Inkd
Encyclopedia
Inkd is a controversial new startup developed by Kelly Smith of Curious Office and the venture capital firm Second Avenue Partners in Seattle, Washington
. Inkd calls itself the "World's First Market for Original Print Design". The company is a user-generated marketplace
that provides the general public with a way to buy
and sell
print designs such as brochures, pamphlet
, business cards, letterhead
, postcards
, menus and other common print form factors used in global business. Inkd is based in the old Pioneer Square, Seattle area.
The site follows in the tradition of a user-generated content
marketplace, in that they provide graphic designers with free personal storefronts where they list their designs for sale in an attempt to earn commissions. Businesses are able to download the contributed brochure and business card templates in a variety of file types for use in popular design and publishing applications.
Inkd has been compared to emerging microstock photo sites such as istockphoto
as well as other graphics oriented sites like logoworks
which was acquired by Hewlett Packard in 2007.
Founded last year under the name Pressplane, Inkd launched with an estimated 800 original designs. The model is based on users who can preview and then download those designs and customize them once they have completed the purchase. Prices vary from $29 to $99 per design. Most print designs are primarily available in vector graphics
programs such as Adobe Systems
InDesign and Illustrator
but the site apparently will also accept submissions in other formats such as CorelDraw
and Microsoft Word
.
and Zillow, Rich Barton
and former MTV
& Viacom
President Mika Salmi
.
Kelly Smith developed the initial concept which closely mirrors another company he co-founded called Imagekind
with Adrian Hanauer
who is an owner in the professional soccer team called Seattle Sounders
. That company was the first online marketplace to buy and sell art prints. It was subsequently sold to CafePress in 2008. The basic functions of Inkd and indeed its graphical look and feel closely mirrored the first version of Imagekind when it was launched in July 2006. Interestingly, the company was often called "The CafePress of Wall Art" well before CafePress chose to buy the company for themselves.
While Inkd sells flyer templates, newsletter templates, brochure templates, letterheads, business cards and post cards, the blogsphere is already drawing parallels to CafePress again and even to the popular Threadless
tee-shirt market.
Crowdsourcing in general hadn't really been tried before in the world of business graphic design but some still consider the effort too close to "spec work". Speculative presentations were originally made by large advertising agencies in an effort to woo potential clients. The agency would design an ad (or campaign) and pitch it to a client that they wanted to work with. This was done in order to convince the client to sign a long-term contract that would result in work for years to come. While these agencies did not bill for the actual spec work, their contract billing would factor it in to the cost.
Today, companies like CrowdSpring
allow users to post certain projects from which they would select from published designs that were posted by the very designers who are willing to risk not getting paid if they were not selected. In the purest sense, Inkd doesn't accept requests for designs so the closer corollary and debate will still be more like a typical marketplace of items for sale such as Etsy
. Yet, posting doesn't mean you'll get paid. In the case of Inkd the contributing designer stands to earn 20% of each sale.
On the other hand, few small and medium businesses are likely to have time or budgets to justify every marketing project that requires graphical services. Search, purchase, and licensing processes have been simplified for buyers in that any user who purchases a design is free to adapt the work. Inkd has waived the usual finder’s fee if a buyer opts to work with a designer to further customize a submitted design.
In this sense, Inkd will continue to be a polarizing entrant in this new era of user-generated graphic design. Whether it is better for graphic designers and businesses alike is yet to be determined.
Other folder arrangements commonly found in business print are not available on Inkd to include the accordion or "Z-fold" method, the "C-fold" method, etc. Larger sheets, such as those with detailed maps or expansive photo spreads, are folded into four, five, or six panels. These also do not seem to be supported by the company.
Business card templates, letterhead, menus, postcards, flyers and datasheets are available for download. The site accepts design submissions that were authored in programs such as Adobe Systems
InDesign, and Illustrator
, CorelDraw
, Microsoft Word
, Photoshop and QuarkXPress
.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Inkd calls itself the "World's First Market for Original Print Design". The company is a user-generated marketplace
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
that provides the general public with a way to buy
Buy
Buy may refer to:*Trade, exchange of goods and services*BUY , Burlington, North Carolina*Buy.com, a shopping website*Buy , a 1979 album by James White and the Contortions...
and sell
Sell
Sell can refer to:*A verb relating to sales*Sell *One of several people named Edward Sell *Mary Elizabeth Sell, New York City Ballet dancer*Friedrich L...
print designs such as brochures, pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
, business cards, letterhead
Letterhead
A letterhead is the heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper . That heading usually consists of a name and an address, and a logo or corporate design, and sometimes a background pattern...
, postcards
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
, menus and other common print form factors used in global business. Inkd is based in the old Pioneer Square, Seattle area.
The site follows in the tradition of a user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
marketplace, in that they provide graphic designers with free personal storefronts where they list their designs for sale in an attempt to earn commissions. Businesses are able to download the contributed brochure and business card templates in a variety of file types for use in popular design and publishing applications.
Inkd has been compared to emerging microstock photo sites such as istockphoto
IStockphoto
iStockphoto is an online, royalty free, international microstock photography provider operating with the micropayment business model. Images cost between 1 and 150 credits, depending on size and image collection .- History :The company was founded by Bruce Livingstone in May, 2000...
as well as other graphics oriented sites like logoworks
Logoworks
Logoworks by HP is an online graphic design company that provides logo design, brochure design, web design, and advertising services primarily for small businesses...
which was acquired by Hewlett Packard in 2007.
Founded last year under the name Pressplane, Inkd launched with an estimated 800 original designs. The model is based on users who can preview and then download those designs and customize them once they have completed the purchase. Prices vary from $29 to $99 per design. Most print designs are primarily available in vector graphics
Vector graphics
Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics...
programs such as Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
InDesign and Illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
but the site apparently will also accept submissions in other formats such as CorelDraw
CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation of Ottawa, Canada. It is also the name of Corel's Graphics Suite...
and Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
.
History
Inkd was conceived and developed by Curious Office and Second Avenue Partners and is one of several companies in their portfolio. Inkd was capitalized with a $1.7 million Series A venture round on September 23, 2008 by Second Avenue and an unusual but broad cast of well known digital luminaries to include founder of ExpediaExpedia
Expedia is an Internet-based travel website based in the US with localised sites for 21 countries...
and Zillow, Rich Barton
Rich Barton
Richard Barton is a former Microsoft executive and founder of online travel company Expedia, Inc. and real-estate internet company Zillow.-References:...
and former MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
& Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
President Mika Salmi
Mika Salmi
Mika Salmi in Helsinki, Finland, is a pioneer in new media. He has held a variety of senior positions in leading companies in the field....
.
Kelly Smith developed the initial concept which closely mirrors another company he co-founded called Imagekind
Imagekind
Imagekind is a commercial website that prints and sells images created by participating artists on-demand. It also includes a social networking and marketing site for artists and their customers...
with Adrian Hanauer
Adrian Hanauer
Adrian Hanauer is an American businessman and minority owner and general manager of the Seattle Sounders FC.- Business history :Hanauer's family owns Pacific Coast Feather Co., a down pillow, feather bed, and high-end bedding products manufacturer that was originally founded in 1884 in Germany, but...
who is an owner in the professional soccer team called Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
. That company was the first online marketplace to buy and sell art prints. It was subsequently sold to CafePress in 2008. The basic functions of Inkd and indeed its graphical look and feel closely mirrored the first version of Imagekind when it was launched in July 2006. Interestingly, the company was often called "The CafePress of Wall Art" well before CafePress chose to buy the company for themselves.
While Inkd sells flyer templates, newsletter templates, brochure templates, letterheads, business cards and post cards, the blogsphere is already drawing parallels to CafePress again and even to the popular Threadless
Threadless
Threadless is an online community of artists and an e-commerce website based in Chicago, Illinois since 2000. Co-founders Jake Nickell and Jacob DeHart started the company with $1,000 in seed money after entering an Internet t-shirt design contest....
tee-shirt market.
Debate
As a major player in the microstock game, istockphoto made a lot of enemies in the pro photo market when it launched. For similar reasons, not everyone is happy with Inkd. Design purists, for example, see organizations like Inkd threatening the livelihoods of graphic designers. "This is the future of the print industry, people. It's not a happy place", wrote one blogger. Indeed, there has been much writing about the great microstock debate. Have Microstocks hurt stock photography? It depends who you ask. Jeff Howe of CrowdSourcing wrote an interesting dossier on the matter.Crowdsourcing in general hadn't really been tried before in the world of business graphic design but some still consider the effort too close to "spec work". Speculative presentations were originally made by large advertising agencies in an effort to woo potential clients. The agency would design an ad (or campaign) and pitch it to a client that they wanted to work with. This was done in order to convince the client to sign a long-term contract that would result in work for years to come. While these agencies did not bill for the actual spec work, their contract billing would factor it in to the cost.
Today, companies like CrowdSpring
Crowdspring
Crowdspring is one of the largest marketplaces in the world for crowdsourced creative services. Entrepreneurs, small businesses, startups, big Brands and agencies who need a custom logo design, website design, other graphic design, industrial design or copywriting post what they need, when they...
allow users to post certain projects from which they would select from published designs that were posted by the very designers who are willing to risk not getting paid if they were not selected. In the purest sense, Inkd doesn't accept requests for designs so the closer corollary and debate will still be more like a typical marketplace of items for sale such as Etsy
Etsy
Etsy is an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items as well as art and craft supplies. These items cover a wide range including art, photography, clothing, jewelry, edibles, bath & beauty products, quilts, knick-knacks and toys. Many individuals also sell craft supplies like beads,...
. Yet, posting doesn't mean you'll get paid. In the case of Inkd the contributing designer stands to earn 20% of each sale.
On the other hand, few small and medium businesses are likely to have time or budgets to justify every marketing project that requires graphical services. Search, purchase, and licensing processes have been simplified for buyers in that any user who purchases a design is free to adapt the work. Inkd has waived the usual finder’s fee if a buyer opts to work with a designer to further customize a submitted design.
In this sense, Inkd will continue to be a polarizing entrant in this new era of user-generated graphic design. Whether it is better for graphic designers and businesses alike is yet to be determined.
Products
The most prevalent type of products sold on Inkd are of single-sheet brochures, bi-fold (a single sheet printed on both sides and folded into halves) and the tri-fold (the same, but folded into thirds). A bi-fold brochure results in four panels (two panels on each side), while a tri-fold results in six panels (three panels on each side).Other folder arrangements commonly found in business print are not available on Inkd to include the accordion or "Z-fold" method, the "C-fold" method, etc. Larger sheets, such as those with detailed maps or expansive photo spreads, are folded into four, five, or six panels. These also do not seem to be supported by the company.
Business card templates, letterhead, menus, postcards, flyers and datasheets are available for download. The site accepts design submissions that were authored in programs such as Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
InDesign, and Illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, CorelDraw
CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation of Ottawa, Canada. It is also the name of Corel's Graphics Suite...
, Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
, Photoshop and QuarkXPress
QuarkXPress
QuarkXPress is a computer application for creating and editing complex page layouts in a WYSIWYG environment. It runs on Mac OS X and Windows. It was first released by Quark, Inc...
.