You may be aware of a website called fiver where various people offer their skills and services for a measly $5.00!
For the business owner it may seem like a great way to save some money and if you manage to find the right deal you are saving a great deal of money. As a designer Fiver is a website that could potentially destroy the livelihood of any Western creative but if used correctly could be a good way to gather new leads.
In this post I will discuss the benefits and problems with Fiver from both a business owners point of view and the creative’s livelihood and then will conclude with what to think about when choosing to hire a fiver creative or a freelance creative/designer.
Why Fiver is great for business owners
From logos to websites to posters or video promotions Fiver offers services for all your marketing needs and not at a price that will break your business budget but at such low cut prices it is almost criminal! $5.00 for a new corporate logo that would usually cost a hundred times more if dealing with a professional designer is something that most business people will be rubbing their hands together in glee with.
Or maybe you need a small video intro or a ‘customer testimonial’ or do you ( but please don’t! ) even try and boost your social media accounts by adding thousands of fake followers and likes? The list of things you can buy for such a small amount of money is limitless ( but also not always worth it )!
Not always amateurs
The people you find on fiver may not always be amateurs with no artistic training or experience, a lot of the guys you will be hiring may have many years experience and knowledge that can do the job you require and do it quite well.
If you are happy with the work that the person created for you and they seem a genuine good guy/girl then it could be the start of a beautiful business relationship. Should you need further services you may return to the person you found on Fiver as you know they will do the job you want and do it well plus they know your brand so it will be easier to communicate ideas with them.
If you do go back to them, please…consider doing business outside of fiver, designers need to make a living too you know! 🙂
The problem with Fiver for business owners
If you can get around the feeling of guilt that you are effectively hiring a designer as slave labour paying them 99% less than what their skills are worth.
If you don’t value others, they won’ value you
When you hire someone for little money you don’t always get the best service. Naturally, all people need and want to feel valued and if you are valuing someone’s talent and ability that they have spent a lot of time learning and honing at $5 then they won’t necessarily be interested in putting a lot of thought and effort into the piece.
Different countries, different economies
For our eastern counterparts in India where $5 has more value than in the west it may not be a problem, they will probably do all they can for you but as a westerner you can’t possibly make the kind of money to have a suitable standard of living through doing deals on fiver, it just isn’t viable.
You may be helping western designers boost their portfolio but it won’t boost their bank balance to make a living and that is what we really want.
Are you a business with ethics to try and help others make a living or are you all about the top line?
Limited service, the logo design example
Designing a logo , a good logo, takes time. When I design a logo I recommend around 2 weeks of research, designs, concepts & constant iterations with slight adjustments to one design so the final concept speaks about your business in a symbolic nature. A logo can be designed very quickly but its not likely to be the best version of itself.
Once the logo design is complete the designer has to save the logo in various formats so they can be used for different platforms and uses. Jpgs, transparent pngs, eps, photoshop, illustrator files etc.
Finally some designers will also create you a style guide on how to use the logo so that it is consistent throughout your business marketing material.
As you can imagine that service isn’t complete in an hour unless you are billy whizz!
If you hire someone on fiver they are probably going to use a logo template and not put as much thinking into the conceptual design as a professional designer would be wanting to.
Risking your time and money on fiver.com
If you don’t get the work you expected from hiring a fiver service then you have wasted your time and money when if you had gone to a professional in the first place you would have got a bespoke luxury and personal service that you will, in the end be extremely content with and you will also be able to sleep easy at night knowing you gave a fellow human being worth.
As a business owner you can choose to go for the cheap option but it will reflect on your business badly, investing your money and time into an experienced, qualified and professional designer will give you the best results.
What do you think is more important? Making an initial design saving or investing in a professional design that adds value, recognition and quality to your company? Please comment in the box below.