Surely the design brief to die for.

“I would like you to create a logo for my website. Please look at the existing design and content to get a feel for it. Please feel free to create a logo you feel is appropriate.”

So, complete, total, 100 per cent, creative freedom. Too good to be true? Indeed…

“I can only afford to pay you US$10 (ten) for this work. I don’t think it will take you much time anyway, and besides you have much competition.”

I’m not sure how my “client” figures I have “much competition” considering I don’t even advertise for, let alone undertake, any design work at the moment. But he is right, there is “much competition” for low cost design, logo and identity, creation services.

Some will say that the increasing ease of setting up an online business has fuelled the proliferation of the, shall we call them, “$2 design shops”. People can get hold of inexpensive graphics software, quickly learn the ropes, and set up an online “design business” in pretty short order.

The $2 shops, however, have been with us for some time, and there have always been designers willing to undercut rivals, no matter what, so as to win a job.

So with ever more $2 shops springing up, are designers doomed to a future of working for next to nothing just to stay in work?

How about even the best designers, those with quality “blue chip” portfolios, how will they be expected to compete with their bargain basement counterparts? After all if someone can price an identity job for $US10, wouldn’t a client rather pay that, than whatever a quality designer would quote?

Quality is the key word here. There will always be clients who are only interested in a quick solution. Something that does the job. Then there will be those who believe quality comes at a cost, and good design is worth paying top dollar for.

Indeed I very much doubt quality design is on the way out, nor is it in the slightest danger of being swept aside by the legions of $2 shop designers.

If anything there is, I believe, a growing appreciation for quality design thanks to the popularity of well known, design driven, products such as iPods, and iPhones. And people aren’t falling over themselves to own one, or both, simply because of their functionality.

These are devices that everyone wants to have, and to be seen with, because of their perceived “cool” design. Apple didn’t outsource the product design here to any $2 shop, rather they invested in a quality solution, and will see a handsome return on their investment for years to come.

Even the new MacBook Air is enjoying rave reviews on account of its sexy design. That it has limited functionality compared to other laptop computers is beside the point, people love the look, or design, of it.

Good money buys good design, and good design will always return the investment many times over.