In admitting that the business of custom photography wasn't what it used to be, a dear photographer friend of mine once wisely remarked, "Had I known the 90's would be the peak of the profession, I may have tried to enjoy it more..."
Sadly, I'm feeling the same for the design profession. While there will always be the need for quality designers (strategic and otherwise!), there certainly are signs everywhere I look signaling the profession is in trouble.
iStock's recent announcement (discussion: here, here and here) that they will soon be providing logos for companies will certainly not have an immediate impact on strategic graphic designers or brand development firms. The businesses and individuals who currently will hire firms like Element Three to do strategic brand assessments and identity development clearly value the business and strategic approach needed to successfully deploy any corporate brand initiative. In short, they aren't in the market for a $200 (or less) logo.
Yet, in the back of my mind, I can't get the thought of "good enough" out of my head. There are countless individuals, small businesses – and sadly, some not-so-small businesses - that possess a do it yourself, cheap is better mentality to all aspects of business. And, frankly, that's not a good long-term success strategy.
The question I ask is at what point in the business cycle does good enough suddenly become not good enough?
Sadly, I'm feeling the same for the design profession. While there will always be the need for quality designers (strategic and otherwise!), there certainly are signs everywhere I look signaling the profession is in trouble.
iStock's recent announcement (discussion: here, here and here) that they will soon be providing logos for companies will certainly not have an immediate impact on strategic graphic designers or brand development firms. The businesses and individuals who currently will hire firms like Element Three to do strategic brand assessments and identity development clearly value the business and strategic approach needed to successfully deploy any corporate brand initiative. In short, they aren't in the market for a $200 (or less) logo.
Yet, in the back of my mind, I can't get the thought of "good enough" out of my head. There are countless individuals, small businesses – and sadly, some not-so-small businesses - that possess a do it yourself, cheap is better mentality to all aspects of business. And, frankly, that's not a good long-term success strategy.
The question I ask is at what point in the business cycle does good enough suddenly become not good enough?
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