Jul 24, 2008
IncSpring: One mans trash is another mans…trash.
Look at that tagline. Once you read it, you know that this site is going to be terrible.
IncSpring is a site that lets you sell unused concepts, contest entries or “new ideas” to interested parties. It is basically a garbage heap, recycling center of ideas that clients didn’t want, or the designer couldn’t pull off. It is a grab bag of unwanted, thoughtless brands.
Oh, and its ruining graphic design.
Though there may be good design on this site, is it right for the clients? Is buying something someone else didn’t want really the best route for your growing business? This site, to me, is attempting to apply the idea of eBay, where you sell old things you don’t want anymore, to the graphic design world. It does not translate, not at all.
Sites like this reduce the value of our industry as a whole. The ability to buy a logo for $29.95 (though the people on IncSpring are charging considerably more), slap it onto a piece of paper and call it a brand, and be told that you’ve purchased quality, is nothing more than laziness and is misleading. It takes advantage of those who don’t know any better, who don’t understand what can and SHOULD go into a fully developed design package, and giving them something that “looks good” even when the designer knows better.
When we did our initial interviews, we asked everyone this question:
What do you do with your non-applied ideas? Ideas that didn’t work for a project, ideas that were good but the client rejected or ideas that you have but have no time to get done. Do you write them down? Re-apply them to other projects? Try and forget about them?
Now, it may be obvious, but guess how many said “package them again and sell them on a costco style website”
0.
The responses always talked about either leaving them to rest, because if they couldn’t sell it, it must not have been that good, or re-exploring an idea for a new client, but making sure that it works for the project. Design is not just about ideas, logos or “brands”. Its about taking an idea and making it work for the project at hand, and the client’s goals are realized through it.
Graphic design is not a means to an end, its an end with meaning
What happens with sites like these (and there are others, sadly) is that more knowledgeable designers begin to lose credibility with clients. When you can buy a logo for $30 or even $1000 and get what you “want”, it’s hard to explain to people that you have to spend more -time and money- to get what you “need.” When you are selling “solutions” that solve nothing, you are not selling design, you’re selling meaningless images.
IncSpring as far as I’m concerned is like a highschool kid with photoshop. Masquerading as a designer, but really just mimicking the adults who know what they’re doing. Monkey see, monkey do, monkey not understand what it just did.
I didn’t want to publicly denounce any specific users/sellers on this website, I thought that might be a bit much, but to demonstrate my point, here are some of the descriptions on a few logos for sale:
Description:
any-business suitable
fits good to design studio / food and gastronomy
This could be used for a number of different companies.
This logo would ideally suit the creative industry but technically should be perfect for a business that has a forward thinking mission statement.
…was originally designed for a church. it could also be used for travel, sporting goods or camping equipment…
It goes on and on.
Now I realize this may be some people’s main source of income, using ideas and giving them to people who need them. I’m not criticizing specific people here. I’m criticizing the practice, in general, of designing without intent, without a goal, without a result that solves a problem.
[...] Visit Source. [...]
I must admit I didn’t read all the posts, but it is cetainly an interesting debate, and something I’d like to revisit once the site gets out of beta.
My own personal opinion is that, I favour this more than ‘competitions’ and spec work. It doesn’t replace bespoke design & branding, and I’m not sure if I would feel comfortable submitting any work to this site.
My main concern however, and something I don’t think the site admins will be able to deal with in a truly effective way – is theft.
What if someone uploads a ‘brand’ that is basically stolen from another designer? unless that designer is well known or someone happens to twig it, there is no way the admins will be able to spot that, then if a company purchases this brand, who is in breach of copyright once they use it?
Lilly…
I just wanted to tell you that your site is really awesome and is of a fantastic quality. The content is great and I will be returning….
It always amazes me how pretentious designers can be. I guess I’m garbage because I don’t have a design degree and I’m not as elite as you, right?
No no no no no no no. It has nothing to do with degrees “frustrated”
It has to do with graphic design business as a profession/practice/calling. This site claims to be “branding” while in reality is selling identities and mistruths.
Its not a matter of having a degree, its a matter of knowing what goes into a quality developed “brand” and the lack of honesty in the way IncSpring is marketing itself.
[...] from FillSlashStroke showed his brawny opinions on imitation trademark designs in his article One Man’s Trash is Another Mans… Trash cod to the fact that imitation trademark designs modify up on sites much as IncSpring. [...]
Look at it like art (which logo design is NOT, in my opinion). Suppose an artist is commissioned to paint a portrait of some dusty old queen, but in the end the finicky old broad decides she doesn’t want the finished canvas. It makes her look old. So what’s a starving artist to do? Burn it? Sell it at a car boot sale? Keep it around for reference? He sells it, of course!
Poor analogy aside…I fully agree with your sentiments that incSping is based on a faulty business plan that is “ruining” (sort of) the industry of coroporate identity design and the like.
I wonder if incSpring bought one of their featured orphan designs and applied it to their own logo? The original is atrocious!
[...] from FillSlashStroke showed his strong opinions on fake logo designs in his article One Man’s Trash is Another Mans… Trash due to the fact that fake logo designs end up on sites such as IncSpring. “IncSpring is a [...]
you cannot “buy a brand.”
a brand is the public’s/consumers’ view of your product/company/etc.
a logomark or identity mark is not a brand. a name is not a brand.
sure, you can definitely try to shape and mold your brand with your identity, advertising, product offering, etc . . . that is the entire point of design and marketing, right? but in the end, a logo and domain will not create a brand. period.
that being said, maybe i will see if i can sell some of my “outtakes” on this site. haha. bypasses that whole “networking” thing to get new work, which i suck at.
[...] from FillSlashStroke showed his strong opinions on fake logo designs in his article One Man’s Trash is Another Mans… Trash due to the fact that fake logo designs end up on sites such as IncSpring. “IncSpring is a [...]
[...] you’re a long time reader you know of my disdain for the self-misrepresenting Incspring which claims to be a “branding” website, but is in fact nothing more than a logo site [...]