Under Design
Last year I wrote about SitePoint’s design contest site, a place where businesses can crowdsource spec work from designers. SitePoint has since spun this off into its own site, 99 Designs, which is the same as what SitePoint Contests was but wrapped up in an uninspiring design. I recommend taking a gander at Kevin Potts’ opinion on 99Designs and the ensuing discussion in the comments (where Mark from 99Designs’ chimes in).
This week SitePoint published an article entitled Design contests made me a better designer and tell their side of the story with the help of a designer who has done well for himself through contests. You’ll notice healthy doses of promotion for both 99Designs and said designer throughout the article.
In the end, the whole editorial angle on this article amounts to a load of spin and is quite telling of the defensive stance SitePoint has taken on the issue.
2 comments
3:36 pm
Hello Hank,
I find it odd that someone can earn the majority of their income through participation in design contents. You’d need to be churning out a lot of logos in a short space of time, which makes me wonder about the process, and how tailored it is to the respective company. What do you reckon?
9:36 pm
As with most things, I think you get what you pay for. Even with sweatshop labour you can get a nice pair of shoes or jeans. I can’t see clients getting great design work, or the majority of participating designers getting a good deal out of this.