Design Contests: The Pros and Cons
One of the biggest hot buttons for designers is the subject of design contests. The mere mention brings murderous comments from most, and the belief that these contests are devaluing the entire design industry. So, are these contests the death rattle for the average freelancer? Is there a bright side to the dark side, or does the design industry have to change to meet the same fate retailers faced when online shopping started gaining popularity? Here's the pros and cons of the new crowdsourcing.
The pricing list for 99designs. The fees are the highest of all contest sites, so, if you're willing to take the chance, you stand to make out well... or not at all!
Crowdspring hasn't proved it's the "World's #1 Marketplace," as far as I know, but it's interesting that it touts "intellectual property protection," as well as "custom legal agreements." The big question is; just whom does the agreements protect? The designer or the client... or both?
$5 logos? 2 "OUTSTANDING, High Quality and Professional Logo... for $5?" With the care of grammar like that, imagine what the designer might do to "Starbucks" with a foolish typo!
I wonder what a "very realistic" logo looks like? I'm willing to gamble $5 to find out.
The winning logo for the Fire Guy logo. Is that what you would design? Is that what you would expect to be chosen by the client? I gather he "knew what he liked when he saw it. Too bad the fire exthingusher is working backwards.
It's the Fire Goy! Specializing in servicing orthodox Jewish homes on the sabbath. The reddened vagina is, however, a mystery to me.
Number 27 just "outed" the Fire Guy.
Perhaps New Home Partners will change their name to "Partnership" so they can award the prize to this design?
Your logo should get tha message across!
I believe that Anovaf is feeling ill. The serious question is; would the client actually notice this kerning nightmare?
Nothing says "Velocity" like an ancient Greek postage stamp. This, fellow designers, is your competition. Is it really that much of a gamble if you entered two or three logos?
What's Out There and Why?
There are at least a dozen design contest sites out there, each one boasting that they are the number one site for the needs of businesses, large and small. Designcontest.com certainly has the right URL to be found by those looking for an easy and cheap solution for design work, but the top site has to be 99designs.com. 99designs now has offices in several countries, using several different languages to cover the globe. Sometimes the contests on 99designs are confused with the news of logo redesigns, such as the recent 30 logos in 30 days by Yahoo!. Some mistaken designers believe Yahoo has hired 99designs to redesign their logo, but the truth is, 99designs has sponsored the contest for fun and bragging rights among their registered users and they are not related in any way to the Yahoo! redesign. If I know 99designs, it was actually a smart marketing ploy to draw attention to their services for larger companies like Yahoo! and perhaps the hope that one of their winning logos might be purchased by Yahoo! as the solution to the redesign. You have to hand it to them on the smart-o-meter. Designcontest.com did the same with the recent redesign of the Starbucks logo, opening up the chance for members to show what they can do with the iconic logo. Design contest sites function on the premise that a client can choose a price they are willing to pay and then, within a few days, have dozens -- sometimes hundreds of designs to choose from, and BINGO! -- they have their logo, or web site, flyer, T-shirt, or whatever creative thing they needed designed for a small budget.



The Cons
Aside from the utter hatred expressed by the design industry, claiming the prices are too low, and that clients of these contests, "get what they pay for," perhaps the best evidence of the downside is on the very pages of these sites. Can a logo or any branding design be done in such a way, with a fill-in form to explain a company brand and needs? Are these solutions truly copyright free and able to be trademarked? Most professionals disagree, claiming that clip art and dingbats used in many of these logos are not copyright free and therefore will cause problems for the purchasing company down the road.






Tastes differ :)
I’ve never entered one myself but have thought about it on many occassions. Just too scared I guess.
Thanks
Never work for less than you feel you are worth. It laves a bad taste in your mouth as you work on any project. It will effect your life and it will effect the project and quality. Possibly indirectly but it will. For Clients they should never pay more then they feel they should for a project as it will leave a bad taste in their mouth throughout the project and make them feel they are being taken advantage off. Quality usually cost to reflect what you are getting. Not always, but most of the time. Still if you undersell yourself you are not just hurting you, but all the others that work in the same industry. You start to support the expectation of what your industry value is. Honestly charge what a project is worth and honestly pay for it. I feel these sites leave many doing work and in the end getting nothing. How about a Pick X number of designers from there portfolios and or samples to do a job, and they all get payed. The project winner gets a bonus. This models sounds like it is the best for all parties. The client gets more designs at a group rate. The designers get intensive to win, rewarding them for exceeding the clients expectations. Healthy competition is a good driving force.
Just some thoughts.
Enjoy.