Crowdsourcing: Arguments Against
Out of context: Reply #28
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- monNom0
I think your argument hit's on one of the most relevant points. You've no guarantee of quality or uniqueness in a design contest, and they seem to attract the scammers as they're so anonymous.
FUD is an age old marketing tactic, and I think you do a good job with it here.I think your 2nd point about trademark is a bit weak. Trademark must be applied for, so it's basically a first past the post situation. You might have got the design 3rd, but if you trademark first, you get that trademark. It relates to the first item, but isn't as strong. maybe leave that out for additional discussions.
A couple other arguments: by hiring a designer directly you create a business relationship. Kind of like the difference between going to H&R block and hiring an accountant. You can't contact suzy at H&R in june if you want to know how to set up a trust fund for your kids. Having a 'web guy' or whatever that you can call on is a real asset. and having one locally that can sit down and discuss what you need is even better.
Finally, not everyone is good at filtering the good from the mediocre. In fact it's the aesthetic sensibility more than the technical skill that people are paying for in a designer. Ask the average business man/woman to pick out the hot new trends and they'll probably show you something from 5-6years ago. Ask them to pick the best typography and they'll probably pick some poorly kerned century gothic cause it looks remotely modernist. Most people don't have a clue what's good or not. Don't be afraid to tell them that they're coming to you for your sense of style.