Graphic Design for Next to Nothing!

I've been a professional graphic designer for about thirty years now. When I first started, logo design was an esoteric art, done by hand, and expensive. The tools of the trade were special illustration board, black and white ink, and a variety of pens and brushes. Developing and refining a logo was a labor-intensive process of inking the board, standing way back, and squinting at your work. When all the lines were smooth and exactly as desired, the finished product was printed by making a negative of it, stripping it into a larger negative of whatever the logo was to appear on, making printing plates, and printing it. Freelance designers who did logos generally got $1000 or more for their efforts (in 1976 dollars, mind you) and some of the big studios, such as Landor and Associates, often went into six figures in implementing a logo across a wide variety of media for a large, global company.

Now, computers have taken much of the tediousness and complexity out of the process, and it is now possible to create a serviceable logo and print it in a matter of minutes. What computers can't do, of course, is create the best possible logo out of the universe of possibilities...this still takes a trained eye and creative vision. It may well take the same amount of time it always has to create a world-class logo, if one factors in the creative process of arriving at the idea, and exploring various possibilities, but the "instant gratification" that desktop publishing ushered in has created a perception that a logo can be done in, like, an hour. Hundreds of companies have sprung up on the internet, offering logos for as little as $100 and turnaround in one day. These "one size fits all" logos seem to work for the companies that commission them, especially given the cost. They fall far short of the type of personalized branding that a great logo can provide, but those who wind up with them apparently either can't tell the difference, don't care, or both.

In order to be competitive in the face of these developments, I have seen the price I can charge for a logo drop steadily over the years, from $1500 or so, to the point where $500 seems to be as much as anyone seems to want to pay...when I can even find someone who hasn't already ordered a logo online. Other service businesses don't seem to be affected so much (my mechanic and my doctor aren't charging me a third of what they used to) but in the face of technological advancement, I have had to accept the fact that logo design isn't the commodity it used to be.

Having said all that, it still chaps my hide somewhat when I come face to face with just how devalued this craft has become. Yesterday, on CraigsList, I encountered the following post:

"I own a Hot dog cart and i need a logo.

For $75 i need...

1. I want a scalable vector based logo in .psd form. I Want it to be a versitile logo that can be on t-shirts as well as promo material. I would like to incorporate the outline of a dog, the barking variety. The rest is up to your creativity.

2. I would like a 8.5 x 11 promo brochure. I will e-mail you the basic format, it just needs some creative touches.

Send me an e-mail with a concept of the logo, and i will let you know if i would like your services."

Let's review: This person wants a logo created in two different formats, appropriate for a variety of applications, and also wants a promo brochure that just needs some "creative touches." (such as words and imagery?) Then, this person wants to see what you come up with before they will consider hiring you. For $75.

I responded by posting the following:

I'm hungry and i need a hot dog.

For 75 cents i need...

1. I want a hot dog that can scale to a foot long bun or a standard one. I Want it to be a versitile hot dog that tastes good with mustard as well as sauerkraut. I would like to incorporate an artistic squiggly line of mustard. The rest is up to your creativity.

2. I would like a side of fries and a strawberry shake. I will provide the styrofoam, it just needs some filling up.

Give me a sample of your hot dog, and i will let you know if i would like to buy one.

Well, several people at CraigsList flagged my post (perhaps the hot dog vendor multiple times) and it was taken down. Apparently, someone found it offensive.

Personally, I'm much more offended that someone expects a graphic designer to do a logo and a brochure for which they might get paid $75.