1
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 http://bitstrategist.com
Will “Good Enough” kill the digital design agency?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
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
Two caveats
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Designing for business
Art
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Abundance, scarcity and commoditization
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
“Abundance breaks more things than scarcity does.”
– Clay Shirky
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Gutenberg Bible (Printed ca. 1445)
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
A Catholic Indulgence (ca. 1445)
Martin Luther’s “95 Theses”
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Johannes Trithemius (Bishop of Sponheim) “In Praise of Scribes” (1494)
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Scarcity drives commodification
Commodification: The process by which something acquires economic value (and can thus be sold).
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
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
What’s the tipping point?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
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
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
The “good enough” revolution
See Wired: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/magazine/17-09/ff_goodenough
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Digital video
• Lower quality • Less features • Easy! Fun! Cheap!
• Great quality • Feature rich • Hard to use & Expensive
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Telephony
• Lower quality • Calls drop • Cheap (or Free) • Location-independent
• “Reliable” service • Better call quality • Hard to use & Expensive • Geography-dependent
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Music
• Lower fidelity • Infinitely reproducible • Cheap and portable
• Higher fidelity • Harder to reproduce • Not as portable
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Software
• Just enough features • Downloadable • Free (or $500)
• Feature rich • Complex • $4000
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
The spectrum of graphic design
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Traditional
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Graphic Arts
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Politics and Propaganda
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Advertising
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Identity
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Digital
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
The first web page (ca 1991)
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Maturity and open standards make design easier
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
No wheel reinvention
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Patterns mean different problems
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Efficiency accelerates results
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Processes are clearer
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Platforms lower barriers to entry
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Underlying technologies
Linux
Web server
Server software
Database software
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Multimedia distribution platforms
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Publishing platforms
Wordpress
Drupal
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
The pool of talent has exploded
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Cathedrals, Bazaars and the digital design agency
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Trust us…
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/a-perfect-dichotomy/
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
So what’s possible with free tools?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Summary & Closing thoughts
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
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
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
So is the digital design agency doomed?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
DIY Ramen w/cookbook: • 4 grocery stores • 2 days :: 12 hrs cooking :: 2 hrs cleaning
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
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
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
Thank you! Questions?
Ryan McCormack :: May 2010 :: http://bitstrategist.com
References
• Clay Shirky: “Here comes everybody” (2008)
• Eric Raymond: “The Cathedral & the Bazaar” (1992)
• Wired.com: “The good enough revolution” (2009)