Recently I was looking for an affordable logo design solution for a new business venture we are doing. So I decided to try out 99designs.
I had previously thought about using their services for another project but changed my mind at the last minute and used Elance for the logo design. It was an interesting experience in comparing the two services.
A company at Elance was selected to design the logo for Membership Tutor. Whilst the company we chose were quick, the logo design process took a few weeks and the range of logos presented were somewhat limited. We didn’t feel that they were particularly creative, several mistakes were made and we had to push a couple of time to get the logo’s in a transparent png format. We did finally settle on a design and from memory we spent about $250 for the logo, some banners and ebook covers. This is the end result:
For our next project on Swoop Digital, we decided to try out 99designs as we wanted something that required a bit more creativity. We briefed the project and all up received about 62 entries – many of which were modifications based on the Feedback I provided. The quality and creativity of the submissions was excellent. For the $295 (plus GST for Australian residents) that we paid we got a broad range of logos and designs. The contest closed after 7 days and we were able to award a winner. We were extremely happy with the range and quality of the design. It was well worth the additional money we paid for this logo when compared to our Elance designer. You can see the result below:
I should point out that this is an extremely cheap way to source and have a logo designed. I say this is because I have worked in the corporate world where I paid tens of thousands of dollars for a logo. Jest if you must but this is the truth. Obviously this puts a logo design beyond the reach of most people. The great thing is that 99designs makes logo design so much more affordable.
Advantages of Using 99designs
One of the key advantages is that you get a broad range of designs that you wouldn’t get if you used one designer. This gives you a greater selection than what you would otherwise get. Most designers were also amenable to making minor changes to the logos they created. The cost of the logo design is very affordable and overall the level of creativity is higher than if you used a one off service. 99designs also has a service where you can select your preferred logos and then set up a survey for friends and colleagues to vote and give feedback on the design. This was most useful and was surprising what things people picked up about our logo. It also gave us reassurance that other people liked the same logo we that we did.
Negatives of Using 99designs
One negative is that you feel guilty that people have put time and effort into creating a logo and they are not getting paid for their efforts. This is particularly true when you have designer who has submited multiple designs. Although this is a contest and the designers understand the terms and conditions when they submit their designs, you can feel some remorse that people have not be rewarded for the efforts they put in. This is because there are some amazing good designs.The other negative is that it can be time consuming giving designers feedback however the more feedback you give, the better end result you will get from the designers. So whilst it is a negative, it is also a positive.
My recommendations
It is worth paying extra money to get a logo design you love. We love our new logo and it certainly invites comment.
My tips when using a logo design service
- Decide if you like text based logos, symbol based logos or a combination of both
- Specify if you have any preferred colours
- Make sure you request eps files of the logo
- Also get the logos in jpg format and as transparent png files so they can be placed on any background colours without having the annoying little white square surrounding the logo
- Ask for the RGB and Hexcode colour specifications
>> Tap into the power of crowdsourced graphic design at 99designs.com and try it for yourself <<
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