Typically the people who complain are somewhere below the top tier, but above entry level. The more established, high-end designers don’t worry about something like 99designs, because it focuses on things like logos and T-shirts. And many entry level designers love it because it gives them an easier way to get into the market and start making money.

It’s the people in the middle who haven’t yet made a name for themselves, but feel they are above designing logos and tshirts on spec who balk. And, speaking as someone who was in the same boat when journalism was ripped apart by the Web, I can relate. Here’s my advice: Embrace it. You can’t fight the Web’s power to compress service fees in the name of customer efficiency. The game has changed, but if you embrace the volatility first, you usually win. I jumped from old media in 2006, when it didn’t look possible to pay a mortgage off of blogging. And since then, I’ve made more money (and had way more fun) than I would have staying at a magazine.