tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post3097806903176701761..comments2024-03-10T05:06:25.309-04:00Comments on Livia Blackburne: How I Got An Awesome Cover Design from 99 Designs, and Why I'll Think Twice Before Using it AgainLivia Blackburnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-91088056683235025132014-05-16T12:58:17.030-04:002014-05-16T12:58:17.030-04:00No need to apologize, Laughing Monk. I absolutely...No need to apologize, Laughing Monk. I absolutely think it's important to be educated about where your money goes in any case where people are involved. In some of the examples you mentioned, I have a pretty good idea of how much the employee makes (books, for example). In other cases, I don't know the exact amount, but I operate under the assumption that the company pays my hairdresser/lawn guy, etc. wages that are fair for the industry that they're in. If it comes to my attention that this is not the case, then I would switch to a different company that treats their employees better. <br />Livia Blackburnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-38269095344334681912014-05-16T12:36:13.240-04:002014-05-16T12:36:13.240-04:00I'm sorry, I don't understand why you got ...I'm sorry, I don't understand why you got so bent out of shape about not knowing what the percentages were. It's not sketchy for a company to keep this as undisclosed information. When you buy a book, do you find any disclosure of an author's cut in the book's front matter? Do you know what the musician is making from the $1.29 that you pay for a song on itunes? Do you know how much of money the landscaping company pays the guy who mows your lawn? Do you know how much money a hair salon will pay the hair stylist for the work she did on your hair?<br /><br />Yet you seem to be amazed that you don't know how much an artist is going to make for his or her work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-53185706273442985242013-12-17T22:52:15.738-05:002013-12-17T22:52:15.738-05:00That's really interesting about how much of a ...That's really interesting about how much of a cut Galleries take. I didn't know that! I think I would have been more open to 99 Design's cut if they had been more transparent about it. Just the fact that they make that information sooo hard to find didn't sit well with me.Livia Blackburnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-12085158445678902872013-12-17T18:16:01.272-05:002013-12-17T18:16:01.272-05:00I think your desire to work one-on-one with a desi...I think your desire to work one-on-one with a designer you trust is spot on. I good designer would not spend time designing on spec and without any guarantee of payment. I did freelance graphic design for many years. I would say that I would not have wasted my time on such a crapshoot, but I will also say that taking a third is not unreasonable. Galleries typically take 50% of the cost of an artist's work… or at least that was pretty standard the last time I looked. Jan Priddy, Oregonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06107172381368544145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-1081677987165245452013-12-14T00:57:02.637-05:002013-12-14T00:57:02.637-05:00These services are fairly new I think. Part of th...These services are fairly new I think. Part of the innovation brought on by the internet. :-)Livia Blackburnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-45707913190887557572013-12-14T00:56:26.895-05:002013-12-14T00:56:26.895-05:00Yeah, spec work is tricky. I'm not completely...Yeah, spec work is tricky. I'm not completely opposed to it (and have done some as a writer), but it's definitely a balancing act. Thank you for downloading the novella!Livia Blackburnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805379309049803903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-88165365145255222582013-12-13T13:22:31.267-05:002013-12-13T13:22:31.267-05:00This was an educational post- I had no one idea th...This was an educational post- I had no one idea these types of services existed. Out of all the designs, I definitely like the one you went w/the best. =)Leandra Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00381034024025750992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503889855562099029.post-4250752944587784522013-12-13T10:51:34.456-05:002013-12-13T10:51:34.456-05:00Hi Livia, This is an interesting post. As an illus...Hi Livia, This is an interesting post. As an illustrator and sometime designer, I have been tempted to participate in these types of contests, but there is some controversy about them. Because they are spec work, designers argue that they take advantage of new/emerging designers, undercut the market for established designers, and can shortchange both sides because they don't involve the give and take that comes with a client relationship (though the company you mention seems to have a feedback function). Here's an <a href="http://www.davidairey.com/spec-work-in-graphic-design/" rel="nofollow">article on why designers shouldn't do spec work</a> that goes into more detail. ps Just downloaded the novella. Looking forward to reading it.Sylvia Liuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13193486117318739814noreply@blogger.com