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Good to see an alternative perspective from Terre - an opportunity to bring up further benefits of using DesignBay over the alternatives and other crowdsourcing sites.

Regarding Terre's comment on copyright - using DesignBay means that designer's works are made public and they can be called out if they're infringing copyright. If you use elance.com or a designer down the street their work is not public until you put the sign up out the front of your store or put the labels on your product - and by this stage it's too late.

I also have a few points regarding sustainability and the money that designers can make from DesignBay:
- DesignBay helps designers utilise and make money from their spare time in the most efficient way possible. Utilising capacity is a key success factor according to IBISWorld's industry reports on the graphic design industry. DesignBay is not a full time job it is a new form of very efficient freelancing
- DesignBay (unlike our competitors) offers participation payments so that designers are guaranteed earnings even if they're not selected. This helps distribute the wealth and, if you reserve a payment, worst case scenario is you make US$15 for an hour or so of work
- Istockphoto and threadless use similar business models and are sustainable. DesignBay has been running for over 1 year and our growth, happy customers and loyal designers suggest we are definitely sustainable.

Thanks,

Alec Lynch
DesignBay

Hmmm... If you have a coffee shop and your logo has your name on it plus a cup of coffee, just how many people would successfully challenge on originality? Same for so many industries.

Besides, the majority of the designers from what I can see are actually independents in OECD countries so the income point is irrelevant because they are using it for lifestyle flexibility or supplementary income.

The plagarism point you make is interesting but not new. It is an existing industry wide issue regardless of which 'channel' (like http://www.designbay.com or traditional designers) you use. Read the small print on an ecommerce site!

I really like the fact traditional designers can use http://www.designbay.com as a supplementary source for creativity, no one has a monopoly on creativity. There end clients probably don't even know they are using it but everyone wins. Neat.

Thanks again Mr Renton!

Cheers, Peter.

Let me also say that I don't think this is a replacement for a professional graphic designer. I see it more for those people who would like to hire a graphic designer but can't afford one.

I guess time will tell if this model is sustainable or not.

Thanks, Peter

Because the people who submit to websites of this kind are not paid anywhere near living wages, the temptation to rip off artwork they find on the internet is strong. If a business pays for a brochure or logo that's been stolen from a legitimate designer or illustration, it is the business that will face charges copyright infringement.

Read the fine print on websites like DesignBay: they don't guarantee anything. They exist to skim a little off whatever you pay the poor sucker who "wins" the contest. The winner doesn't make enough to legally own the design software, and all the others don't make anything.

This model is obviously not sustainable. Businesses who buy into this scheme, be aware.