Logo contest question

[Surplus One]

Hi,

My company is looking at you guys for our logo, and I really like the setup of this site/forum, and would love to use you. While explaining the concept to my boss, however, he said that he would like to have whoever wins our contest to also take our old logo and give us an update on it--not a new design, just the files as the ones we have have been converted and distorted and neither of us really knows which versions are "good" for use, and which will look junky if used on ads/t-shirts/etc because someone incompetent converted it to some other format. Same design, new set of files for it (color and b&w) that we know are good to go.

Is that legal? We'd want 1 logo designed like a normal contest, then have whoever wins take our other logo and give us "good" files (and maybe a text file telling us what sorts of files are used for what) that we can pass on to our printers/silkscreeners/whoever.

The funds he allocated to me for this seem to be higher than what contests here are offering on average, so I wouldn't be asking for extra work for a ~$100 prize. We're thinking a $200 or $300 prize.

Thanks for your reply! I don't want to start a contest and then be told by boss to do what you guys already said I can't do and be caught between a rock and a hard place. ;)

~~Danni Gauger

[Palmer]

Hello Danni, welcome to Design Outpost. We're glad you like our concept :)

Yes, it will be fine to have the winning designer do additional work for you at whatever fee the 2 of you agree upon after they have been chosen to design your other logo.

Let me know if you have any further questions,
Palmer

[Surplus One]

Ok, so we are allowed to hire an artist afterwards. Thanks!

Second question: Am I allowed to bundle the file-making for the second logo into the first contest? IE, the prize is for design and files of a new logo, and files for an old logo? So the prize money is for both things?

[Palmer]

Since I do not know how much each designers would charge for that service, I would prefer that you take care of that payment separately from the logo contest.

Thank you :)

[Surplus One]

I talked to my boss, and he considers all the logowork to be one job, our logo job, doesn't want to mess around with seperate contests or fee negotiations.

I noticed you said you'd "prefer" not to do this, you discourage it, but didn't say absolutely no. So, as long as I put a clear notice saying the prize money is for work on both logos, and an artist shouldn't enter if they aren't willing to do both for the prize money, would I be able to run it this way? As long as I let the artist know what I expect from them for this price?

And if that is ok to do, are there any artists who would enlighten me if $300 would be enough for them to be interested in designing an original logo as well as produce a set of files from an existing logo? During the contest I wouldn't need examples of the old logo--it's not being changed at all, we just need files that print out cleanly and clearly (currently they print out at a poor ugly-looking resolution, which was not always the case). I can supply several different formats of what we have...I have a few: .gif, .jpg, .tif, .eps, .bmp, .pdd, for the color version and the B&W version of our logo. It's completely possible they may have to just resave a few files as something else. I know the .gif and .jpg were generated for web use, but neither I nor my boss have touched the other formats (except maybe .bmp). My boss has been trying to use one or another in ACT for letterhead or something, and it comes out looking very bad and unprofessional. I don't know enough about the different file types to adjust things myself.

Thanks for your time and replies.

[Carl]

Surplus One,

A designers point of view:

Your prize amount is good.

I appreciate your bosses feeling that they are the same job, but, from a design standpoint, they are two different functions. Creation of an idea and a concept is something completely different from taking an old logo and converting it to new formats. Different skill sets may be required.

By putting them together, I think you run the risk of not getting the same amount of entries because you are requiring work that may be difficult for some. Every designer has their style and works within that to produce logos. If your logo is not within the style (say an illustration) then someone like me, who doesn't do illustrative work may not enter because of the inability to do the second part of the job.

You could easily run two contests and that way you aren't price negotiating the second part, and you would not limit the entries of the new logo.

Carl...

[Surplus One]

Hi Carl,

I totally understood your point, and mentioned it to my boss earlier today, but he wants it done his way. I already had to explain why I liked this website so much--he wasn't keen on the idea at first. :D

This is the logo that'd need to be converted (not necessarily this actual image, I do have a few different formats as noted before: .gif, .jpg, .tif, .eps, .bmp, .pdd are the ones I see in my folder 'o logos.):

<img src='http://www.surplus1.com/So2c400_.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

Any thoughts?

Thanks so much for your help. :)

[Tonya]

It sounds like the second part of your contest would essentially be to remake your existing logo in vector format. I suggest that you provide a good quality image of the logo that needs to be remade at the start of the contest (maybe post a GIF and also provide the TIFF for download) so designers can see what they'd be remaking if they won the contest. That way everyone will know up front what they'd be working if they entered and won the contest.

[Carl]

Oh, OK. The simplicity of the logo is probably easily duplicated.

I would enter for $300.

Carl...

[ElKootcho]

That logo should present no problems for 99% of the designers and will likely not limit the number of entries.

[Eagle]

Hi there!

From what you are saying, I would presume you want your logo to be converted to vector format, the industry standard for print use.

Depending on the complexity of your existing logo, this shouldn't be a drama as all the designers her use vector applications to design logos with.

As far as running a contest for both at once; the complication may arise where the winning designer's subsequent 'vectorisation' of the old logo is not up to your expectations. Vectorization is a discipline in itself...

Hope this helps. <img src='http://www.eagleimagery.co.uk/smil3y/eaglesmile.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

[Palmer]

Sounds like the designers will have no problems with your requirements. You may deposit the entire amount and then post the additional requirement as part of your first message in your thread.

Thank you :)

[Surplus One]

Wow, you must all be visiting this site on your lunch breaks. ;) I blink and a gazillion replies! Thank you all!

While I'd like vectorization myself (sounds extremely useful from what I've read), my boss just wants the thing to print out nicely and not look ugly when he makes an invoice on his computer. So I'm not sure if vectorization is the way that things must go. What I need is someone to sort and/or rename existing files if they serve fine the way they are (we have different and uninformative names on them, and duplicates--I just don't know enough about formats to decide what to delete and what to save), and what my boss needs is one to put into his quickbooks/database and print out nicely at a decent resolution on the top of a page when he does an invoice or whatever.

If I link for download in the contest all the images of the old logo I have for your viewing/poking pleasure, you'd probably be able to get an idea of what needs to be done, I suppose, and what we have to work with. Thanks for the idea, Tonya. :)

As for vector stuff...I could ask for a sample of past vector images? Like a link or something? Does that sound reasonable? Then I'd know the quality.

Anyway, I'm assuming I *can* do this, provided I give you all the info I can on the project in the contest. Which I'll do; I just needed some information to work off of and to help me decide what I need done.

Edit: Whoops, I see I've been 'approved'. Thanks for all the help.

[Surplus One]

Thanks Palmer. I've sent payment, gotten the ball rolling. What next?

[Palmer]

The code has been added to validate the deposit. Now the designers upload their designs and you comment on them. When you decide on who wins, the thread is moved to the semi-private Revisions Forum for final tweaks. When you are completely happy with the design, the designer send you a link to download a .zip file with all the various file types inside.

Have fun and thank you for choosing Design Outpost! :)

[Eagle]

*
<!--QuoteBegin-Surplus One+Jun 15 2004, 06:56 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Surplus One @ Jun 15 2004, 06:56 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->As for vector stuff...I could ask for a sample of past vector images?&nbsp; Like a link or something?&nbsp; Does that sound reasonable?&nbsp; Then I'd know the quality.[/b][/quote]
Take a look at the bottom of my sig... ;)