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.

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….

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?

I may have been off about your involvement with IncSpring, I thought someone had said that the site owners had been working closely together, I guess it was just a handful of users. The person here, who was so adamant in espousing the benefits of IncSpring on this site and other forums, was the first to sell a logo on the site. This is what I was referring to as to the “objectivity” of some of the comments here. They have stake in it because they want to sell on it. I was mistaken about your direct involvement though, apparently.

I don’t think IncSpring is any challenge to logopond, I think its taking what logopond does, and is trying to exploit it for monetary purposes.

I admit some of my word choices may have been a bit expressive, but not to the scale of inaccuracy that you are comparing it to in your example, and certainly not to any sort of inflammatory level, I don’t believe.

And, as mentioned already I think, the people I am referencing are in the sidebar as “interviewees/contributors”

Ummm so… that has no relevance what-so-ever, tons of my users participate on digg.com also doesn’t mean i have a stack in that site ( I wish :) …

I’m trying to figure out how you gather that logopond is in any way associated with inspring or has any involvement outside its users participating which logopond has no control over, you are making a really big and really wrong leap there. If anything Logopond is the 800 lb gorilla in the room that incspring is trying to become, no? What can a new born do for a gorilla or vise versa :)

I’m not ‘taking up for the site’ I’m saying that even in opinion there needs to be objectivity, if i called you a retard instead of saying you are intellectually challenged, they both mean the same but one is clearly more inflammatory (outside of being politically correct that’s not what im getting at, there are more intelligent ways of calling a skunk a skunk), but makes for more ‘reads’. I understand that, but int he long run this type of ‘opinion writing’ will wear on your guess.

“If someone tells you something Tiger Woods does to golf better, you don’t call him arrogant. You listen.” who are ‘these people’ I know who Tiger woods is yet you have a bit of cloak and dagger /deep throat going on with the ‘people’ you have spoken too.

Honesty and polite negative critique I do realize it’s your blog, so good look.

You say you find it hard to believe, yet its true. The whole argument here, is the language of “branding” and the idea of design being an uninvolved window shopping experience is the problem here. Each logo (and thats all they are, is logos, they are not brands) is being presented as something its not. It’s reducing the value of actual design and its process.

I am not taking credit for your skills away from you, or any member of the site. If anything, your participation in the site is taking away credit from yourself.

Darrel_

I don’t even think it sounds good on paper, in fact, I think it’ll probably make money at some point, and produce some copycats.

David_

You question my objectivity? I am an outsider, not connected with the site in any way, you on the other hand are part of logopond, a site that I think isn’t doing any harm (and I actually enjoy), but is, at this point, connected pretty tightly with IncSpring, considering a lot of cross-site logos/user migrations. I have nothing to gain by criticizing (or praising) the site. You mistake objectivity with the idea that I should be nice, instead of honest. I am also fairly positive this article is labeled opinion.

I have already said what I needed to in relation to the target of my ‘attacks’, and I realize it was probably taken personally. I have not taken anything here personally. Wes was being extremely feux-genuine in his post, I just felt it was important to point that out, and realize I understand he would act that way.

Most of the “accusations” I make in my post are in fact, very accurate. Since we’re not bothering with details, I will just point out, that the people defending the site, and pretty much the ONLY people defending the site, are connected with it. Objectivity? Nothing to gain from defending the site? Hardly.

I make no claims of knowing what’s best for design. This was based on hearing and interacting with some of the most important, respected designers in the industry, its based on my study of graphic design history, and on my education. This is not arrogance. I am not saying I know what’s best, I am saying I know what has been shown to be the best by those who are the best. If someone tells you something Tiger Woods does to golf better, you don’t call him arrogant. You listen.

Lachlan_

I do not think IncSpring or 99designs will actually be capable of ruining graphic design, no more than I think Paris Hilton will ruin TV. They are just unfortunate parts of a greater community.

That being said, I think it’s important to point out when things are lowering standards.

And as I think I’ve made clear, I’m pretty good and over myself. It was a long breakup, but I can finally move on.