kungdesign’s posterous

I recently came a cross an article at TechCrunch that really has me thinking about how Web 2.0 services and the current recession may help to destroy design innovation.

 http://uk.techcrunch.com/2009/08/10/buildabrand-offers-startups-high-quality-branding-for-the-price-of-a-domain .

 This article is about a web based service that provides brand identities, collateral, and swag with the use of a design wizard. You answer a few questions about your company and chose some images that summarize the tone, character, outlook, style, senses, and approach of your company.
Buildabrands "algorithm" then takes these parameters and produces a logo - presto.

 The fact that the CEO and design director Justin Champney ,of this upcoming service is the former head of brand innovation for McCann Worldwide.
Makes me really wonder how they go about creating brands at McCann. On the buildabrand blog they do attempt to address there critics, like myself, by stating that they are " trying to lower the barriers to entry for startups by providing them with accessible and affordable tools".

 But come on guys lets call a spade a spade this service has nothing to do with branding and is more like clipart roulette.

 The buildabrand blog states that their service is a starting point to inspire companies to build the foundation of a brand. That they don't want to replace traditional agencies.

 What I worry about is that this service, and the ones like it, will attract small to midsize businesses that would have traditionally looked for help from a design firm. I see services for logos, websites, business cards and so on popping up everyday, and admittedly some of these services are very compelling. see www.wix.com. We all know garbage in garbage out.

 I can see a new chasm in design services is being established. Large enterprises that have complex branding issues to solve will hire large firms to solve them and smaller and mid size firms will start using free/cheap services. I fear this may wipe out a lot of work for boutique design firms. I am already seeing some potential clients lured in by the promises made be these new services. This is also being fueled by the flames of the current recession. Really cheap or free is hard for perspective clients to resist no matter how much you try to educate them. Of course there will always those who get it - but now we are setting our fees compared to free.

 Another problem I see is that innovative design solutions brought on by having to be clever with small budgets, the realm of the boutique design firm may slowly fade away as HAL takes over. Never mind the art and solutions that include wordmarks, calligraphy, illustration and truly clever design solutions that get excluded in these approach's.

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