

Ask HN: Can anyone share their experience with logo shootout sites like logosauce? - twelvedigits

We are looking to create a new logo for our startup and are thinking of crowdsourcing the project out for a small fee ($250-300) to a shootout website like http://www.logosauce.com<p>1.  Does anyone have experience with these types of sites?<p>2.  Are there are any other competitive sites that we should be looking at?<p>I know it's sexy to work with a logo designer, but I think there's probably a good number of them banging away at these websites.
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qhoxie
<http://99designs.com/>

I have seen quite a lot of quality work done on these sites.

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SwellJoe
We used 99designs (formerly SitePoint Contests) for two logos with good
results. I wrote an article about the process here:

[http://inthebox.webmin.com/getting-a-great-logo-reducing-
the...](http://inthebox.webmin.com/getting-a-great-logo-reducing-the-field)

Though I just noticed all of the images are dead (I guess because of the
domain change)...gotta fix that.

I definitely found it a good way to get good work. I've been told by several
designers that contests are offensive...but I've found it _really_ hard to
hire a designer that I work with regularly, at any price. Designers, I
suppose, being creative types, aren't often strong on on-time delivery,
responding in a reasonable time to queries and requests, etc. I've never yet
found a designer that I could count on, who also does good work, despite many
attempts. (And I'm not cheap. When I have run contests, the prizes we offer
are always the highest on the site at the time--and I've regularly paid "going
rates" for icon work and other bits of design. Nonetheless, keeping a designer
focused on our projects has been extremely difficult.)

Anyway, I think design contests provide large corporation style design
workflow for small companies. Design firms often work on spec for large
companies, at least for the initial pitch. I don't think it's a bad thing to
bring that kind of process to small businesses.

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cscotta
Spec work is evil: [http://andrewhyde.net/spec-work-is-evil-why-i-hate-
crowdspri...](http://andrewhyde.net/spec-work-is-evil-why-i-hate-crowdspring/)

~~~
lacker
The link doesn't really say _why_ spec work is unethical. It seems like they
are frustrated because designers can do a bunch of work and then not get paid
if they don't win the contest. That doesn't seem unethical, that's just how
the system is set up. If it isn't a good deal for you as a designer because
you can get better jobs easily, then don't participate in these contests.

Personally (I'm a programmer) I would never do work for someone else with
payment contingent on whether they liked it on not. But I don't think it's
evil or unethical to do so, it's just not a good deal for me, so I don't do
it.

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lux
We used 99designs.com for our logo (www.dojolearning.com) as well as the new
logo and product box for www.sitellite.org with great results. Our design was
done by a separate designer though (he did 3 different styles that we offer in
a handful of colours so customers can choose).

The key was to provide good and prompt feedback, which resulted in
improvements to entries. Communicate and be appreciative of their effort and
it seems to go a long way (doesn't it always though? :).

We also looked at designs from other contests and sent messages with "hey I
like your designs!" to designers who were really good, and that seemed to help
get a few top-notch designers onto our contests too.

I've since recommended this approach to several other companies I work with,
and they've been very happy with using 99designs as well now.

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vaksel
I love it, you get sooooo many choices from uber creative people. Just don't
be a cheapass. Better to spend $500 and get hundreds of submissions, instead
of spending $100 and getting only 10.

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michael_dorfman
I had a great experience with 99designs-- but I have mixed feelings about the
subject, since I'm not sure that it is healthy for the design industry....

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catone
I'm probably biased, because I work for SitePoint (which owns 99designs --
though I have nothing to do with that part of the operation), but have also
previously owned a design contest site (GFXcontests.com). I'm not so sure it
is bad for the design industry.

Reasons why it's good:

1\. It provides portfolio building opportunities and real-world client
experience for new designers

2\. It provides hobbyists a good way to try their hand at professional work

3\. If the contest holder (client) holds up their end of the bargain and
provides all entries with quality feedback, it provides useful practice for
designers.

4\. I've heard from a large number of designers that participating in design
contests led to more visibility for their portfolios and in turn helped them
land regular, non-contest employees

5\. I can say with confidence that a number of designers on 99designs at least
are earning healthy five-figure incomes from contest work

6\. Many designers are able to sell losing designs as templates (though
contest holders should be careful to put in a stipulation that designers
should only be allowed to do that once they remove your name/IP from the
design)... or they can repurpose the designs for another contest or client

Why it might be bad:

1\. The No-Spec people will say it takes paid opportunities away from
designers (I might rebut that it gives more designers the opportunity to
compete for work and make a name for themselves -- and that no top tier
designer I know is struggling for work)

2\. They'll also say that it is unfair for designers -- who are asked to
create work with no guarantee that they'll be paid (the rebuttal here: if you
don't want to work that way, don't participate -- and as I said above, losing
designers can still often make some money from that effort)

Just my (perhaps biased) two cents.

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bootload
_"... The No-Spec people will say it takes paid opportunities away from
designers ..."_

Hey catone, have you added any form of ranking or leader board tied for
designers tied to feedback from visitors or clients? One way to counter
criticisms would be a ranking or grading system that allows good work to be
recognised.

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pedalpete
I used crowdspring for web design and had an amazing experience. They have
sections for logo design as well as other design services.

