<< LS is a great way to use your creative juices when you really don't want to do anything else. >>
I used to think the same. It seemed like it was a victimless thing, until the day I got a call from a potential client who said "I've decided, after receiving a dozen quotes that are plainly attempts to rip me off, that I'm going to hold a contest instead."
And I was flabbergasted. Here was a startup company that was not only saying "12 strangers are trying to hose me," but also saying "I'd rather go with free than pay for it." And the truly sad part is that he had plenty of people who jumped for it. He's got a logo for an aluminum siding company that is....wait for it...a tree with his name on it scripted in Copperplate.
I think a lot of people who are "creatives" instinctively undervalue their own product because they just want it to be seen publicly. And it's worse in design because you can get a degree in design, spend four years chasing a certificate, and when you get out, you're competing with pimply otaku with a BitTorrent version of PhotoShop.
As a disclaimer: I'm self-taught. But I also never took food out of someone else's mouth while I was learning.
One of the reasons I'm writing my series on BoDO is to help up and coming folks get some solid stuff in their portfolios. LogoSauce is what it is -- but isn't it 100 percent more productive to work from beginning to end on a project in your own neighborhood, where word of mouth will lead you to paying gigs?
Anyway...mini-rant over -- and I promise I'm not just here to toot my own interests -- but always remember this: when you work, you should always get something back!
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