Comments on: Logo design contests

By: Bill Botts

Bill Botts — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:01:33 +0000

Regardless of anyone having sour grapes or not i found it to be useful in consideration of holding a contest for my logo. Copyright infrngement is a real consideration for me.

However, something has to be said for the argument in hiring a specific expensive firm. I am concerned about tunnel vision in the design process and not being able to answer this before committing to one firm is concerning.

I will say that for the claims of firms being more skilled, the design of this particular website is horrible and as such would hire you to do my work. Very busy, confusing, looks cartoonish, and salesy. I would advise to better represent yourself if you intend to support the points you are making.

By: Troy Wilson

Troy Wilson — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:33:20 +0000

Contests like logo design are very helpful for the newbies…. As they got a chance to show case their work…. I myself sometimes participated in contests like these//..

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:56:26 +0000

Oh and I do have a job in the creative field where we do spec work and pitches to clients that never go anywhere. So in a similar way you are not paid for that either. If you say “you still have the salary” – yes however! If my company never sells any of those designs that started as “free work” then i get fired because the flow of money ends. So in a lot of ways they are similar. I just think some people think they should get the fees for the pitches but in a lot of cases that is just not realistic. Clients don’t want to pay for a “mystery product”

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:37:29 +0000

All that was said here is also true of hiring any designer. Some steal work aka recycle it into a logo. Don’t have to be on a contest to do that. Some of the BIGGEST design companies out there have been caught stealing others work and making huge profits on it. That will always happen in this field.

I think what it really comes down to, is you can hire one person to try to create what you want.. but if they fail you still have to pay them right? And usually way more than $400. With these contests it gives a client 100s of options.

Then on the designer side, if you are original creator of all your works – you build an account where you are more likely to be chosen as the winner. You also have tons of “potential clients” as on the other side if you are just working as freelancer, chances are – you won’t have very many clients if any. If you are lucky you might get a gig with an agency but chances are your starting salary is gonna blow. So there is up and downs to both sides, I think this article would be better if it had a more neutral stance.

I have entered a few contests, I put in 20 minutes of work and get $400 a piece out of it. Good deal to me and no I do not rip off any one else. :)

By: wilson

wilson — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:46:47 +0000

Hi Yevette,
Not quite sure what you mean. Please correct me if I am wrong; Sign shop created custom logo for client…Client wanted you to ‘copy’ said logo and alter it a little…Sign shop says it’s theirs and no you cannot…Sign shop sells logo with different name to another client?…If yes than wouldn’t the sign shop be wrong also?…If no than I am confused.Somebody clarify please. Original creator would ‘of course’ want the repeat business. I assume the ‘repair’ you are referring to has to do with the original designer anyway. Copying a book to correct a misspelled word and then reprinting it is still, in a polite way, plagiarizing anothers work. wilson.

By: Yvette

Yvette — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:43:56 +0000

I notice that you ‘repair’ logos. I personally will not do it unless a client can prove they had rights to it to begin with. My case in point: a client went to a sign shop where someone designed a custom logo for use on their signs only. When I talked to the sign company about getting a copy or possibly recreating it, their answer was that they’d not only sue my client but me too. This is because the logo they created was for use on the sign they printed only and that logo had been modified (company name only) and purchased by a client of theirs.

I consulted my trademark lawyer, and sure enough he said I could be sued for something as simple as ‘redrawing’ an existing logo for a client to use.

By: wilson

wilson — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:38:55 +0000

Hey Mark. Getting the right logo is all well and and wonderful. As for all of the choices; how many of them are created and how many are stolen? You are right, “…there is no law against asking a certain designer to make an alteration….” ,but there is a moral law about self-respect. I would love to be able to put my ideas forward through graphic illustration but alas I lack the skills. I understand the frustrations of quality designers. I could probably put some designs together by hacking other peoples work; but, that would only be for money. I would rather die poor than give up my self-respect.

By: Amy M.

Amy M. — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:16:29 +0000

Well Mark, you seem to have a great point. Why hire a professional when you can instead hire a bunch of amateurs! I’d say, the copyright infringement risk alone is a good enough reason to avoid logo contests. The money you save is just not worth risking a very expensive lawsuit.

I’m no designer, but I’d say it’s well worth the cost to be sure that you get the best result possible. If saving money and effort are the most important things to you, Inkscape is free- Why not make the logo yourself?

By: Mark T.

Mark T. — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:49:24 +0000

If not for putting up $400 in a contest, I never would’ve gotten the perfect logo for my company. Well worth the investment to have so many choices. And there is no law against asking a certain designer to make an alteration…. You can let somebody know they’re on the right track and help create the art…same exact process described in the article as “back and forth with client”

These design companies should just go ahead and close shop. I’d never trust ONE guy in the back room of one of these companies’ headquarters to design what I need. Go for 200-300 designs instead of just 3… it’s a no-brainer if there ever was one.

By: Entertainment Template

Entertainment Template — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 08:42:27 +0000

Interesting read, I just started making logos on these websites, was moderately aware of people using stock vectors but not stealing entire logo designs.. that’s just awful.