I haven't been on in a while, but i remember that the contests here used to have many professional entries. Contest holders are pushing designers to the limit by offering the complete minimum price. Don't forget its also a contest, so if $20 is offered for a logo design contest, and there is only one winner, that is completely ridiculous if you ask me. I understand that i can't tell you what to do, but designers are putting hours of their time on the line for $20 and end up not even winning the contest. So next time you decide to host a contest, please think of the time and effort designers put in and if you offer $20 for the design, don't expect many good entries. I think we need to make a change so that more designers are interested in working here, because it is becoming very amateur, I'm sure you will all agree with me. Just thought i should say it before the contests become $5 per logo.
I haven't been here long but I must agree with you. I am still an amateur designer but i am progressing quickly. But I put A LOT of my time in and the most feedback i get is....."not what we're looking for" or "nice design". that's it. I personally think that more feedback would be great and also, more money for these contests. I agree that we do work hard for this and we should get paid more. "real" professional in an office somewhere get paid hundreds of dollars an HOUR to do the work we do.
Feedback is also a problem, I agree. I think many contest holders don't know what they want, so its up to us, but not for that price...
Iv been designing for over 2 years now, at first i used to like entering contest but then i thought forget it then the other day i decided to enter contests which was worth $60 Logo, after that i couldn't find any latest contest running at that prize, i found one for $25 and i decided to enter it, i spent more than an hour i think and next thing i know "Not quite what I am looking for" , after that i thought forget it, i was stupid enough to enter an contest which is worth only $25, if it was at a higher prize i would have gave another go but its really not worth it at the end of the day. Kind Regards.
I totally agree. I have one contest that i am entered in (my first one) that i have done over 10 different renditions based on the little feedback i have gotten. I have spend over a total of 24 hours on this ONE contest and the price?.... $10-40 CH's choice of payment. The only reason i kept changing it is to try to get better and learning all of this. And still, no viable feedback. It's "getting closer", "nice work" "thanks for entering". That is my type of crap.
It´s strange, because I really intended to open a thread like this. I agree with many of the arguments already brought up. And Dear Moderators, please do us and yourself a favor, and make this a sticky thread, because there have already been too many contests that makes one want to throw up. IMHO a fair value by professional standards for a 10$ logo is a piece of clipart with the name nailed to it. I believe though the low pricing isn´t the main problem after all. If there´s only a budget of 10$ for a logo, it´s the way it is. I find the large number of abandoned contests much, much more serious. The norm here seems to be that a contest holder doesn´t give a design briefing because he finds it pleasing to see people wasting their time. So, the first 10 designs are usually for the shitter, because the first 10 designers weren´t good enough at mindreading and if they´re lucky they receive a "Not what I have in mind" -comment. Another stupidity is the "no deadline"-tactics which ensures that most designers will work for the trashcan. I wouldn´t mention this if I didn´t have the impression that most contest holders are resellers, making much more money than the "winning designer" with practically no effort or risk at all. One suggestions I have would be: Each designer entering an abandoned contest should at least be granted the opportunity to include his submissions in his portfolio.
Try 99designs if you guys what high priced contests, they are very good though (the designers). As for contests at DP, I honestly don't find them worth my time; only time I will enter them is when I am bored. The price is very low for the work you need to put in and as said, it isn't really worth it as at the end of the day you get little to no feedback.
For a good design, the price at 99designs is low as well, but, judging from my own experience, what makes all the difference is that you mostly have the ability to communicate with the final client directly. In brief, there is someone who cares if he or she gets a satisfying logo / design or not. If you compare the design briefings at 99designs with the ones over here you´ll often come to the conclusion that the CHs here simply don´t care about design (or people for that matter).
99Designs isn't high priced designs - they aren't even in the middle. The same thing happens there, as it does here...(abandoned contests, designers copying other designer concepts, etc). The problem with the prize amounts, is simply there will always be someone willing to do the job for that price..... and that is the problem. For me, it isn't worth it to bother looking at anything below $15.00 and that is only if I am bored and have no other projects on the go.
Hi All: I'm the guy who needs some design work but my budget is limited. Just think in the age of multiple blogs (auto-feed) what the cost would be (say 20 blogs @$60.00 a header). Do you think that a low budget consumer such as myself (remember 20 blogs) could afford 1200.00? THat's the great thing about this forum: Barter. In any case people who create are generally driven. They get a great deal more out of a project than money (yes, money is a necessary "evil", it is used as a survival tool in our culture) SO what's the trade off if there are $10.00 or even$5.00 contests. 1) First of all the start-up designer can develop a portfolio. 2) The professional (experienced, has an established design business) can do pro bono work or low cost work (like the contests) as a certain percentage of his/er business (good publicity). Getting back to me as a consumer. I don't think I'm a stingy guy who is trying to take advantage of people who might need income. Ilook at my self as a person who has a budget I need to stick to and what is the most I can get for the work I need done. Most people who start up an enterprise always get income that falls short of what they expect (unless they are a bank robber, jewel thief, won a cable company or they happen to be Bernie Madoff). I had an idea about a website/blog which required an illustrator. The first thing I thought of was Digital Point Forum. I did a search for illustrators and discovered what they wanted as remuneration. I had to rethink because it would be too costly per illustration for a start-up enterprise on a shoe string budget.. Enough said. "No matter where you go, there you are" V_M
This is why I have all but stopped entering contests on DP, opting instead for 99designs where the contests are a lot more generous (most of the ones I enter are the price I would charge for the web designs I create away from the contest environment anyway). I obviously appreciate that some contest holders have a low budget and, like anybody, they will try to get the most from their money and that's understandable, but I don't feel like it is respecting the designers' time at all. For example, if you are holding a $20 contest, and someone enters it you can bet they will probably have taken about 2-3 hours on their initial entry (the good designers anyway) and then maybe 15 mins per revision after that. They could be spending 4-6 hours on your logo for a chance to take home 20 bucks. That is way below the minimum wage in most countries. And they might not even get that. Of course, the whole contest model is all about risk - you know when you enter there's a high chance you won't win a thing. This doesn't usually bother me because I mostly enter them for the enjoyment but I don't like feeling like i'm being ripped off, hence not going anywhere near the low priced contests. As someone said above though, there will always be people willing to work for those measly sums, so I can't ever see it stopping. I would like DP to add a minimum prize rule though, at the moment it's $6 because $5 jobs have to go in the Freebies area, but I think they should consider raising it.
I don't think the prize is the biggest problem here in the contest forum. If you don't like the prize amount, don't participate. The problem I have here at the contest forum is that probably 99% of contests I've participated on don't pick a winner! I don't care if I don't win. I just wanna see someone I competed with win so I know I participated in a real contest. But unfortunately after asking for so many revisions from participants, they'll just walk away. So my advice to designers here... Don't participate in contests here offering big price amount. They most likely won't pick a winner.
I also stopped entering contests, time 'vs' outcome was pitiful, Since picking up a few large clients whom have stuck with me & make regular large orders I have no need to enter something where the CH is trying to get maximum for peanuts, tightarsed CH's is all they are. This place has rapidly progressed on a downward spiral! sad but true!
It's on a downward spiral because a lot of designers have wised up to the fact that their work is worth a hell of a lot more than they were being awarded in the contests here, and many will have moved on to 99designs.com or elogocontest.com where their effort is more appreciated and more worthwhile.
Some people expect a lot. I have even designed 2 banners for 5$. U can see my itrader for that. They just think that designers don't justput enough effort in designing. Even its a simple design, even then a lot of work is put into it.
I agree with most of the comments being made thus far. I personally am really frustrated because I have done OVERE 105 entries, and not a one of them even came close. The CH's that said they liked my designs, take off. I am nearly ready to give up on this forum all together.
That is just part of the risk I guess, you may NEVER win a contest even though you are a great designer. A lot of contest holders have no graphical ability or awareness so what they choose isn't always the best design in the contest. It's just how it works. You probably deserved to win a good amount of those 105 entries mate. It's like on 99designs, some people have entered over 600 contests and won 3 of them, it makes me wonder why these people keep entering!
I agree completely. And some CH even stole some designs silently after he abandoned the contest (a good reason why some CH don't disclose the URL of the site for the banner/logo). I think this is the main source of the problem, honestly. I'm not a designer (though i love to design sometimes), i just enter some contests here if i'm in need for a few bucks to either buy domain names, or pay for some services, etc etc. So i'm not really concerned about prize amounts. ..But even so, sometimes i'm seeing a CH asking too much, like a logo+a header+a mascot for only $25. That's ridiculous. But they'll keep doing it in the future because there are people who will enter the contest.