Logo design can often seem like a complicated process, and as a result, crowdsourcing has become a popular trend for companies looking for a quick fix for their logo design issue. However, crowdsourcing lessens the quality and level of creativity in the design industry and has negative consequences on the rest of us. Your logo is the face of your company and should be treated with the same level of thought and craft as the rest of your business. Important aspects of your company should relate to this mark, so when it isn’t fully developed or is designed by an amateur, it can have far-reaching consequences. Your mark’s shortfalls can convey a lessened sense of legitimacy, professionalism, and cohesion for your company as a whole, and your marketing efforts can suffer as a result. This post is to help educate and provide the benefits of going to a professional company for logo design.
Respect
You have to give respect to earn respect. When you expect hundreds or thousands of designers to work for free, you’re disrespecting the creative services of many others in the industry. It’s a disservice to your company as well as creatives—insinuating that our work has little or no value and that logo designs are a dime a dozen.
Experience
When crowdsourcing your logo design, you receive work from designers you don't know and who may or may not have actual design experience, and it becomes a dangerous gamble of choosing the best option. Legitimate, professional designers have both educational and professional experience and constantly surround themselves with design and typography to continue to learn and evolve. We bring a unique perspective and provide valuable insight to our projects, allowing us to best decide what elements can and can’t work in the context of the real world.
Research
Submitters on crowdsourcing sites aren’t getting paid for their work, so there is no incentive to spend time properly researching your company’s industry or competitors. In the end, they have no relationship with your company and the mark will reflect this. It’s important for us to be able to relate to our clients and provide their company’s unique voice through the logo design.
Craft
Submissions to crowdsourcing sites aren’t paid and are often careless, thoughtless, and rushed as a result. Your brand is unique and your logo should show it. With professional design services, every project is crafted in a way that is unique to that particular brand and is not a replication in any way.
The effect
Choosing to crowdsource as a solution can actually cause more headaches than fixes. There is no check on submissions and it’s possible these designs were stolen or plagiarized. In the end, what originally seemed like an inexpensive investment could actually cost your company much more. We work extensively to ensure we don’t plagiarize work. A good branding system can be carried throughout other mediums (advertising/signage/website) providing your company with a great foundation for all of your advertising and marketing needs.