Fiverr.com is a US website that allows sellers to post services they offer for a fixed price of $5. Sellers post "gigs" on Fiverr that visitors can search for, order, and pay for using PayPal.
There's a wide variety of "gigs" on Fiverr including sellers offering illustrations, flyers, Facebook pages, optimised landing pages, comedy voicemails and even financial consulting.
Sellers have ratings and reviews to help you understand the quality of the work offered, you can also browse previous examples of work for further reassurance.
Surely though the motto "you get what you pay for" comes to mind and this is exactly what I thought. If you're going to pay $5 (£3.46 at today's exchange rate) you're not exactly going to get a seller who is overly enthusiastic to design you a fantastic logo. Or are you?
Case study: Fiverr
This article is a case study showing the process I went through to get a logo designed for £3.46.
The internet now has a host of services allowing you to outsource anything from SEO to content marketing. Many companies will charge a pretty penny for their services but with Fiverr you can do a lot with just a few quid.
I will design two eye catching logos within 24 hours for $5
This is the "gig" I saw, after a quick review of the seller's work and ratings I ordered and paid for the service via PayPal. It was afterall only £3.46 so it wasn't exactly a hard sell.
After being redirected to a secure PayPal payment page I was prompted to go back to Fiverr and saw a message that my seller needs information regarding my recent order. I click the link and this is what I see:
Delivery in about eight hours it says. Not bad, not bad at all. I reply back with the necessary information and get an instant reply confirming the date of delivery.
My new logo
I wake up the next day and check my email, there's a message from Fiverr saying the seller has delivered my work. I'm intrigued to see what I've bought for the measly sum of £3.46. I click the link on the email and it brings up the seller's reply to the conversation above.
There are, as promised, two logos attached including a bonus copy of the second addition in different colours. I'm impressed, the first one looks great and there's a nice message from the seller saying if I want a free revision I can just reply to the message.
I open up the logos for further inspection and think it would be nice to have a white version of the first logo. I also notice there is a .png version missing.
I reply back to the seller and ask for the revision and missing file. Within 12 hours the seller replies to my revision request with the goods.
An amazing service and free revision for £3.46
So there you have it, for less than the price of a jar of coffee I was provided with two versions of logos of which one I had revised for free. I'm left with a high quality, good looking, professional logo in two different colours. I have the source file (.psd) and two different image files (.jpeg and .png).
If you want to learn more about the particular seller I used you can view their work here.
I wonder what I would've paid a design agency in London for this?
Reader comments (38)
10:00AM on 15th March 2013
Rarely has the word 'professional' ever been so misused.
10:54AM on 15th March 2013
I have added this to my bookmark . I have been meaning to start working on a logo for my site. But i came to know some of the users in Fiverr are cheaters they don't do after taking amount? Is it?
10:56AM on 15th March 2013
To be fair, and for the record I'm not a logo designer, I think you got what you paid for.
11:50AM on 15th March 2013
And this is a good thing to encourage? Sounds like child labour to me.
Marketing Executive at RateSetter
12:14PM on 15th March 2013
Mark - surely as professional as you can get for £3.46?
Anderson - I thought exactly the same and I was wary but worst case scenario you lose out on a few quid. Indeed this is one of the reasons I wanted to blog about it because people will be very scepitcal. I've used quite a few sellers and have always received delivery of promised goods back. This one is the best I've used so far.
Andy - well then it's a good system for both. I'm very pleased with a low cost logo design in two colours and various formats. The seller has made a decent return on his work. Everyone's a winner...?
Ian - this made me chuckle. I can only hope it isn't child labour. Given the cohesive response from the seller I doubt this is the case. I do thing it is a good thing to encourage though, particularly for start-up firms that don't have the budget to spend hundreds/thousands on creative agencies. To be clear I have nothing against creative agencies, the aim of this blog post is to highlight Fiverr as being able to deliver the goods. You can't argue that the service provided for £3.46 is exceptional value for money.
12:54PM on 15th March 2013
Fiverr's low price point means you can crowdsource your logo, if you like. I did this with a selected group of Fiverr logo designers -- in some cases, it turns out the term "designer" applies loosely. I found that a few used someone else's work as their gig sample and they were disqualified.
Still didn't end up with a logo I was thrilled with but it gave me insight into the Fiverr assembly line process. The idea from the seller's POV is to spend as little time on the project as possible, since they only net $3.92.
Managing Partner at Sponge New Business
1:15PM on 15th March 2013
I'd like to see a fiverr-sourced logo in a blind test against a few from design agencies on Econsultancy....
Marketing Executive at RateSetter
1:30PM on 15th March 2013
Thanks for the insight Charleen.
Great idea Stephen!
1:53PM on 15th March 2013
Ah, the old 'look how cheaply I can buy design for' story. No doubt you'll be punting it to the Express & Mail. As a marketing executive you really should know better.
I didn't realise the purpose of sourcing something as important as a logo was to get it as cheaply as possible. But then you get what you pay for. And what you have bought is a shiny collection of letters (a bog standard design treatment), badly kerned and supplied as a psd file you can't scale up for wider use. So, call it a logo if you will, but you know full well that's not really what you've bought. And with a shelf-life as long lasting as shiny logos are in vogue for.
From the designer's side, you have to ask yourself why someone's prepared to knock out logos for such pitiful money.
For the record, I am in the industry, know the value of good design, am all for giving clients value for money, but this guy is doing nothing other than giving design a bad name and you the opportunity to poke fun at the profession that is graphic design.
BTW that noise you can hear is Paul Rand et al turning in their graves.
Social Media Manager at VisitScotland
2:05PM on 15th March 2013
I like the idea! I recently experimented with a *free* logo tool which delivered a couple of decent looking logos at NO cost (http://supalogo.com/). OK, the options again are fairly limited and this isn't 'professional level' stuff but a good start for someone to play around with and test the waters (especially if you're a SME adn so on you wouldn't want to fork out ££££)
I've noticed another few examples of a sites offering easy access to professional services. Not talking about elance etc. but Clarity - anyone heard of it? https://clarity.fm/home - they're positioning themselves as "marketplace for business advice." and essentially profesionnals (vetted) can register for free and offer pay-per-minute phone chat (like adult chat, only professional hehehehe).
I'm not affiliated with either of the above so not here to promote them - but I have noticed recently what seems an emerging trend for sites / services offering expert advice / services that doesn't cost an arm and leg.
And I agree with Simon these sites / services are useful (especially for SMEs). Plus I think we'll see more of this sort of thing in the future - interesting times!
2:29PM on 15th March 2013
Simon, just wondering why my response, which was on here briefly, has now disappeared?
Head of Social at Econsultancy
2:44PM on 15th March 2013
Sorry about that Hugh - caught in the spam filter and now published. Please see: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/62347-service-announcement-how-comments-on-the-econsultancy-blog-work for more details.
2:54PM on 15th March 2013
No problem, thanks Matt.
Marketing Executive at RateSetter
3:24PM on 15th March 2013
As a disclaimer I have to admit that I have never used Fiverr at my place of work, nor do the views in this article (or for that matter any of my articles on Econsultancy) represent the views of my place of work.
Hugh - I'll admit, my last comment was a little contentious. Please understand I have great respect for your industry, indeed a good number of my friends are graphic designers and they produce some fantastic work. The point of this article is not to denounce your profession, it is merely to highlight that Fiverr can give you a respectable piece of work at a very low cost. And I as a consumer would regard that illustration as a well designed logo, this is my view which I am entitled as you are yours. But please don't misinterpret the article, I'm not a megalomaniac with desires to destroy an industry. :-)
Simone - thanks for your comments, this is what the post is really aimed at, showcasing to those on a budget that you can get what I feel is a good quality logo for an unbelievably low price. It's of course not just logos and interesting to see these sites you've come across which I will have a look at in more depth.
4:49PM on 15th March 2013
Hi, Hugh McQueen, I am the graphic designer that Simon Ordered from fiverr. I would like to clarify with your comment you posted, Simon specially ordered for a simple design If you want to see more complex designs check out my gig to see other previous work from clients. Also as it says in my gig description I do provide Vector Graphic files for scaling, but you need to ask for them. I hope this helps, my designs are complex, but it was what the buyer wanted.
Thanks
6:20PM on 15th March 2013
"The seller has made a decent return on his work"
I don't think most people would see this as a "decent return". Just saying...
8:26PM on 15th March 2013
Hi, Severin. the buyer Simon asked for a simple design, I have done more complex designs for other people.
Thanks
3:46AM on 16th March 2013
Fiverr is a great website and you can find many different type's on gigs there and also create your won. I have been with them for a little over a year now, being a top rated seller. It has it's good and bad, you just have to know how to weed through it all. Great post and graphic
1:29PM on 16th March 2013
Well, I think when you use words 'professional logo' you looks incompetent, so better to be dry with such statements.
Current logo is a very amateur-looking, have several serious issues and based on free, overused font.
I am sure, you will able to do such work by 25 mins at your own.
9:25AM on 18th March 2013
I think it is unfair to be offensive or highly critical about the quality of this logo. Let's not forget the designer was paid only £3.46 for his work - even by using minimum wage rates this equates to less than 1/2 an hour's work - what do really expect to be produced in that time?!
On the other side, as a graphic designer myself, I cannot help feeling that this article rather confirms the sad fact that design is often undervalued and the work involved is grossly underestimated. While sites like Fiverr exist and designers are prepared to sell themselves for so little, this misconception will only continue.
10:27AM on 18th March 2013
Free font + photoshop style ≠ professional design
10:42AM on 18th March 2013
I'm sure some small businesses will try this service to see if they can get lucky, and as you say they are not losing much.
My experience of working with start-ups is that they generally want to spend their time getting their logo right. It's the first visual representation of their business and it's an exciting time for them.
Whilst they don't have loads of cash and don't want to spend a fortune on a logo design, most are prepared to spend more than $5 to get a few initial design concepts and dedicated design time.
The logo design test above is fine in isolation, with nothing to compare it to. A far better test would be to give multiple companies with different price points the same brief and see who comes out best for value and quality.
12:44PM on 18th March 2013
I’ve not seen any mention of the brief, the objective, the market, the competitions that you want to differentiate yourself from. I think that the only way to fairly judge this or any other piece of creative work is to evaluate it against the brief. Was there a brief?
Simon, do you know who own the copyright to your logo?
Marketing Executive at RateSetter
1:19PM on 18th March 2013
Matthew - good of you to chip in, I'm sure you've done more complex work and you do have a price list for additional services. This was simply an experiment to see if Fiverr was a reliable website for outsourcing.
Severin - all relative I guess. If the seller can knock these on the head in 30 minutes then the hourly pay is for example above the UK minimum wage.
Victor/David - as mentioned before I think it's as professional as you can get given the fee paid. As a customer I was happy with the end product.
Lucy - thank you for your comments. I agree a logo is a big thing for start-ups, I've known people to spend more time worrying about the name and logo than the underlying business model! For me it depends on the brand and how important it will be to the business. For example, if it's a local hairdresser or salon the logo isn't really going to make much of a difference to sales so it's not worth spending a great deal of money on. But you will still want something good-looking and for £3.46 that's what I feel I got. Agree with the test, fancy setting it up? :-)
Neale - there was a brief but it was very simple. Like I mentioned above this was an experiment, i.e. the logo won't actually represent a company. The basic brief answered the questions the seller asked in the first image in the blog post. I'm not an expert with copyright but perhaps the seller (Matthew) can tell us more? What is your thinking on the matter?
1:28PM on 18th March 2013
Hi Simon, thanks for reply.
I’m afraid that your answer to the ownership of the IP or copyright demonstrates why to not to use a service like this. Unless it is stated elsewhere you may not own your own logo without some assignation of rights from the designer. It appears that you have only rented your logo.
This may seem trivial in your test but in real life you are going to invest in that logo to build it into a brand and then find out that someone you have never met may still own it.
In that case you may need to spend more than $5 to get it.
Editor at Group Leisure
1:40PM on 18th March 2013
Highly interesting. Ok, so it is a basic logo but what do you expect. I am going to head over there now as would like a pro logo for my blog but haven't got around to it as yet. Thanks.
Marketing Executive at RateSetter
1:45PM on 18th March 2013
Rob - good to hear it, and an excellent use of Fiverr. Also, if you ever want original illustrations for a post you can get them from there.
1:59PM on 18th March 2013
Hi Simon, thanks for reply. I’m afraid that your answer to the ownership of the IP or copyright demonstrates why to not to use a service like this. Unless it is stated elsewhere you may not own your own logo without some assignation of rights from the designer.
It appears that you have only rented your logo. This may seem trivial in your test but in real life you are going to invest in that logo to build it into a brand and then find out that someone you have never met may still own it.
In that case you may need to spend more than $5 to get it.
2:12PM on 18th March 2013
Was it meant to look like the URL for an Italian website? Or is that something you got for free on top of the five bucks?
Marketing Executive at RateSetter
2:22PM on 18th March 2013
Neale - I'm sure there'll be something in Fiverr's T&Cs. I'll try and dig it out and explore further.
Ken - yes that's right, it's supposed to be a logo of the domain name tracksu.it (which I own and currently redirects to my blog).
5:24PM on 19th March 2013
Hi Neale Gilhooley, I just wanted to tell you that simon owns that logo now, When I sent the file to him it becomes officially his.
Thanks,
Online Marketing Manager at Koozai Ltd
4:00PM on 28th March 2013
Interesting post Simon and I love the debate that has emerged on the comments. I can certainly see the benefits of old school agency approaches but also that this is a great opportunity for a startup or independent to get a cheap logo.
My main concern would be that a Fiverr supplier may have a templated design that they use every time, which could make the logo not very unique.
I'd also be concerned that the logo may infringe on a copyright if they copied another logo. For example I've seen images from Fiverr that had Seth Godin's head on them (for an image about real estate no less) so this approach certainly needs a lot of due dilligence.
Marketing exec at Berghaus
1:45PM on 4th April 2013
Just think about why you are using it before jumping in.
I've used fiverr for design and copy work with mixed results. It really depends what you want to achieve. I use it for side projects to test the water of an idea - it's good for getting things out quickly and then adapt as you go. I wouldn't use it in my full time role as I wouldn't want to damage the brand to save a bit of money.
If you're expecting to use fiverr to launch the next global brand then you're mistaken. If you want to keep yourself grounded with what fiverr can deliver then take a look at their 'Fun and Bizarre' section.
Another interesting site that earns the ire of the design community is 99 designs. Designers pitch for your work and you choose the best based on a cost you assigned to the original pitch.
7:09AM on 10th April 2013
I've used fiverr.com for a few logos. Once I bought 3 gigs from 3 different sellers, gave them the same brief and then picked the best one. I ended up with a logo I really liked, effectively for $15, with the additional context of the other logos for comparison.
Another time I purchased a single logo and didn't like it - but used it as inspiration to create my own.
When branding is super important I won't use fiverr, but used creatively for lower priority projects it can be both useful and enjoyable.
9:11AM on 12th April 2013
Simon: I am guessing you got paid more than £7 to write the article above.
It's sad that professionals aren't willing to pay other professionals a fair market rate for their work. If you value the quality of your logo, it's only right and respectful that you pay the designer for their time, talent and training. (That is likely to be more than the minimum wage, incidentally.)
Sites like Fiverr simply exploit people who are desperate for work, forcing them into churning out as much as possible in as short a time as possible just to make ends meet. Fiverr presumably makes a commission, so the actual amount they get is even less than the price you paid.
How many logos would you have to make in an hour to come close to your current wage?
I'm a content writer, and I see an identical trend in my industry. People pay $1 for 500 words and then wonder why they get junk in return. Pay for quality or pay for a rush job - your choice - but please don't make out that these sites are a positive evolution for the creative industries. They simply can't be.
Editor at Econsultancy
12:26PM on 12th April 2013
@Claire Simon's a guest blogger, we didn't pay him anything.
Managing Director at Red robot media
11:08AM on 16th May 2013
@Graham
Fair point re: guest blogging, it's a special case. My point is still valid. I am guessing Simon expects to be paid a living wage.
Marketing Executive at RateSetter
11:26AM on 16th May 2013
Hi Claire, apologies for the slow response, amazed to see this article is still causing a stir!
Graham is absolutely right, my blogging on behalf of Econsultancy was a personal choice. I opted in, just like those that are selling their services on Fiverr. They're not forced to work on that platform at all, it is out of choice. Indeed the seller I use continues to do well from Fiverr and was delighted he received some good press!
I have an entrepreneurial mind. I see value and ROI as the most important thing in whatever you do. For me, Fiverr got me a logo which was good quality and one I could've used for a website as it's corporate logo. It cost me £3.46. I was happy with the price, the fast service, and the product.
It is not my intention to do hard working creatives (like yourself) out of good money. I'm simply offering another tool that has worked for me and hopefully start-ups in particular can make use of. This is the way the world is going, and personally I think it's a good thing. Greater price transparency, more globalization, wealth being spread more evenly etc. What about the guys working in less developed countries and struggling for decent jobs? They're now running their own businesses and Fiverr is their biggest source of revenue.
Two sides to the argument as always, and I do see both. Hopefully you will too.
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