Why logo contests don’t work
Despite being exploitative, unfair, bad for business, downright unethical and even potentially illegal, is there still a place for logo contests in the design world?
Can an prudent contest business owner still get a decent logo for pennies on the dollar through a design contest site or forum? Outside chance - maybe. More likely - no. If you took the time to read our lengthy contest manifesto from yesterday, you’ll remember we introduced you to a new site - E Logo Contest - upstarts who boast offering hosted contests for less than the going rate for such things (they make it up by clawing back 10% off designer ‘winnings’).
Took a peek through a few of the contests currently running and waddya know - some of our work has been entered as potential logos for unsuspecting ‘clients’. The first, for some outfit called Big Dog BBQ features a nifty little bulldog logo, pinched right from our Daily Logo Archives. Dude didn’t even try to change it - same color and everything. Contest holder didn’t like our green (the cheek) and requested that it be converted to a rustic brown.
Then there’s this other one, obviously, ahm, ‘influenced’ by our boat logo for Euro Yacht, a design that was featured in a recent edition of the Logo Lounge book series. At least this guy tried a little, elongating the waves, twisting the hull, moving the portholes and cloning the windshield, although they were changes I was able to duplicate in Adobe Illustrator in about 30 seconds flat. But still - he did sort of try to make a variation of the original. Which would be kinda okay if this wasn’t a trademark, which unfortunately, it is. Alas, the contest holder on this one felt the boat wasn’t ‘professional’ enough (more cheek) and supplied a link were a new one could be found. Hey, the original client thought the boat was just dandy.
But here’s the scary part - I was able to find two examples of skullduggery within a few minutes. By different entrants - not some ‘lone rogue’ designer. Like I always said - some folks entering design contests aren’t above submitting ripped-off designs because they aren’t getting paid for the work they do. If their purloined logos win - they get a prize. If they don’t win, no big deal - they haven’t spent any time coming up with the entries in the first place.
Not saying that everyone who enters work into logo design contests are ripping off other designers, but if my experience counts for anything, it is quite a few. And if you’re new to business, is branding yourself with a hot logo any way to start off? Didn’t think so.
And it’s not like these dudes aren’t aware that this is a problem with using logo design contests as a business model - they very much are. Let’s take a look at their somewhat logic-mangled and strangely worded TOS;
eLogoContest processes lots of different graphics for lots of different contests, and although we have many very, very ethical designers, there is sometimes (as in any walk of life) the individual without any scruples that has no problem attempting rip off other peoples artwork.
One of the great things about eLogoContest is that unlike a conventional design firm, where design theft can go completely undetected, eLogoContest is an open community and where better to spot design plagarism than in a large community of experienced designers?
If you feel that a design of yours (yours - not someone elses) has been used without permission by one of our registered designers we would like to make you aware of the following:
eLogoContest is a independent ‘middle-man’ and makes no claims whatsoever as to the originality of any user-submitted content.
Read it again. No claims whatsoever about originality of content. From contests that they’re charging a fee for. And 10% off the top from designer winnings. Yep - I’m just full of confidence now. They go on to ask that if a design has been bootlegged, to contact them and advise us to “be polite. It is not the fault of eLogoContest staff that your design has been copied”. Well, it kinda is. It’s a problem with the business model itself. And something that can’t ever be overcome when people aren’t getting paid for their design work. Though, we should be flattered I guess - we’re also featured on the other design options that suck page. Nice touch fellas.
Logo Contest Survival Guide.
In the interest of fair play, I’m going to give people who still insist on holding a logo contest a few tips on how to avoid getting stuck with someone else’s logo (which I think we can all admit, is never a good idea). Here’s how it works.
Whenever less than ethical (bunny quotes on) ‘designers’ (bunny quotes off) enter these things, they immediately use Google and Google Image Search (Yahoo & MSN have them too) to search for designs that suit your project using keyword combinations that would describe it (the examples above, for example, scored extremely well - number one actually - for searches including bulldog, boat and logo). They look for an image they like and it you’re lucky, they’ll change it a little so that it won’t be recognized by anyone but the owner and/or the original designer. And there’s about a 50/50 chance one of them will find out. If they do, whether these design changes will be enough to pass a legal challenge is anyone’s guess. If you’re not so lucky, they’ll pass someone else’s logo, unchanged very little (or not at all) as their own. Then, a lot of people will notice, raising the threat level of getting into hot water to almost 100%.
Accordingly, you should perform the same searches using the resources I just mentioned. When you’re appraising logos, search through Google Images using the various keyword combinations and descriptions that describe the logo your contest is supposed to be about. If you’re lucky, you’ll find any potentially infringing designs before things get too out of hand. Before you’re stuck with thousands of business cards and letterheads that you can’t use, because you’ve plastered them with a design that belongs to someone else. And before the nasty e-mails start arriving.
Or, you could avoid logo design contests altogether. Probably a much better idea.
May 25th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I can’t say I’m surprised to see your work being ripped off in logo design contests. Sad, really.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
[…] Just a few reasons why logo design contests don’t work, from Steve of the Logo Factor. Fraud logo designers are ripping off his work and submitting it into design contests. Not for the first time either. […]
May 29th, 2008 at 3:18 am
I’m so SICK of “contests,” spec work ads and exploitative practices! You wouldn’t believe how nasty some “contest holders” are when confronted with the unethical nature of their inquiries. This article is very well documented. I’ll be linking to it from my website and sending it as (my less emotional/more rational
response.
Thanks!
May 29th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Two things. There is one place where logo contests work - small community contests. Course I ‘won’ my first logo contest at the age of 11 designing a dance troupe logo for a local group. The community was also less than 2000 people and this was before computers. But contests where local people, kids mostly, offer designs for local community group contests, probably kid oriented, I find is community building. But when a Clear Channel owned radio station in a huge market uses a logo design contest to get a new logo for the cost of a free t-shirt, they should be shot!
Second thing. When I am asked to design a logo, I use search engines as you described to see the trends and to avoid other people’s work. I find my train of thought is on a par with other designers sometimes and have noticed some of my designs look like they were inspired by other’s when it was complete accident. I don’t always know who designed what first, but in the long run it doesn’t matter. I usually don’t notice similar design until years later, either, but it sucks when I see it. So I use the internet to make sure I don’t utilize a similar idea to what is already out there. I, at least, always want to be the one being copied, not to look like it was the other way around.
Trish
www.contemporary-native.com
May 29th, 2008 at 10:09 am
David
I’m not terribly surprised either. Not the first time that I’ve found blatant copies of our shop’s work submitted to design contests, nor do I expect it will be the last. Unfortunately, having copied work submitted is part and parcel of the logo contest business model itself and something that’s impossible to guard against. If you read the terms and conditions of these logo contest sites, you’ll find that contest holders are told about this risk up front (though I’m not sure how legally solid these caveats are).
Business owners have to assess the risk of selecting a ripped off design, and decide if it’s worth the money they might save over more traditional methods such as working with a designer like yourself.
Personally, I’d rather be sure that my logo is original - the expense of cleaning up the mess caused by IP problems - copyright and/or trademark infringement - doesn’t seem to be worth whatever benefits that there might be.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Trish
Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment. Your Clear Channel example is spot on. Like you, my first professional gig was designing a logo as part of a contest, held by my high school radio station (was 14 and I won $100 if memory serves). I’m not opposed to these kind of gigs and you’re right - they can create a sense of ‘community’.
Setting up a website featuring logo contests as a ‘professional’ design solution is another matter entirely. I take issue when these sites (who’ve somehow managed to convince large numbers of designers that working for free is beneficial) offer up their business model as a ’service’ that’s comparable (or even superior) to working with an experienced designer or firm. As the examples of ripped off logos illustrate, it’s not even close.
When deflecting criticism they generally tell us that it’s no big deal - their sites are populated by ‘newbies’ and ‘hobbyists (direct quotes) - something which they fail to mention when promoting their ’services’ to unsuspecting business owners. From the hop, their business model is dishonest and when you factor in the ongoing issue of copied work, it’s a model that hurts the reputation of the entire trade.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Catherine
Thanks for popping by The Factor.
Alas, I would believe the push back you’ll run into if you try to open a dialogue with ‘contest holders’ - we’ve experienced the same type of hostility when responding to ‘clients’ who request we work up logo concepts on spec, or in order to earn future, undefined design work. Apparently the old adage ‘time is money’ refers to everything but design.
Thanks for linking to our site - greatly appreciated.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I don’t understand what the big deal is. If you find a logo that has been copied, why don’t you just inform the contest site and I am sure they will remove the design.
I’ve entered many contests and even won a few. I’ve never ripped off anyone but there have been times when others have and they have been discovered by other designers on the forum. The designs have been withdrawn from the contest and the contest holder never knew.
Entering contests makes me a better designer. I just think that The Logo Factory and other designers are jealous that sites like 99designs and elogocontest are taking business away from them.
But that’s how market forces work.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Contest Lover
Thanks for your comments. I take it your name reflects a position on this issue, and it shouldn’t surprise you that I’m going to disagree. To be honest, I don’t have time to ‘investigate’ every logo contest to see if stuff has been borrowed from us, or more importantly, our clients (though I can find ripped logos so easily, and which such little effort, the percentage of contests that feature borrowed work must be extraordinary).
You’re correct though - site owners remove infringing designs PDQ (the two examples I’ve posted above were removed shortly after the feature was published). This isn’t to protect the integrity of the contest holders’ work - it is to avoid the site looking ‘bad’. Comments regarding stolen work are deleted as soon as they’re viewed by moderators so that holders (hopefully) aren’t aware that submissions may not be original.
While you tell us of other ‘entrants’ finding examples of copied work in the nick of time, there have been times when stolen artwork is selected as the ‘winner’. I’m aware of one such incident on Site Point (who’ve recently spawned 99 Designs, yet another contest site) from a few years ago where the knock off wasn’t discovered until after the ‘contest’ had ended. Luckily, another copied design (submitted by the same designer to another contest) was discovered before a selection was made. Both these screencaps are from 2004, so knocked off logos finding their way into contests is nothing new, nor is my opposition to them.
Problem is, none of these sites accept responsibility for shady work getting passed off. Read their terms and conditions - they claim that they’re not responsible (a claim that’s highly suspect) for the material submitted as (and this is the important part) the contest entrants don’t work for the contest site. As the owner of The Logo Factory, I’m ultimately responsible for everything that goes out the door (whether I’m aware of the individual project or not). If my shop was to pass off ripped designs, whatever reputation we do have would be shot in a New York minute. Why do logo contest sites think that this type of responsibility should not apply to them? Other designers and firms readily (and enthusiastically) accept responsibility for, and stand behind, the work they create. Accordingly, for logo contest sites to claim they’re a professional alternative to working one-on-one established designers, studios and firms. is a a little bit much. E Logo Contest, the site from which the examples were pulled, compare themselves to our shop (and others), prefacing the comparison thusly;
In terms of logo contest sites ’stealing our business’, I’ve always admitted that’s a concern. As it should be for any anyone involved in the graphic design industry. Especially when contest sites promote themselves as a superior alternative to working with designers one-on-one, which is demonstrably not true. While others might claim that contest sites attract the type of clients that they don’t want in the first place (a claim which might have some validity), I’ve always seen organized logo contests as a danger to the professional in general and my studio in specific. As a business owner, I’d be an idiot not to.
From a more altruistic POV. I also see the damage being done to the entire industry and up and coming designers who are - right now - spending years of their life, and tens of thousands of dollars, on an education that hopefully will make them great designers. To have these efforts paid off through design contests, where they stand very little chance of earning a decent living, is obscene. And while there may be some ‘designers’ who claim that entering contests prepares them for later entry into the professional design arena, if the people behind these sites have their way, there won’t be much of an industry to enter into.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Crikes. These cats make Logoworks look good.
Keep hammering Stevo!
May 29th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I personally don’t understand why someone would want an impersonal logo from a logo mill. Part of my logo design for a client is to find out everything I can from a client, about them, their business, their dreams, their customers, their hopes for the future of their business, and so on. Do designers who submit to logo mills do this? How can they design a logo with as much care and dedication as the client has for their business? We are talking about a symbol that represents in whole the client and/or their business. This symbol/logo should represent the client’s personality, their business personality and make their customers smile when they see it. Logo design is not about slick, trendy design, nor it is about the designer, it is about the CLIENT.
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Logo Contest Lover - you say that logo design contests make you a better designer. I need some help here - how does that work? You are doing no one a favor participating in a contest. Just an opinion.
June 16th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Contests and spec work are no doubt bad for the industry, the client, and are generally annoying to deal with when searching for work. The AIGA has a nice form letter on their website that can be used to send to potential clients who are facilitating contests or are flat out asking for spec work. I, like many of the other commenters here, have gotten very nasty responses when informing potential clients that their behavior is ethically questionable and not a good idea. The AIGA letter seems effective in communicating the designer’s perspective through rational argument. I highly suggest everyone use it. Thanks for the great article!