I've worked with a few designers here, and I've noticed something many of them have in common. Even if we have a deal in hand, they give priority to contests. For example, I'll provide basic concepts for a mockup, and wait a couple days. But I'll often see these designers post numerous mockups for contests, prior to getting me anything - and the contests start after our private deal. I'm not complaining - that's not the purpose of this post. I'm just wondering why a contest, with an unknown outcome, seems to be more desirable than a private deal. It doesn't seem to be the money - I've paid the same privately, as a contest offers. I'd go the contest route myself, but I guess I'm a little old fashioned...I prefer to find somebody I work well with, and use them exclusively. I'm curious to hear from the designers here - do you prefer contests over private work?
Its the Mocheesmo factor and I don't believe its specific to Designers. If your good at something and you find yourself surrounded by others who are just as proficient, you want to proove it. Others may put more into it, but I believe that's generally the crux of it.
I dont. In fact i never post on contests (apart from 2-3 when i was new). I feel its like an insult to creativity.
I know I prefer contests. I've had a few bad experiences doing custom work, I'd spend all my time on designs and the client would be satisfied but then request big changes later on.. eventually I never got paid for the many hours I put into the designs. At least with contests you can choose not to go into change requests if you think the contest holder isn't serious about your design.
There's a very fine line between 'contests' and contests. I find all to often somebody wanting a good design decides they can get a better design or not be stuck with a design they might get from one designer if they offer the job as a contest open for all, and offer the price they would have paid as the prize. The issue with this is that if you hope 500 people apply for the contest so you have a lot of people to choose from, that means you intend not to pay 499 people for their work. Yes it's their choice to join, but they might be immature and not realize the danger. You're intending to take advantage of them. If you want 500 designs to choose from, there is no law saying you can't pay 500 individual designers for work and only use one. Speculative work as it's called, is a crime in some jurisdictions as well, and besides, contest stuff never hits the mark like a professional solution anyway so it's a lose/lose for the designers and the 'contest holder' no-spec.com for more info
You don't require payment in advance? As a client, I expect that. Which is yet another reason, I prefer working with directly with a trusted individual.
Hmmm...can't say I agree with that. Everyone involved in a contest, from the person posting, to the participating designers, knows the rules of the game. Taking advantage of a designer (or anyone else), implies something underhanded and/or dishonest is taking place - neither of which is the case, in most of the contests I've seen. For me, I'd consider a contest if I didn't have a trusted individual to work with - it's a great way to see what talent is out there. It's also a good way to test the "communication waters", on both sides. I've seen many a contest, where the end result looked fantastic - but it didn't match the stated requirements of the poster. Likewise, I've seen many contests where the client didn't post their needs clearly and succinctly - an obvious red flag for designers. Regardless, if I ever do go the contest route, my primary intent would be to find good designers to use for future work...I can't imagine using contests for every design need.
I was new to designing for money so I thought it would be okay for them to pay after they were satisfied with the design.. lesson learned. If you paid the designers in advance I think its very disrespectful that they post their designs in contests instead of working on your design. The only thing I could come up with is that they want to earn as much as possible so they put your design aside when they get the chance to earn more.. Its definitely not professional.
Your point is an interesting one and I actually often find myself doing the same thing ( I am one of the designers with 'client a.d.d.' that you describe) I personally need to stop doing this but here is why I believe that I do such things... I like to think of myself as a creative person but I have a hard time following through with things. I love a new project brief because it gets my mind working overtime and I like to sit somewhere and sketch up ideas. This is where I am at my best. Where I personally fail is when the project is wrapping up and all I really have to do is put the finishing touches/ revisions/ file format/ etc. in order and show the client one last time. For some reason this is nearly impossible for me to do. I know what I am doing is stupid and just out right bad business, but I have a hard time breaking this habit. It is possible, although not confirmed in any way, that other designers have this same problem. Great creative gifts and bad business sense.
I don't do contests anymore, i feel it's an insult to the designer. i have several return clients who are satisfied with my work and i never need to prove anything to them to keep them satisfied and paying for my services. i for one would never plant a paying client on the side for a contest (i rarely if ever enter a contest even) my time is worth money, and there's no way i'm going to put hours into doing a quality design worthwhile of winning, when there's still the chance that i won't get paid for it in the end. the payoff had better be pretty damn spectacular to draw my interest in, and i wouldn't ever waste my time with it if i had guaranteed work at the moment. contests are for noobs who aren't capable of finding paying work or who are just trying to prove something...
I've never been one for contests, I make it a life goal that if I'm ever in competition with somebody to just yield my postition. If I'm not the clear choice in any given situation, that's not something I really want to win. Like think of a girl for example, if I'm not the obvious choice, I don't want her. With a client: if they don't come to me for who I am, what I do and what I know, then I don't want them as a client because they'll never trust me or respect my experience. There are some contests you don't want to win, some clients you don't want to have.
you sound really bitter about this forum, most of your comments are negative, this forum is a great place - maybe like your message above you are upset about a girl and taking it out on this forum. Change your view point and you will see this is a great place
For people who are not in it for the money, I think its proving that you are better than others... I participate in contests just for the kick of it
People enter contests because you don't have to work as hard inorder to make a certain design that is from a client. Let's say you have an hour to work. What you are designing for a client will take you approximately two hours. Instead of starting and stopping, and then starting again, you would rather do a contest or two that would waste that one hour, and then later, when you have more time on your hands, you can finish the client's work, just because, when you start designing something,and then you go do something else, and come back to it, at least for me, I lose all thought of what i was going for. Of course, I am not one to draw things out, but more of a think in my head and design as i go, but i think it would apply to all designers. It's not that we don't care, we just want to maximize the use of our time, and make the most money possible, while satisfying more than one person at a time and getting our name out there. That's actually another reason I just thought about. When we post in contests, it's like a sample of our work. If someone looks at our design, and likes it, they might visit our portfolio, or write down our name and contact us later for a design they need done. It's like an open market for clients. I bet you that people who post in contests probably get more private work than those who don't. At least that's my 2 cents on all of it. Regards, Nick