Terrible Economy

I lived in Hoboken for 15 years before moving up to Jersey City Heights. Some of my friends who live up here thought I’d love it and I did when I first moved here almost 5 years ago. But Central Avenue has changed in the last few years and not for the better.

Due to the terrible economy, some of the stores have closed and some that were vacant 5 years ago, still are. Today a store can only survive if it sells products we truly need, like food and liquor. We can live without new sneakers, but we have to eat and have that glass of wine.

I have noticed that down in Hoboken stores close also, but a new store is more likely to open there, than here. It’s obvious to anyone who walks around here or there, the type of people who live and shop in these two areas are quite different.

A new store cannot open if the type of people who would shop there don’t exist up here, and if they don’t open better shops, the living spaces won’t improve driving up the cost, making the type of people who live up here better.

I realize it’s all a cycle and everything is connected. Just look at how Downtown Jersey City has reinvented itself, the same way Hoboken did years ago. New condominiums, shops, malls, parks, walkways, etc…

But “The Heights” is stuck in a downward spiral and no one is doing anything to help it. Hello, Mayor Healy? Each year in May, right on Central Avenue we have “The Everything Jersey City Festival.” This past festival drew approximately 23,000 people and it was a spectacular day, but one festival, on one day, cannot bring a section of the city up to where it could be.

everything-JC-fest-blog

I’ve got visitors coming to visit from the midwest this summer and I’m wondering what they’re going to think about this area and if they’re going to wonder why I moved here. Yes the space I have is huge compared to Hoboken spaces, but when they see the locals, I can only imagine their horror. Well, all I can do is show them a great time in close by New York City, and the waterfront areas of Hoboken and Jersey City.

What can “United States Graphic Designers” do, to get back the jobs that are going outside the country?

A few days ago I posted a discussion on one of the groups on LinkedIn and the comments are flying back at me. I’ve heard from designers around the country and some abroad have responded as well, all telling their thoughts on this matter.

The original discussion was about an article I read and blogged about which said there were over a quarter of a million graphic designers in the United States alone.

There are two main topics right now, in this discussion:

1- Are there people out there who are just calling themselves graphic designers and when did the profession get so watered down?

I’ve heard comments such as, “I saw an ad posted looking for a locksmith (2 yrs exp. required) and a graphic designer (1 yr exp. required).” or there have been comments saying that a secretary was working as the company’s graphic designer as well as typing and filing.

When did being a graphic designer lose it’s respect and how can we gain that respect back? Of course, there will always be clients who value good design, if they didn’t, we’d all be out of business. Still, it’s hard to compete with online job sites that post opportunities and we’re competing around the world for these jobs. If someone bids $8-12 an hr, how can I compete with that? If you notice on these websites, a client can be looking around the globe and select that they want a “low price over quality.” (Why would someone choose low quality in the first place? This shouldn’t be an option.)

How about on these sites doing something for the designers? How about posting an area so clients know how many years you’ve been in business, or if you’ve won awards? How can a client tell the difference between someone who’s just graduated, is doing it as their side job or someone who’s been working for 25+ years and it’s their business?

2- Outsourcing from the United States.

There were so many comments about this and understandably. Someone posted that to keep costs down in book publishing, they’re hiring the work to be done in India or the Philippines and paying as low as $2-5 a page. And that’s got to be one of the reasons our economy is down. I don’t know how we’re going to compete on this playing field, because it sure isn’t a fair one. The cost of living in the U.S. commands our hourly wage being higher than $12 an hr. Aside from the costs being ridiculously low, there’s also the time involved. What used to allow for months to be created, now is done in a flash. People post assignments all the time saying for example: “I need an e-commerce website to sell my 150 products and it must launch in 48 hrs.” These people are obviously nuts.

I remember years ago when I was an art director/designer in book publishing, even then we had no time to design the covers for the current season. We’d be given a list of maybe 100-150 titles and roughly 6-7 weeks to produce covers for them all. Not only were there mysteries and novels to be read before we could even assign them to designers or illustrators, but we had cookbooks, gardening and sports books all needing photo shoots. It took a lot of over-time you can be sure.

Today, we also have the crazy situation of templates or themes. Everywhere we look we have web design, blog, brochure, and postcard themes. Anyone can jump onto a browser, call up one of these sites and just start “designing.” UGH! is all I can say about that!

Doesn’t anyone care about having something original anymore? Doesn’t anyone care about branding? Is it only the fortune 500 companies that understand this?

In this terrible economy, I may be outbid from designers outside the country, or people who’re bidding low and think they’re designers, but I’m sticking to my business plan and will make sure my clients know they’re getting my experience and a quality product!