Comments on: Sweatpants forever?

By: Who are you looking at? « Enlightened tradition

Who are you looking at? « Enlightened tradition — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:15:34 +0000

[...] rather than clients is extremely visible to outsiders. We should not fool ourselves that it is not. Eric Karjaluoto recently gave a splendid example of how obvious this failure to understand differentiation can be. A few weeks ago we met with a [...]

By: Network Geek

Network Geek — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:31:48 +0000

Well, the old rule of "You get what you pay for" is no less true now than it ever has been. I never understand why it's so hard for people to understand that crafting the right image and marketing strategy for your business is an investment into future earnings. A solid marketing plan is no less important or valuable than a nice office, professional staff, or great products and services. It's not rocket science, after all!

By: What is a Good Website Worth? : StevenClark.com.au

What is a Good Website Worth? : StevenClark.com.au — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:41:18 +0000

[...] Karjaluoto’s essay Sweatpants forever discusses exactly that scenario – big legal firm wants to show they are outside the box but [...]

By: Glenn Hilton

Glenn Hilton — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:39:11 +0000

Great post Eric. We encounter this challenge on a regular basis and often have firms come back to us a year later to re-engage with us after they took the cheaper route. Next time a potential client starts balking, I think I'm just going to send them the link to this post to knock some sense into them, or to get them to hire you instead ;)

By: stephen

stephen — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:34:05 +0000

Well said, something all of us in this field can attest to. For many reasons "web design" is and probably always be undervalued and misunderstood. Similarly, a lot of companies have a tendency to think that that the process of defining/establishing/identifying a brand is fulfilled simply by "paying someone to build us a new website". Can't tell you how many times we've gotten the "we really want to work with you guys, but..." or "can't you just make us the same thing you did for X" shpeal.

By: Weekly Web Roundup: The Browser Edition #6 | Hi, I'm Grace Smith

Weekly Web Roundup: The Browser Edition #6 | Hi, I'm Grace Smith — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:02:34 +0000

[...] Sweatpants forever? Excellent article from Eric Karajaluoto on why companies don’t put any value on the stories behind their brand, preferring to instead concentrate on price. [...]

By: Jason VanLue

Jason VanLue — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:31:43 +0000

Great post Eric - I've experienced a number of similar situations. I appreciate the details you put into the post and your perspective - right on.

-JVL

By: laura

laura — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:26:48 +0000

I think your point of clients' "willingness to differentiate" is a huge stumbling block for many clients. When faced with this challenge, many are risk averse when it comes to breaking established visual conventions....everyone wants to stand out, but not too much.

I suspect that there are many designers out ther who have encountered numerous clients who, while desiring to strategically position themselves in the marketplace, are woefully lacking sufficient conviction to establish their own 'story'â€” either internally among employees or externally via the visual brand.

And until we as designers are able to insight sweeping changes in how our clients understand and value the function of design in business, we will continue to encounter clients who want to be 'different'... but not too different.

By: Robert L. Peters » Sweatpants forever?

Robert L. Peters » Sweatpants forever? — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:46:35 +0000

[...] Read the rest of Eric Karjaluotoâ€™s well written piece on ideasonideas here. [...]

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:01:34 +0000

Great post Eric, I run into this same problem often. "You get what you pay for" is ringing in my head.