graphicpush

Everything is negotiable. Except color. And dignity.

99designs, a new site of considerably questionable motives and ethics, further cheapens the value of original design and is one of the worst yet. Under the transparent guise of “contests,” the site forces designers into spec work for despicable money, undermining all of the value a proper client-designer relationship builds and furthering the idea of design as a disposable business commodity.

There’s been some good times had (and more coming!) as my company evaluates web content management (WCM) vendors, and the experience has left me with one glaring observation — in complex software, the most important feature, and the one most often missing, is good design.

Meeting clients face to face in the beginning of the project, even before a contract is signed, and can instill a personal angle that often leads to better collaboration in the planning phase and a competitive edge when the company ultimately chooses their vendor.

This new book by Lance Loveday and Sandra Niehaus provides a great primer on taking website design to the next level by identifying and tracking ROI opportunities. While some of the information is obvious, there is plenty for designers, small business owners, and others.