A lot has changed since the early days of web design, when tools were scarce and skills were in high demand. Design tools, platforms and patterns have become ubiquitous (and often free). Does this spell the end for digital design agencies?
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Will "Good Enough" kill the digital design agency?
1. Will “Good Enough”
kill the digital design agency?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010
http://bitstrategist.com
1
2. Outline
• Abundance, scarcity and commoditization
• The “good enough” revolution
• The spectrum of graphic design
• Cathedrals, bazaars and the digital design
agency
• Summary & Closing thoughts
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
3. Two caveats
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
21. Scarcity drives commodification
Commodification: The process by
which something acquires economic
value (and can thus be sold).
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
22. Abundance drives commoditization
Commoditization: The process by
which goods that used to be
distinguishable in terms of attributes
wind up becoming mere commodities.
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
23. What’s the tipping point?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
24. Characteristics of a commodity
• Product differentiation difficult
• Competition based primarily on price
• Increased competition
• Reduced customer loyalty
• Increased pressure on margins
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
26. The “good enough” revolution
See Wired: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/magazine/17-09/ff_goodenough
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
28. Digital video
• Lower quality
• Great quality
• Less features
• Feature rich
• Easy! Fun! Cheap!
• Hard to use & Expensive
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
29. Telephony
• Lower quality
• “Reliable” service
• Calls drop
• Better call quality
• Cheap (or Free)
• Hard to use & Expensive
• Location-independent
• Geography-dependent
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
30. Music
• Lower fidelity
• Higher fidelity
• Infinitely reproducible
• Harder to reproduce
• Cheap and portable
• Not as portable
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
31. Software
• Just enough features
• Feature rich
• Downloadable
• Complex
• Free (or $500)
• $4000
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
32. The spectrum of graphic design
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
33. Traditional
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
34. Graphic Arts
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
79. What separates the cathedral & bazaar?
• Design “quality”
• Cost of services
• Uniqueness of design & experience
• Systemic thinking and underlying strategy
(e.g., scalability, extensibility)
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
80. Summary
• Abundance creates more problems than
scarcity
• Digital design is evolving quickly due to an
abundance of platforms, tools and knowledge
• Quality differences are subjective
• Business decisions can trump artistic value
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
81. So is the digital design
agency doomed?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
84. DIY Ramen w/cookbook:
• 4 grocery stores
• 2 days :: 12 hrs cooking :: 2 hrs cleaning
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
85. Closing thoughts
• Digital design for marketing is a commodity
• For every commodity created, a new
opportunity is born
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
88. References
• Clay Shirky: “Here comes everybody” (2008)
• Eric Raymond: “The Cathedral & the Bazaar” (1992)
• Wired.com: “The good enough revolution” (2009)
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com