Australian INfront

"Veblen good. Demand for Veblen goods increases as their prices increase because people perceive them to be of higher quality. A designer handbag would be an example of a Veblen good."

there is also a corresponding group of goods where the look dictates price, shit looking = cheaper, nicer looking = more expensive - regardless of the price label, i was working at a repro house many moons ago and worked on some no name brands, 'no, looks to expensive, try and dumb it down more'

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any chippy that looks cool, and has good food is not for mr joe blow worker's lunch, so the geographic & demographic is just as important, of course if the chippy was in toorak, nice logo, nice furniture, top food and lots of cool little packs of sauces price would not matter as much, in fact price would, in part, dictate to the consumer quality, an average worker in overalls would net even go in if it looked too expensive

it's a very complicated discussion as there are many facets to whether consumers judge on look, price, or both, and where the shop is and who the target market is

many businesses have failed where they have forgotten just what it is they sell and try and make it some kind of 'experience'

the best marketing tool is reputation

interesting topic though, and all very important to how we should work and what we should take into consideration

It's not just price that worries a small business looking at design, its the gamble on outcome. A rebrand is an investment, but you might not like it.
The chip shop might also see a new deep fryer as an investment and they know what they'll get and how much more efficient or delicious it'll make things.
But hire a designer and you could end up with some proud know-it-all who decides what's right for your business, does it in their style, and you might totally hate everything they come up with & bang heads the whole way.
That loss of control & potentially money is scary for a small business.

@Looney

any chippy that looks cool, and has good food is not for mr joe blow worker's lunch, so the geographic & demographic is just as important, of course if the chippy was in toorak, nice logo, nice furniture, top food and lots of cool little packs of sauces price would not matter as much, in fact price would, in part, dictate to the consumer quality, an average worker in overalls would net even go in if it looked too expensive

I have to agree, this is pretty much the point I was trying to make. It always comes down to the target market and when design can value add.

My eyes burn reading my child's kindy newsletters in comic sans, we all read it anyway. One of the teachers probably does it on their lunch break and good on them.

@fishmoster
I have to agree with this also, I'd say that this relates to most services. After recently moving I shat myself trying to find another REAL aircooled VW mechanic. What about tradies or tattooist's etc, its about research.

As looney pointed out "the best marketing tool is reputation" and the same goes with us.

what were we talking about anyway, How affordable are hot chips in Australia?

i can remember when crisps (chips here) came out

off topic, but it's friday night, i'm worked out and getting drunk

CHiPs came out? I suppose we shouldn't have been surprised.

stop it

CHiPs came out? I suppose we shouldn't have been surprised.

He he.

Put simply, without professional design a company likely won't attract as much business.

1. Dragging up an old thread

2. Posting a statement that indicates part of the problem.

It's not as simple as "without professional design a company likely won't attract as much business". There are many, many small businesses doing very well indeed without the need for professional graphic design. Which has already been discussed in this thread, if you'd bothered to read rather than just adding a spam post for SEO purposes.

i am getting seriously pissed off with spammers here, epidemic lately

'gor logo design' and links that don't work, brilliant stuff

i know times are tough and the boss is yelling 'get our name out there', but no one here will even gaze your way

@peteshand I find it interesting that you have said they avoid small businesses. I have had great experiences working with small businesses.

I believe that all businesses deserve good design, even if they have a limited budget. The trick is to really listen to their needs and understand where they are coming from. If they have called/emailed you/your company they did so (most likely) because they like your work.

I recently read a good piece about bargain logo sites here:

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/january/what-kind-of-logo-does-25-buy-you

P.S

It makes sense that spammers would target a thread – and forum in general – like this. Rich relevant content, updating constantly, very search engine friendly. Doesn't make it less annoying though.