The Hunger Games for Designers

“Design Competitions” are all the rage now. Go to a website, post your logo design requirements and set your price (usually very low). Within hours, you will get a heap of designs from eager (and probably hungry) “contestants” - designers around the world willing to work on spec just for a shot at your gig. You pick your winner, who gets paid. The majority of designers get nothing. Everybody happy? Not really.

Depending on how you look at it, this is either the power of the free market place at work, or feeding on the desperation of artists trying to survive in a global gig economy. But there is another reason to be careful about these “competitions”.

We were called in to “fix up” one of these logos, because the “winning design” came with a host of issues, from glaring design flaws, grammatical and syntax mistakes, missing versions and file formats, etc. 

Turns out: logo design is a two-way street. You need a designer who understands what you want and need. You need an expert by your side – not a hopeful designer whose only way to survive is churning out as many quick entries for these “competitions” in the hope that something sticks.

The gig economy has its place and is great for some jobs. But beware: cheap design comes at a price. If you want a durable and stylish fountain pen, that free ballpoint you can get from the bank is no substitute.