Mael, I'm really glad you brought that up. I had a feeling that this would provoke some kind of reaction, and honestly that's what makes this an interesting topic.

Sure, sites like this may lower the business or consumer perception of value of design work just as some design competitions do. That debate comes up from time to time in graphic design. But what I'm focusing on above is the concept of crowdsourcing rather than bidding for creative work, and more importantly I would also point out that this phenomenon may have greater meaning in the context of current consumer/prosumer society.

Like it or not, businesses who pay for creative work, and individuals who provide it are participating in this market economy. Those that participate in this market get what they pay for, and the designers get what they deserve when they opt in.

I don't judge anyone whether they be trained or untrained for participating in this system. But in the end, if anyone is dissatisfied with what comes from their experience in terms of quality, then they eventually realize that they will want or need to pay for quality in terms of experience and holistic service. Quality costs more in terms of the design process and commitment to fully engaging the customer in that process, as well as in terms of the experience that consultant brings to the project. Designers who participate, have no right to complain in terms of the ratio of effort to reward. They obviously have reasons for participating. I have no right to judge. I also don't buy into the idea that any one thing can be blamed for allowing quality designers from finding the work they want to do.

But don't miss the point that what's happening here is that a system is being created to challenge the establishment. Just as YouTube and the proliferation of creative tools and equipment bring consumers into the creative space, so too do the systems that allow non-pros to participate in the creative market. You can't stop that any more than you can stop the production of user generated creativity. It exists, so it's better to acknowledge its existence as part of the zeitgeist than to bury our heads in the sand. This is the next step in the movement of consumers to prosumers. Some individuals will rise from this space from non-pro to pro, and that becomes interesting to me from a cultural perspective. They won't all be good, but some will become good by being able to participate.

It's like the difference in choosing something that's custom made to fit you versus something off the rack. You get what you pay for. There will always be a market for both. I would guess that at the end of the day, the majority of good designers aren't really threatened by this.

Thanks for the added commentary, Mael. I hear your concern and find what you say entirely valid. Crowdsourcing still remains an interesting phenomenon to me.