There are many websites out there that boast the ability to have designs done for you on the cheap, or more quickly, or what have you, and most of them I tend to ignore. That being said, there is one that has come to my attention recently which irks me more than any I’ve seen before it. 99designs.com is a giant pile of ripoff, wrapped up in web 2.0 jargon. I’m being quite forward and mean, yes, but the “how it works” statement is enough to make me very angry.

To quote the opening line:

Getting something designed at 99designs is easy. We help you run a “design contest”, where thousands of designers compete to create the best possible design to meet your needs. All you need is a clear idea of what you want designed and how much you’re prepared to pay for it.

First off, just the initial idea of a “design contest” is very off putting. Let’s be honest, you’re not running a contest, you’re trolling for a cheap designer. Also, contests are generally a situation in which you throw in your name (sometimes some sort of entry fee) and you win a prize. I can’t recall how many contests I’ve entered in my life, but I can say I never entered a contest where I win the right to be exploited.

Another point “designers compete to create the best possible design to meet your needs” is completely and utterly false. Blindly submitting a design, amidst “thousands” of other people, to a project you know very little about (reading a small brief is no substitute for actual client-designer interaction) is not meeting a client’s needs. Face it, most of the designers probably glanced over the brief, if that, and a good majority of the clients don’t even really fill it out to any useful extent. It’s a small step above picking a template. The design is going to reflect the designers habits and likes, and it may not suit the client at all.

Secondly, and probably my biggest problem, is this line:

Step 2: Set Your Budget

We will ask you how much you’re willing to pay the winning designer to purchase their design. This is called the prize. Prize amounts generally range from $50 to $500 depending on the type of design you require.

Right off the bat, they are instructing users to not only underpay the designer who “wins” but also, undercut any potential freelancers who would be competing against this site for business.

Essentially, this whole website is a pitch for spec work. It dumbs down, and devalues what a good, honest, and knowledgeable designer can do for a client. It’s also flooding the market with less-than-inspired designs, because most self-respecting designers are not going to commit their work to this website.

I urge you to go ahead and poke around on the site, think long and hard about what they are doing, poke around in their terms and conditions, and make an educated decision for yourself.

Also, while deciding what to write in this article, I came across another designer aggravated by this “service” graphicPUSH says this a lot more eloquently than I probably could, and I suggest you read his article as well.

Anyone who knows me even remotely knows that I have this constant urge to mess with things, change them, and keep them (friggidy?)fresh.  My website even more so.  Ever since the launch of seanoconnor.info v2.0 I had been looking at it and wanting to change certain aspects, things I cut corners on to save time, and things that I just thought didn’t work at all.  So, I took my free time this weekend and revamped the site a little bit.  I’m much happier with this layout than the previous, and I hope you are too.  ENJOY!