A recent client needed a new logo for his business. He had been using one design on his truck, another on his business cards, and nothing on his website. When I mentioned the costs involved with a good logo design, he was shocked. I explained that he could have a logo done cheaply, or he could have the right logo designed for his company, but it would cost more.
He went with the long-term solution – a nice logo that reflected his company, the creativity of his work, and even his two children that were the future of the company. The price he paid the designer (me) was reasonable, but below what most designers would charge for a logo design project.
For small business owners who are considering a new logo, or re-working of their existing logo, there is now another solution: 99 Designs.
99 Designs touts themselves as “the fastest growing design marketplace in the world”, and there’s a good reason for their quick growth. The company allows clients to post their desired goal with a logo design. Clients can include preferred colors, fonts, and degrees of “feel” for items such as feminine/masculine, young/mature, luxury/economical, or simple/complex. Clients also describe where the logo will be used and can attach any images, sketches or documents that would be helpful to a designer.
Once the client fills in the form, they can choose how much they are willing to pay for the design. Then the magic happens. Any number of designers can submit a design for the client who is then able to eliminate the ones they don’t like and leave the ones they do like. At the end of a set time period, perhaps hundreds of designers have submitted logo designs (although most requests end up with 20-50).
99 Designs works like a design contest, where the client can then choose the winning design and pay the designer the agreed-upon fee for the work. It seems like a great win for the client who instead of paying one designer for one design, they instead have a crew of designers submitting work that they can choose from.
In addition to logos, 99 Designs also allows contests for business cards, websites or product packaging. The logo contests that were underway on the site ranged in price from $295 to $500 dollars, a great price for a custom logo, and an even better deal considering the variety of designs the clients get to choose from.
Learn more about 99 Designs contests and see examples at www.99designs.com.
