You’re asking HOW much for a logo?
<rant>
I’m a huge fan of Etsy. Huge. I love the simplicity in setting up a shop, the community that keeps buyers and sellers engaged, and the assortment of vintage/handmade items just waiting to be found. I do, however, have an issue with the alchemy section. This is a section where you can request an item to be made…everything is custom!
If I search in the alchemy section for the word “design,” it brings up about four pages of results. Some of the requests include: round custom designed business cards, blog header/logo design/background design, postcard design for mailer, store design, etc. The shocking part is that 90% of all graphic design requests list $40.00 or less as an ideal price for such work.
If I want a custom leather purse on Etsy, I pay more. If I want a custom necklace, I pay more. If I want a custom painting, I pay more. Heck, if I want to customize my order at Applebees, I pay more. Why isn’t this expected when other Etsy shop owners (or small business owners) are looking to brand their business? Despite the ridiculousness of these requests, I’m even more embarrassed by the fact that each request has 5-40 bids placed by “designers.”
I don’t care if you’re a 32-year-old mom who likes playing in Photoshop, you shouldn’t create a logo for $10.00. Ever.
</rant>
A Consideration
A weekly email where I share things that made me stop and consider. Never sponsored, no affiliate links.
Comments (5)
-
Preach it!
I would give people outside the industry a little more credit then zero. I would say 90% of the time the decision is financially based. They’re trying to get 100% results at a fraction of the cost. The same goes for crowd-sourcing logos. It’s ethically and morally wrong–completely degrading.
“No” is the professional response to these clients (although I always want to use the unprofessional phrases in this situation).
-
One of my former bosses, Greg Nickell from E-V Benefits, told me of a survey he had read in which people were given a choice between a locally built quality chair that would last many years and a substantially lower quality imported chair that cost a fraction of the price but was essentially a “throw-away” item. Surprisingly, the majority of test subjects chose the cheaper chair, full knowing that their decision would effect the livelihood of their local chair maker. We now see this in web design, web coding, and all things tech. We’ll pay through the nose for “boutique bottled water”, but gladly stab our local graphic designer in the heart to get a $10 logo.
-
Thanks for all your comments. I’m always interested in hearing everyone’s (designers or not) opinion. I agree with all of you on some level. People want a DEAL! I mean, I’m guilty of it as well. I’ll get the cheaper, lower quality shirt from Forever 21 instead of investing in a piece at J.Crew. I know that it won’t last as long, but it’s because I know the style will fade and I won’t want to wear it anymore.
Maybe a large part of the reason people want a deal on their logo, website, business card is because they don’t see it lasting as long and becoming a REAL brand? I’m not saying this is always the case but I understand that logic.
ALDAN
Most people outside of the industry have zero understanding, and zero respect for what we do. So, many will often make requests for work based on ignorant expectations.
Oh… and don’t even dare try to get real with them. I’d rather just ignore silliness than BE ignored, or denied.