say it ain't so... istock jumping on the cheap logo express

i received my email yesterday, as did most designers i know -- we all have accounts with istock of course.

"We're excited to announce a whole new product coming to the iStock collection in just a few months: logo designs...

As a designer, you've probably created hundreds of different logos over the course of your career and we're offering you an outlet to start selling new logos to the world’s largest community of creative buyers.

If you create one of the first 10,000 approved logo designs for iStockphoto by January 1, 2010, we’ll pay you $5 per approved logo and another $5 if we reach 10,000 approved logos by that date. So fire up Illustrator to create some amazing logos or dust off all those much-loved logos that never made it past the third round with a client."

so now there is another outlet, much like logoworks, where anyone can go and get a cheap logo. this is not only undercutting the price of a custom identity package from a designer (and the desire to get one if you can get your brand for $50), but it also opens up the door to trademark and copyright infringement.

thanks a lot istock.

i urge the non-designers out there reading this to continue to look for your brand from an actual designer, not from a logo factory or an easy logo vector download. it means everything to your company to have something that is truly integrated and speaks to what your company is really about -- not something that you can pick off a search on a website.

for more on this development, you can check out logo design love. if you want more information on the importance of branding and identity from a non-designer point of view, go to the thirdway advertising blog.

EDIT: it was brought to my attention by one of my readers that in my anger, i misrepresented the situation a bit above. according to istock's proposed pricing, the lowest price you would be able to purchase a logo at is around $100 ($96 actually). the designer would get 50% of that, which is where my $50 fee came from. not that i think $100 makes it any better, but i did not want to put up incorrect information.

the highest amount to be paid is currently proposed at 750 credits, which i think would work out to somewhere around $750-800. again, that is way too low...

i'm glad the discussion is continuing. =)

i'm back on the wagon -- new cards available at my etsy store

yes, yes, after many many promised months, i'm back and selling in my etsy store, dearnic. i have 2 pregnancy related items available, and one notecard set. i do plan on adding more soon, but this should give us a running start!



my notecard set is inspired by morocco, where i went on my honeymoon. i fell in love with the tiles, the fabrics, the colors, and the omnipresent foods and spices. i love doing islamic-inspired patterns in fun and vibrant colors. the set has 4 different prints in it.


for the pregnancy-related items, i wanted to do things with a bit of humor. both are illustrated by me. the pregnancy announcement was actually what we used to inform our friends and extended family of our news. it was such fun!! everyone got something more personal than a mass email, which was important to us, but we also couldn't tell everyone in person because we have such a large network of friends and family, many of which are scattered across the country. we both love beer (good beer, thank you!), and to me, it seemed like a great comparison of our old life and new life. fun and lighthearted. i thought others might like it for the same reason.


finally, the "hands-off" card displays one of many complaints that pregnant women have during the process. strangers just come up and touch your belly! it's crazy! most women i know are not ok with this, and i thought it was easily relatable and really funny. anyone could get this as a fun congratulatory card for a good friend who's expecting, or a pick-me-up for a pregnant woman who is a bit fed up with the whole thing. =) everyone can use a good laugh.

so there you have it folks. i hope you enjoy these pieces as much as i do. make sure to go to dearnic on etsy to check them out.

cool necklaces, fab redesign -- HANGER 3

hope everyone had a great holiday weekend/week. happy fall to you!!!

wanted to start off the day with a post about a great site redesign -- HANGER 3.com. dustin wood offers buyers vintage-inspired token necklaces. from the site: "Each necklace is hand made right here in the states. As public transportation goes to swipe cards, tokens have become obsolete. Re-live the days of riding on the bus, subway, or train by wearing an antiqued chain or leather necklace from HANGER 3."


honestly, i've been a fan of these pieces for a long time. and now i'm so excited to see dustin's bold new design. the texture and color is really interesting. you can almost feel the rough quality of the site, which i appreciate.


now, you can get 20% off your order in their launch special. so hurry up and go! these would make great bridal party gifts too, even for the men in your wedding -- unique and different. my personal favorites are the wine glass markers (shown above), which would make the perfect gift for anyone.