Logo Design Contests Are Bad Design, Bad Service, Bad Business Model

Forbes calls graphic designers "snooty" and lowballs a graphic design for their website as a ploy to tick off designers so they would blog, post, and comment (read: promote for free) this marketing ploy for crowdSpring: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0216/062.html.

Link to the Forbes design contest on crowdSpring

I rather like the winning design, but many of the other designs don't follow good design principles or use stock imagery. Stock photo sites such as istockphoto.com state clearly in their usage licenses that their photos and images cannot be used in logos. Therefore, even if Forbes loved a logo including stock imagery, they couldn't legally use it.

As manipulative as this campaign is, it started an interesting discussion within the design community about how good branding design is done and how companies do themselves a disservice by going for the LCD when choosing a logo that will represent their company and products.

Link to discussion I participated in on Graphic-Design Forum

Link to snarky, but accurate blog post about "crowdsourcing" logo design

Although some will claim any artist or designer upset about logo design contests are "elitist" or, dare I say, "snooty," I disagree. It is about some level of standards and service to our clients. Not every young company or entrepeneur can afford a full company branding program, but you get what you pay for.

Link to The 50 Dollar Logo Experiment

Link to Comparison of Cheap Online Logo Companies

As you can see in the above case studies, purchasing a "cheap" online logo cost the client time, customer service, and getting a design that actually represents his company. Having looked at the negative impact on the client, let's take a look at the negative impact logo design contests have on the designer.

Participating in an open, public design contest (crowdSpring, 99designs, etc.) is a bad business model for the graphic designer.

1. The "prizes" offered are less than what one could earn with a regular client.

2. Designs are often stolen by other participants and reworked/reused to submit in other contests (or the same contest!).

3. Professional designers are competing against people with no design education and possibly stolen software.

4. Design skills become commoditized.

5. Participants are paid only if they "win."

It's this last item that is the nail in the logo contest coffin for me.

In a Feb. 19, 2009 survey of the top five "creatives" on crowdSpring (based upon number of submitted logos), the following statistics show how logo design contests don't pay:

Shannonjyl participated in 480 projects, submitting a total of 1873 entries. She won seven times (1.5% of projects, .03% of entries).

PANTERA (a designer claiming 15 yrs experience) participated in 291 projects, submitting a total of 1569 entries. He won thirteen times (4.5% of projects, .08% of entries).

Moonwelldesigns participated in 304 projects, submitting 1467 entries. He won twelve times (3.9% of projects, .08% of entries)

Jose participated in 322 projects, submitting 1377 entries. He won twenty-nine times (9% of projects, 2.1% of entries)

Ninet6 participated in 311 projects, submitting 1301 entries. He won thirty-eight times (12.2% of projects, 2.9% of entries)

If you are paying a mortgage/rent, feeding yourself, and keeping the lights on with your creative skills, you should get paid for more than 3% of your time.

Exciting Business Opportunity!

I created the above poster from this iStockphoto.com photo. I own this image, so I am allowed to use and manipulate it for promotional purposes.

I developed the image in a 50's/60's style, but kept the computer for a bit of fun anachronism. Since I am not printing this poster, I used Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Every business is concerned about the economy and keeping the company going through this difficult time. This is not the time to "hunker down" and hope for the best. Don't hide from your customers. Let them know you are here today and will be here tomorrow! Maintaining a successful image gives your customers confidence in you and your products.

Contact Totem Media, L.C. and talk with our multimedia consultant. We can review your current marketing strategies and work with you to develop new ways of connecting with your customers and keeping your business in their minds.

You deserve to be seen and heard!

Hot Chicks Meet In Person and Online!

The Modern Business Meeting

Even face-to-face we separate ourselves from others through the misuse of technology.

Texting, Twittering, Blogging, E-mailing

It has become too much to pick up the phone, or walk next door, or drop by the office.

Quick, Efficient, Controlled, Instant Archive

Advantages of technology.

Misspelling, Misquoting, Misunderstanding

Limitations of technology.

Learn effective ways to communicate
in person and at a distance from a professional multimedia consultant.

Call or E-mail Totem Media, L.C.

Let's meet.

Who are You Watching? Who is Watching You?

How recently have you updated your website, business cards, letterhead, digital presentations, sales videos, and other marketing materials?

If it's been more than a year, now is a good time to do a top-down review with your graphic designer and marketing director.

Do your marketing materials stand out, yet fit in, with your industry's general look and style?

You may think going for something completely different will help you be more visible to your customers, but it is more likely to confuse your customers and make them think you don't offer what they want to buy.

For instance, if you sell sleek high-tech culinary ware, using soft pastel colors and pictures of fluffy kittens may not inspire confidence in your customers, and may even make them pass by your website because they think they've followed a wrong link!

When did you last explore multimedia marketing?

Prices have dropped on computers, software, cameras, video equipment, etc. This may make it easier for your company to explore self-produced videos, digital presentations, and audio files.

If media equipment/software is affordable, why do we need a professional multimedia consultant?

In a word: experience. At Totem Media, we have almost twenty years experience in video production, sixteen years in presentation development, and eleven years in multimedia marketing design. We know how to whip your presentation into shape, making it worthy of your most valued client or most critical Board of Directors.

We can offer our knowledge and advice to improve your multimedia assets from early conceptualizing through final production and distribution.

It's time to make your multimedia ready for the world to see, because You Deserve to be Seen and Heard...and you never know Who's Watching!


TOTEM'S RECENT PROJECTS

- Edit and Insert Video into a PowerPoint presentation

- Edit a PowerPoint design and layout

- Convert videos into Flash for web

- Web design

Consumer Mag is Shot and Framed! You Can Be Too!

In the July 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, they review digital picture frames and digital cameras. You can see a free digital camera buying guide video here on their site.

You can read an overview digital photo frames for free, and if you're a Consumer Reports online subscriber, you can see their ratings.

Digital photo frames can be used in a business setting. If you're clients come to your office or retail location, a digital frame on the front desk or checkout counter can be used to boost sales and your business' reputation.

You can display the Employee of the Month, your "office family," cute pet and kid pictures (encourages the "warm fuzzies" for your business), drawings of your new location, latest sales items, hours of operation, ongoing specials, coupons from your latest flyer, contact information, or latest awards.

The idea is to be subtle and use a soft sell approach. Screaming red text saying "We're the Best!" or several photos of yourself will come across as egotistical, rather than interesting.

Industry-specific ideas include:

1. Destination photos for travel agencies
2. Houses on the market for realtors
3. Babies for OB-GYNs
4. Photos for photographers
5. "Big check" photos for fundraisers

The idea is to subtly sell your business in an interesting way. Mix things up a bit and think about what would keep you looking at the digital photo frame.

There's No Blu-Ray in 1880

www.totem-media.com

Is Porn Hiding in Your Business Website?

I was recently checking out a particular business' website. It wasn't very professional, so I wasn't impressed. Not only did the website utilize poor design concepts, the content included poor grammar, useless information, few examples, and at least one unfortunate link.

The link was under the company's client list. I call the link 'unfortunate' for two reasons. First, the client company is apparently defunct, and has been for a few years. Second, the client's e-mail address is one he uses for personal messages. A quick search on this e-mail address led to his profile on an adult website.

If I want to learn more about a company's clients, the last thing I want to discover is some failed entrepeneur's perversions. The poor decisions made by this first company ensures I will never refer my clients nor use their services.

This is an extreme example of how bad external links can negatively impact your business.

It is a good idea to review your external links at least twice per year. Businesses open, close, move, change names, change websites, and change vendors. Ask yourself (or your web administrator) the following questions:

1. Are the links correct? Many websites use similar domain names. For instance, my company's domain name is totem-media.com, not totemmedia.com.

2. Do the links reflect your newest clients? Depending upon how often you add new clients to your roster, create a regular update schedule.

3. Do the links contain former clients? There is no need to waste your valuable webspace promoting companies that are no longer your clients.

4. Where do the links lead? Do the external link websites/e-mail addresses lead to a place you want potential clients to see? As in the example above, I don't want to end up in a business-inappropriate website while I'm working. Another issue is if the client's website does not reflect a professional, successful business. Potential clients want to feel that you will help their business grow. If all they see are low-end struggling businesses, they are likely to find a vendor with better business ties.

As employers are checking potential employees personal websites and looking for info on web search engines, so are your potential clients. How does your website, and the links therein, demonstrate you are the right business to hire?

For more information or assistance with your website, contact a multimedia consultant at Totem Media, L.C., because we know "You deserve to be seen and heard!"