"Zubovsky and Toda insist that Scoutzie is more like a traditional design agency like FJORD or Happy Cog than its most obvious competitor 99Designs, and hold that the curation of the community and emphasis on quality versus getting the cheapest possible option is what sets them apart from the aforementioned."
I don't understand how they can compare Scoutzie to an agency. Do they not realize that agencies deliver significantly more than just design? An agency delivers a package through a proven process. Scoutzie just gives you a relationship to a designer. They are not even remotely the same.
Indeed! In your dealings with an agency, you might only have one designer working on your project. But (unless the agency is pretty bad) they should be getting input on their work from other designers (especially more senior designers in the firm). And if you really dislike their work, the possibility should exist that the agency will draft a different designer in.
Connecting users to a single freelancer isn't like being an agency. It is valuable, for sure - but agencies offer value in a different way.
I don't understand how they can compare Scoutzie to an agency. Do they not realize that agencies deliver significantly more than just design? An agency delivers a package through a proven process. Scoutzie just gives you a relationship to a designer. They are not even remotely the same.