Re:Startups: Quit Asking for Spec Work
by alasdair_young on Thursday May 31, 2012 @06:37PM
(#4050781)
This is pretty much what I've found to be the case also.
In general, if I'm bootstrapping a project I'll start with a $5 logo from Fiverr just to give me something to throw up on a simple MVP. If it looks like the MVP is viable, I'll then spend $300 on 99designs. If six months have gone by and things STILL look viable, then I'm happy to pay a few grand for a "real" design.
99designs is still excellent for what it is.
That really is the key point.
For a one or two person bootstrapped startup, a designer can be cost prohibitive, especially if there's not a lot of money in the bank.
For a sustainable multi-person company that's making money, they should really spend more money on a freelance designer vs going the crowdsourced route.
The companies that could afford to hire a designer but opt for something like 99designs are usually difficult/annoying customers, so in some respects, sites like 99designs are doing the higher end designers a favor.