase good website design for Canadian companies or by Canadian designers.
Another site we worked on and launched this summer, Signature Attractions of Atlantic Canada, has been listed among the 37 Best Web Designs from the Travel Industry by Vandelay Design. The site shared company with some award-winning and gorgeous websites, like the Bahamas and Tennessee US websites. We were proud to be among them.
We are currently working on redesigning and building the Points East Coastal Drive (Prince Edward Island) website, which promises to be an equally great website that draws favorable attention to beautiful Atlantic Canada.