Design Contest Sites

[Joe Diaz]

I found a really good article about logo design contests:
http://www.logodesignlove.com/logo-design-contests

What are your thoughts?

 

[Rick]

I generally hate them because they are usually not "design" contest at all.

Design is a process between a client and the designer where parameters are set up and some amount of thought is put into it while going back and forth to perfect it. A contest is usually a beauty contest where you have to guess what you are being judged on. It usually ends up mostly with a cookie cutter look or as nebulous as the contest rules may be. I have seen good work on some by very talented designers, but my firm belief is that it would be a lot better if they followed the design process.

Most sign companies engage in the same process when clients ask many shops to design a sign.

 

[Joe Diaz]

I generally hate them because they are usually not "design" contest at all.

Design is a process between a client and the designer where parameters are set up and some amount of thought is put into it while going back and forth to perfect it. A contest is usually a beauty contest where you have to guess what you are being judged on. It usually ends up mostly with a cookie cutter look or as nebulous as the contest rules may be. I have seen good work on some by very talented designers, but my firm belief is that it would be a lot better if they followed the design process.

Most sign companies engage in the same process when clients ask many shops to design a sign.

That is how I feel too. I think too many people end up losing in this scenario. All the designers that don't win lose valuable time and efforts and their ideas, even the ones that do win don't always get paid. The company that is hosting the contest may think they are wining by getting all these ideas and concepts, but in the long run their logo may not be effective for the exact reasons you pointed out Rick.

Anyway that link I posted sums up my feelings better then I can type them.

 

[WhiskeyDreamer]

id like to retrack my vote... i got sidetracked when i got to that site and didn't actually read the article that you linked too.....

damn i hate when that happens.....anyway, now that i actually read the linked page, i have to agree with rick as well.....i don't think many would do well if given only one shot to design something up for a customer.....after all, most customers never know what they want, but when you show them something, they know that's NOT what they want.....

 

[doublesky]

What really pisses me off is when my friends send me links to them. Like I have time to design something for $50 that they'll use for free for forever. And, they think they are doing me a favor by sending it too!

 

[Joe Diaz]

What really pisses me off is when my friends send me links to them. Like I have time to design something for $50 that they'll use for free for forever. And, they think they are doing me a favor by sending it too!

Yeah, my oldest brother was home for Christmas and he was telling me about his friend in Chicago who started one of these sites and how great of an idea it was. I asked, "we are related right?" Then I proceeded to tell him all the reasons I think they are a bad idea. After I was done he agreed.

 

[Stevo]

Hey Joe!
Did beer.com ever pay you?? Just curious.

Stevo

 

[Joe Diaz]

Hey Joe!
Did beer.com ever pay you?? Just curious.

Stevo

:ROFLMAO:Yeah they finally did, they weren't going to though. I learned my lesson there. We wasted more time trying to get them to pay up then the logo was worth. I probably won't do something like that again.

Although if the prize was big enough... and the company is well known enough... I might take the chance. Like those Roland wrap contests or something along those lines, where you win a 54" printer. But some of the prizes on these logo design contest sites are less then our minimum price for a logo. It's ridiculous what these people are competing for.