DanB

re: .recent logo contest

Well, I need a logo for a web site that I'm currently developing.

I've already shopped it out to a couple designers but did not receive anything that felt right. I would like to be able to take advantage of this large group of designers so many different aspects could be explored.

We want a small logo (maybe 150 pixels wide) so it's not the dominant thing on the page, but something that will be useful for site branding as well.

What are the "acceptable" guidelines for these types of things? I'm not sure if I'd call it a contest, maybe a bounty.

What if no submissions fit our needs, are we still supposed to pick a winner and payout?

What would be an acceptable monetary level?

Do we need to supply an "end date" even if we don't really need to meet any specific deadline right now (still getting the pages designed and I have some more backend processes to finish writing).

We're even open to just sketches -- looking for the right feel more than a final product. Text only or text/graphics is acceptable also.

tootie

No one likes to feel that their work is unrewarded, obviously. When entering a contest, designers obviously understand that there is a risk involved that they might not be paid for their work. If you are going to hold a contest like this, then you need to specify in advance that you will not choose a winner if there is nothing that you like. I personally would never enter a contest like that, but I would certainly appreciate being warned in advance with a disclaimer so that I wouldn't feel that I totally wasted my time.

If you want a good logo, $200 to $300 would be a good minimum prize level. Obviously, the higher the prize, the higher quality the entries will be. Many designers get $200-$500 (or even more) for logos when they know that they are certain to get the money for the design. Not too many top-notch designers will take the time to enter a contest unless the prize is more than they would normally get. Just remember that the higher the prize, the more designers you will have enter and the more EXPERIENCED designers you will have enter. If you've already admitted to having a couple of designers try it and you haven't used their work, then people are going to be reluctant to enter, so the prize money will have to be good to get the good designers to give it a try.

A deadline IS important. Stick to it as much as possible. If you want to extend the contest deadline, give a little advance notice (at least an hour before the original deadline is up), and do NOT accept any entries that are submitted after the deadline. Rules are rules and accepting entries after the deadline is unfair to those who worked hard to get their entries in within the deadline. Also, be sure to give the time zone when you post the deadline. And if you extend the deadline, also be sure to extend it by at least 24 hours, if possible. That way, designers who have already entered have time to make changes.

And be sure to make the deadline long enough. If you give a 1-2 day deadline, you'll probably get some rush jobs.

Give as many details as possible when you start the contest. If you have particular logos that you like the style of, post them if possible. Designers like to have an idea of the particular style that you prefer before they start, and we also need to know what colors you prefer and as much about your company and what the logo will be used for as possible. Designers also don't want to waste their time or yours, so by giving as much detail as possible up front, you'll get better entries that are more likely to fit what you're looking for, and the designers will be happier, too.

Good luck with your contest

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Doctor Dre

Since you are unknown arround here I don't think a lot of people would enter your contest ..


2nd : You MUST choose a winner ... or people will be really mad at you . People don't work for free

3rd : If you wanna get a good contest on, it must be 200-300 $ ... maybe more .

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DESIREbyDESIGN

Read the thread that you posted again, the answers to your questions are there.

When I enter a comp I look for:

clear instructions about what the 'client' wants (inc size, colour, content, purpose)

the deadline (a comp held over a few days seems to get more entries)

prize

Don't change the rules mid way through the comp.

If you have feedback for an enterant do it through email.

Pay the winner promptly.

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DanB

Hopefully I won't come off sounding too dense here, just trying to understand from a designer's POV.

I'm curious what the "standard" business rule is for logo designers when they work for a client but fail to design anything the client accepts. Does the designer still get full payment? My designers did not charge me anything but I did give them a "appreciate your try" payment, which was purely my decision.

Even though I don't really need the logo for say two months, designers prefer some kind of deadline be set for these things. Would a deadline of two months be too long?

Of course I understand credibility is an issue, and perhaps if I could give the money to some "trusted" entity to hold for payout that would entice more designers.

If the pot was over $400+ US, would it still require a payout if no design was acceptable? I really do want to get a design out of this but it feels odd to agree to pay X amount of money for something sight unseen, not even knowing if any submission will trigger the "that's the one" feeling.

Seems like it would be worth the chance to take for what appears to be a rather small design task, as long as the participants could trust that they'd get paid and that a winner would be selected if an entry was acceptable. I guess this is the hardest part.

As for defining what I'm looking for, my problem is I can code like hell but can't draw a straight line if my life depended on it. I have zero creativity when it comes to these things, so I have to rely on others for this, but I know when I see something that I think is good.

tootie

Different designers have different policies regarding whether or not they expect payment if the client doesn't like the work. Personally, I feel that in general, a designer should charge for work even if the client does not like the work, at least at a discount rate. The reasons being that a client can see the type of work that a designer typically does when looking at their portfolio and should already have a basic idea of what that designer can do. And also, designers have to make a living. If we spend 1, 2, 3 or several hours working on a design and don't get paid, that's taking money directly out of our pockets and we've spent time working on that client that could have been spent on other clients. A smaller payment for the time spend is a nice thing to do even for those that don't ask for it. I've had a couple of clients that just could not be satisfied (rare but it does happen) and both paid me a partial payment for the time spent.

A two month deadline is pretty long. People who see a 2 month deadline will tend to drag their feet, not thinking they need to enter right away, and they'll forget about it. If you bump the thread too often as a reminder, people will get annoyed. If you don't bump it often enough, people will forget about it and you'll get alot of rushed entries. Also, many designers who enter contests do so because they need money at that particular time, and if they see that their work won't get them any money right away, they will probably just skip the contest. 1-2 weeks is a good length for most contests. It allows time for designers to find time in their schedule to enter and to create nice entries, but it isn't long enough that designers lose interest or see it as an impossibly long time to wait to get paid.

If you can't think of exactly what you'd want, you could try to find some logos that you like the general style of, place them all on a page, and link to it in the contest thread. Be clear that you don't want copies of the logos, just that you like the general styles. It's very helpful to have a general idea of what a client likes (or doesn't like) so that the designer can get a feel for what might make the client happy.

Again, I personally wouldn't enter a contest where there was no guaranteed payout, but some people would. Just keep in mind that you're likely to have less entries and less to choose from if you don't guarantee a winner.

Here's a suggestion. Why don't you either offer a first prize, second prize and third prize, or offer $400 (for example) for the winning entry if you find something you really like, or $100 to the winning entry if you don't find anything you really like. You're likely to find something that you like a little, and you can always use the one you like BEST as the basis of a starting point for hiring another designer later.

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DanB

That's a good suggestion. It can provide the monetary incentive to the designer but also allow me to control the payout.

I also see your point about the deadline.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, it really helps.