Race to the Bottom – Synopsis

As a 34 year old, I am currently entering the prime earning years of my life. I am also expecting my second child. The specter of these hallmarks has caused me to examine the current state of my self-employed career as well as the future of my profession as a graphic designer. One topic that continues to present itself is “crowdsourcing.” Some think this is a fancy word for speculative work. Some think it is a valuable resource to business. Some think it is wildly unethical and an eminent threat to the profession.

Race to the bottom examines the existence of crowdsourcing, what it is and looks at the factors that contributed to its existence, what it means to the communications professions now and what indicators about the future of the profession can be drawn based on this new business model. Speakers from not only the design industry but also advertising, investing, education, students, etc. will all discuss crowdsourcing in an effort to understand the full arc of the topic and how it truly fits into the framework of the business that is the communications industry.