To all my fellow designers: Ok, I don't know how to conduct a poll, but if someone does, please, by all means conduct one if you feel it warrants it: While there are no stead and fast rules: I believe we can have some control if entries into contests are provided via pm or on the forum thread. I want to know how you all feel about it. 1. All entries on the thread. 2. Some on the thread and some via pm......who cares. 3. All via pm's. I know how I feel........if it's a contest, everything on the table........I know for a fact my designs are being ripped and I spend now more time tracking than designing.....but, that's just me....I have also tracked down and reported designs that are being lifted by OTHER designers for which I am quick to act upon.........and not just on this forum............ I wish to know how my fellow designers feel..........
Although I am not a designer I had some contests on this forums with great results. In principle I agree all designs/entries should be posted on the thread. I can understand how xpressions feels since nobody likes being robbed. If your design gets stolen you should take it as a complements even though that is very little consolation. I am sure DaveyBoy will have some words of wisdom and advice on this subject. After all he also lost a contest because of a logo submitted via pm which was a blatant copy of DaveyBoy original design with a slight modification. But as always, DaveyBoy decided to remain the true gentleman and let it go even though it must have been very annoying.
Yeah, I think there are pros and cons of both PMing and Posting the design entries. If you PM the logo, I see no disadvantages to you, but there are for the contest holder. Namely that if your design is copied or whatever then there is no oppertunity for other designers to spot this copy. However, if you PM the logo, it means that other designers cannot be 'inspired' by an idea you've had for it and they will be unable to copy it. If people post in a thread, then obviously it's the exact opposite. People can check for copies and copy themselves. Also, for the CH, if you say only PM the logos, then, because of the large amount of activity in the contests section, your contest will go to the bottom of the pile very quickly, and get fewer entries. -Hecky
If I am including Cartoon/illustration/art work that created by me than I prefer to send my entry through PM to the contest holder to keep my art work private till I win. When contest holder declares me winner than I post my entry before I accept contest prize money from CH. This will enable my fellow designers to see my concept and check whether my Concept/Cartoon/Illustration/Art work copy of anybody's concept or anything that available on net. So that designers can alert Contest Holder if it is a copied concept. The reason why I prefer PM to send my concept is… if I am not winning than my Cartoon/Illustration/Art work can be used for the other similar contest since previous one was not made public. But I vote to post every entry in the contest thread.
Well just woke up to be accused of stealing someones banner as i had started before anyone else had even posted on the thread and was sending via pm then got accused of stealing from them, annoying, oh well i won
haha oh well i won. Ive gotten accused it was BS i lost. haha god for bid i put 360 degrees on my logo.
I don't like when people enter via pm as they can be sending you a warez logo and most likely the owner of the contest won't know. Also it's not fair to people in the thread as we don't know what to beat.
Thanks for the kind works proteindude I do have a few opinions on the subject, I really do think everything should be submitted into the thread. Just seems fairer in a way. Yes, people become inspired by other people's work but so what? If the CH says he likes a certain element on someone's work, then it would see silly for other entrants to not revise their entries to include the element the CH liked. This ultimately means that the CH is getting the logo they want. I personally don't enter contests to win money, I do it for fun between my regular clients' work. So i'm not really bothered if somebody uses part of my design or whatever. If the CH benefits from it, I think that's the best all round. Obviously it's different if it's a total rip of a previous entry though..
There is a difference between "inspiration" and "concept theft". If a contest holder likes elements of a particular design, then the contest holder should work with the designer that had the original concept; or offer to pay something for the use of that work. Asking designers to use other's work is of itself unethical. And designers should be encourage not to do so. While I have been divided on how I feel about entries being submitted via pm versus on the thread, I believe it's safer from a designer's standpoint to send entries privately. And I believe I will be submitting any future entries via pm or email if concept theft/borrowing is not deteroured.