"I Can Get a Logo (or Website) so Much Cheaper..."

What about those bargain-basement providers out there who offer logo design beginning, sometimes, at less than $100 - or offer websites beginning under $500? Most of us have stumbled across them when searching the Internet for web development or logo design.

Of course, the question becomes, "What can we bring to the table that they don't?" 

1. Our specialty is fully-custom solutions. Many of the bargain-basement design companies, unless they are outsourcing— and sometimes even then— are offering standard sets of "boilerplate" options, which, unless your needs are minimal, are quite likely to be inadequate. In all likelihood, this will cost you more in the long run, both in terms of outright website redevelopment fees and lost business.
2. A mature design process— both within graphic design and web application design or workflow— takes time. This is likely to be a core part of your identity or your presence on the web for the foreseeable future, and you'll be the loser if it's done hastily. As suggested above, low-cost designers are either churning out templates or outsourcing to workers who are not fairly paid; to the contrary, we pay market rate for the level of work we deliver, and spend the time necessary to listen to your needs. Although we strive to accomodate your schedule, we do not promise "fully professional logo in 3 business days!" or anything similar. 
3. The vast majority of our work is not proprietary, which is usually good for you. We are members of multiple open-source communities, which means that there are vast numbers of developers who contribute to improve the software and serve you when necessary. Although it may seem counterintuitive, our business model is built on the belief that if we do not tie you to our proprietary systems, forcing you to stay with us forever, you will usually be more successful and so will we.
   
   To the contrary, watch out for the tactic— common among bargain-basement website developers— of charging a low up-front fee, but subsequently "locking you in", creating situation whereby to move your site to another provider, you must lose much of what you paid for. This type of service is certainly useful for some small businesses with low start-up budgets, but it is not the market in which we compete.
4. Finally, with us you incur less risk. When when working with a contractor who outsources, you increase the possibility that your proprietary information could be pirated outside the United States, where U.S. copyright and trademark law are more difficult to enforce. Alternatively, buying a "boilerplate" solution introduces the risk that you may lose what you paid for if the company goes out of business or you decide to move your website.