Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

What is PMS? (In color terms.) I understood everything else.

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VickiJ
www.freshairjournal.com

Hi all -

I thought I would share an additional article about identity design that was just published in a legal industry publication.  While slightly skewed to the audience of law firm administrators, the piece contains a few helpful hints for anyone considering the creation of a new company logo:

Tipping the scales toward successful identity design

- J.





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Jeff Fisher | Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Tweet! Tweet!

Hi,

We recently did a logo design contest on Sitepoint.com and got about 10-15 different designs.  The winner was to receive $100.  Someone suggested this option to me, and I was skeptical.  But I gave it a whirl, got some bad designs, some good, but one we really liked and ultimately choose for our business.

You can check it out at our site, PipelineDeals.com.  The upper left blue/white spiral.  We also have a grey/white one.

Its just another option you have outside of the high end professional and in between the logo kit builders.

Nick


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An international campaign is now in place to educate both the general public  and graphic designers about such "contests" - which are little more than requests for speculative, or "spec," work.  You can read much more about this effort on the NO!SPEC web site.   Design organizations around the world are taking up this cause in promoting professionalism in our industry.  I am a member of the NO!SPEC committee, made up of designers from around the world.  In addition, I have written about this topic in articles for design industry publications and web sites.  Two of the articles are When a "contest" is not a contest and Say NO!LOGO to speculative "contests" and identity design requests.  

- J.



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Jeff Fisher | Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Tweet! Tweet!

This makes it sound like I committed a crime.  Startups often can`t afford the $ to work with and receive multiple designs from one or more firms.

I don`t think there is anything wrong with asking designers to compete for business.  Small companies and even large often do business development work for free or on spec if you will.  Why?  Well, of course in hopes of it paying off in a long term relationship.

My logo contest resulted in $ for a firm.  Any by the way, I may give that firm more $ for additional design work.


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Designers should compete for business - based on the quality of existing work in their portfolio of past design efforts, not on the request for new design work with the possibility of being selected for compensation.  That is the basic premise of the NO!SPEC campaign. 

In how many other industries are individuals asked to do the service requested and the customer will decide afterwards whether to pay the individual (and accept the work) or not?  It seems to be limited to the creative professions (at times in the design, advertising, architecture and similar fields) for some reason.  Doing business in such a manner doesn`t seem to be acceptable to doctors, dentists, lawyers, and most other professions. 

The design profession is finally standing up for themselves and letting potential customers know that business will not be done in such a manner any longer.  My post was simply meant to be part of the education process that is taking place on an international scale.

- J.




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Jeff Fisher | Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Tweet! Tweet!

Amen, Jeff!

It always amazed me (when I had staff and doing creative work) how people wanted "spec" work. Glad to hear the creative world is banning together to educate and stop the practice.

R@

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog

I own a small marketing consulting business that offers the services you`re looking for.  Feel free to give us a call and we`ll work with you to develop a logo that meets your needs.  If you`re REALLY tight on cash and just need something that looks decent quickly, I`d give www.logodesigncreation.com a visit.  Wired magazine reviewed a bunch of online logo development businesses and this one was rated very highly.


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Ryan J StarPointe Marketing Website Development, Hosting & Marketing Consulting

Hi all  -

I thought I`d add my latest article, from my CreativeLatitude.com column Logo Notions, to the mix of this thread: 

Using, fusing and abusing “the rules” of logo design

- J.



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Jeff Fisher | Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Tweet! Tweet!

Jeff - great article! Keep educating the masses.

R@

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Richard Arnold · Key Concept Writers · Business Communication: The "Key" To Success· Law of Attraction Blog · Life Ain`t Brain Surgery Blog