I was walking around the grocery store the other day, looking for a product that I don't usually purchase and I was amazed of all the options I had in front of me on the shelves. Labels and packaging silently saying "Pick ME, Buy ME" and I was not sure of which would be "the one". All of them seemed to be good, but I needed the best, the one speaking to me and to my needs. Finally I got the product that I liked most to Try It. I made my decision based on the package, I must confess, since I had no recommendations or references from anyone.

As I was driving home, I compared my experience to what my potential clients experiment when looking for a design studio to create their logo or marketing materials and to what THEIR potential customers will look for when choosing a product or service from a "universe of choices".

Silent sellers work on your behalf showing the customer what to expect. It can be a logo or your marketing materials, your packaging, your website or any other media that you have for attracting new customers. Silent sellers will start the sale process before the customer gets in touch with you.

Your products, services and reputation are important too, but First Impressions Count, like love at first sight. If the customer has no reference about your business, he/she could make a decision based on your visual identity (first). That's why it is important to combine all your marketing strategies with a professional design.

These are some of the factors that influenced my purchase:

A clean and professional design.
Breathing space, not too crowded and good distribution of the graphic elements and text.
Photo/Illustration.
Color and typography.
General look and feel.

Then I started to read the small type, but after I decided by first sight.

Of course, these factors are not the most important to consider when choosing a brand, but they help to create and emotional connection with potential customers "at first sight".

You work hard on your business to create quality products or services. Hire a good designer who understands your needs and your market. Your visual identity will speak by itself, as a silent seller and your customers will love your business at first sight.

Over the last years, I've found many discussions on graphic design forums and blogs about "Crowdsourcing" companies. These type of online businesses offer logo and graphic design services for a very low price. You need a logo, you post a "creative brief" or the description of your project and dozens of designers will compete to provide you with dozens of designs.

The economy is making small businesses and entrepreneurs to crowdsource their logos and projects in order to save money.

What could be the benefit of doing this? I can only think about two: - The lowest price you can get on the market. - Fast turnaround.

Disadvantages: - Designers working for the crowdsourcing company focus on quantity and not on quality. They won't have the deep knowledge of your business required to create a logo that represents your company accurately. Designers who don't "win" have to move on as fast as they can because they need to maybe win the next project. They will NOT get paid unless their design is selected as the "winner".

- Some designers have archived dozens of rejected logos that can be "recycled" for the next client. Do you really want to have the image of your business handled that way?

- Dozens of options. This could sound like a benefit, but when you hire a designer, he/she as the expert, will give you the best options after research, development and refinement and recommend you the best solutions. Having many options from many designers can be confusing and overwhelming.

- The crowd of designers will not have a real understanding of your company. It is very important to treat each project with attention to detail, to work really close with the client and to build trust. That doesn't come in a few hours or days. That is the difference of what you can get from a crowdsourcing service who delivers dozens of designs in hours or few days against the result you can get from working with a designer who will have a deep understanding of your project and business.

I could mention many more disadvantages, but at the end, you will make the decision. My advise is to work with a designer or design company who can give you the attention and professionalism your project deserves. The immediate benefit of saving money, could have a negative impact on your brand.

What do you think? Did you work with crowdsourcing companies on the past or would you considering on doing it?