3 ms·

Let me get this straight, I pay them $300 for the exclusive license for pre-made logo. Considering I can contract out multiple iterations of a bespoke, cross-m

Let me get this straight, I pay them $300 for the exclusive license for pre-made logo. Considering I can contract out multiple iterations of a bespoke, cross-media, hand-dithered (e.g. newsprint, 4-color, b&w, web, etc.) logo for $1-$2k from full-service design/marketing firms HOW is this a competitive solution? What project or firm who even tangentially cares about their brand identity would go down this path? Logos typically last the lifetime of the brand (years) and those sunk costs can be easily justified by that lengthy amortization. Honestly, this seems like a service without a market; at least in the United States.

tptacek 17y ago
Nobody who cares deeply about their "brand identity" is going to go this route. Most companies don't care deeply about their brand identity. To demonstrate that, let's play a game. Go to Hoovers. Pick a major metro area. Drill down into "Banking & Finance", "Investment Management", and then drill into the 2nd or 3rd largest city in that metro area (in Chicago, that's something like Schaumburg or Naperville). Now Google the top employers in the resulting set, and pick the company with the median-quality logo, and the company with the worst-quality logo. I'm betting that in some major metros (Chicago is an example of this), the median and the worst-quality logo is worse than the typical 99designs logo. In webtwopointopia, we're in a very status-conscious, egocentric estuary of the US economy. It's easy to forget that a lot of things we care deeply about (Helvetica! Not Arial!!!) are absolutely irrelevant to most customers.
- bonsaitree 17y ago
  Touché. Your point is well-taken and was effortlessly re-enforced this afternoon as, for the first time, I noticed the non-logos of my favorite local dry-cleaners and diner. Having lived in the Schaumburg area for several months also doubly-reinforces your argument. Well-Played. Estuary indeed.

tptacek 17y ago

Nobody who cares deeply about their "brand identity" is going to go this route. Most companies don't care deeply about their brand identity. To demonstrate that, let's play a game. Go to Hoovers. Pick a major metro area. Drill down into "Banking & Finance", "Investment Management", and then drill into the 2nd or 3rd largest city in that metro area (in Chicago, that's something like Schaumburg or Naperville). Now Google the top employers in the resulting set, and pick the company with the median-quality logo, and the company with the worst-quality logo. I'm betting that in some major metros (Chicago is an example of this), the median and the worst-quality logo is worse than the typical 99designs logo. In webtwopointopia, we're in a very status-conscious, egocentric estuary of the US economy. It's easy to forget that a lot of things we care deeply about (Helvetica! Not Arial!!!) are absolutely irrelevant to most customers.

bonsaitree 17y ago
Touché. Your point is well-taken and was effortlessly re-enforced this afternoon as, for the first time, I noticed the non-logos of my favorite local dry-cleaners and diner. Having lived in the Schaumburg area for several months also doubly-reinforces your argument. Well-Played. Estuary indeed.