Super Bowl XLIII Logo

[powersurge]

honestly how long did it take them to draw that? 5 minutes?

I hate it when people say things like this. I will put my first-born child and the entire proceeds from my next freelance job on the line and guarantee that it took substantially longer than five minutes to draw it, even going so far to say that it probably took a lot closer to five weeks for the whole process to be finished, even though the Super Bowl logo is one of the highest priorities within the NFL's creative department each year. Statements like this simply prove how little respect the general public has for the creative professionals and the design industry as a whole. It's as if nobody notices when something excellent hits the shelves, but when something isn't flawless, everyone and their bro wants to be first in line to tell the designer he or she sucks at the job they spent years studying, practicing and perfecting. Joe from down the street thinks it's laughable that someone got paid $85,000 to draw a horse head and a skyline for Boise State University, and Jim Coworker wants a logo, letterhead, business cards and a flash website for his new! internet consulting! business in exchange for $150 and a free polo. He'll get what he wants, too, because in 2008, anybody can be a designer. How hard can it be? It's getting kind of ridiculous when a once-proud profession is being mocked by Photoshop hacks who are encouraged to do so by trendy publications that promote themselves by shouting, 'Hey! If you know how to use a computer, read this mag an we'll teach you how to be a real graphic designer! No more paying someone $60/hour! No more butting heads with a professional! You can do it yourself!' It makes me sad.

Even if it was sarcastic?

Anyway, I don't think you need to get all defensive about designers. I have the utmost respect for them and the profession, but I think people(like us on this board, for example) do notice when some dazzling piece of design shows up. But noticing the bad things more than the good things is human nature. It happens everywhere, not just in design.

Also, about the regular people becoming designers, thats America in 2008. It's not just design. Everywhere you look, it's power to the people. Take video for example, a profession I want to be in. Left and right, some company is challenging the people to enter a contest to make their next commercials. the vast majority of people who enter are wannabes with no skill, but some good does come out of it. I think that happens in design too. Specialized firms are being outsourced in favor of the general public, not just in design. You could even argue that the rise of Indie filmmaking and even music are a part of this movement(not that those are bad). I understand that you are a designer who went to school for it and spent years learning it so you have that point of view, but it's not just you man.

Sarcastic or not, it's simply an insulting comment. Sure, the people on this board notice when something dazzling shows up in the world of sports branding, but think about how small this core group of interested individuals is compared to the general population, or even compared to the number of professional graphic designers in North America. There are about 16,450 North American residents for every member of this board, and there are about 65 professional graphic designers for every member of this board. We celebrate a great sports logo, of course, but few others do. 90+% of graphic design professionals aren't even in tune with the sports branding niche of their own industry.

The rise of independent filmmaking and independent music are two of the best things ever to happen in the world of art, but I wouldn't argue that they are even remotely similar to the phenomenon that is happening in the graphic and web design industries for this reason: you need capital, and to get capital, you need approval from someone, unless you are filthy rich and can blow the cash to make even an ultra-low budget film or album, then you need more capital to promote it. Film and music are not self sufficient. You need actors, you need producers, you need a lot more to be successful in filmmaking or music than you do to be successful graphic design, which makes it so attractive to the 'I could have drawn the Super Bowl logo in five minutes!' crowd.

A small percentage of film or music projects are released completely independently of some sort of distributor or label, but with graphic design, you don't need the same kind of capital to get started and you don't have to convince an 'independent distributor' to lend it to you by describing your plan for them. You just get the software and you go do your thing. Would you give your taxes to a high-school dropout who happens to have Quickbooks on his computer? Probably not, but your bro needs a logo and tri-fold menu for his carry-out restaurant, and you've got 'Adobe' on your Dell at home. Here, have some clip art, Times Roman, a few gradients and a splash of Comic Sans or Copperplate Gothic. Done. There's no argument; it dilutes the talent level of the industry when you can get any old hack to do your work for 10% of what it would be worth if done by a professional. Of course you generally get what you get what you pay for, but in the long run, it's taking money away from the industry.

While I totally agree with almost all that you have said in your current and previous posts, I'm finding it very difficult to hold back a kneejerk reaction to say "Hey man, its just a dumb comment, just let it go"

There are many more insulting and downright ignorant comments on this board. You can't go off on all of them. To be quite honest, this one wasn't particularly THAT bad. It was said in jest. You need a little bit of thick skin and sense of humor if you are going to post on this board. I would imagine that judging by the number of posts on your counter that you kind of already know this.

Sounds like you've been dealing with a bunch of idiots lately.

Don't let it get to you man. Keep your chin up camper