How to Run a Logo Design Contest on Designhill: Tips and Best Practices

What’s in a logo design? Your brand’s visual identity depends on how quickly people recall your business. A logo design, in this sense, ensures that people recognize your company, products, and services by looking at it. But the reality is that not all company logos can do that. Only a professionally designed brandmark can make a credible company image and recognition.

So, here comes the main question — how to get a logo designed and from where? Launching a logo design contest on logo contest sites like Designhill, 99designs, and Fiverr is the best way to get a custom logo design. But before we delve into the process, let’s understand a few terms first. 

• What is a Logo Design Contest?

  A logo design contest is run by a company owner or an individual aiming to access multiple logo design ideas from as many designers as possible. It is a competition for logo designers who submit their custom logo designs to the contest owner. 

  The contest owner gives a design brief that designers must follow when creating a logo. Logo designers, while participating in the contest, submit their logo ideas. The contest owner or client also announces prize money for the winner. The client then offers feedback to the designers for improvements in the submitted designs. 

  Then, the client picks a logo design, announces its designer as the contest winner, and offers the prize money. 

  All in all, a logo design contest is the simple way to get a custom company logo designed by experienced designers. 

• How to benefit from your logo design contest

  When posting your logo design contest for designers, use it to your advantage. Here are some of the crucial aspects you should consider to benefit from logo contest sites:

• Make a design brief that’s easy to understand

  Do not post your design brief in a hurry. Instead, consider your goals in inviting designers to work on your logo. A brief must have all the necessary instructions for the designers so that they get a clear direction. 

  The brief should reflect your expectations from your startup logo. Write down how you want the logo to look and what values it should represent. 

  Ensure that the brief mentions your company name and slogan along with target audience and purpose of your company. So, if you need a construction company logo, tell about your business and industry so that designers can pick elements accordingly. Also, describe the type of font and color you want in your logo. You can also include some references to help designers know what logo ideas you have in mind. 

  So the crux is write the perfect design brief to get the design you want from the contest.

• Avoid making these common mistakes

  When writing your design brief, you should take caution to avoid the mistakes others generally make. So, check your design brief before submitting it as part of your logo design contest. 

  Avoid trendy design - First, write that you do not want a logo that follows trends. A trendy logo design does not last long; you must redesign it soon. That is why you must mention that you need a timeless design that remains meaningful even after decades. Describe that you need a classic logo design without passing trends. 

  Do not use multiple colors - Your design brief should mention that the logo prefers one or two colors only. Describe which brand colors are used for your logo design. You can also leave the color choice to the designers.

  Avoid odd-looking fonts - Fonts give personality to a company logo. But the brief would clearly say that you do not want strange fonts. Instead, mention that you would like the logo designed in a timeless font to make it look professional. Always look out for logo fonts that are preferred by designers.

• Announce an attractive prize money

  Your prize money for logo designers should be attractive enough to lure them. Make sure that the prize money is competitive. Know that an attractive amount of prize is your way to appreciate the designers’ efforts. 

  If your prize money is too low, it will discourage talented designers from working on your logo contest. Your aim of the contest should be to get a professionally designed logo. Only such a logo can reflect the true essence of your business. 

  So, take your high prize money as your investment in designing a high-quality brandmark.

• Upgrade your design contest for better results

  Do not get satisfied with just launching a logo design contest and getting a few submissions. Instead, if you are not getting the desired results, consider upgrading the contest. Such upgrades will optimize your contest for more designers see it and submit their unique design ideas. 

  The basic prize for the logo design contest is $249, which will attract 20+ design submissions. If you upgrade the contest with the Executive plan, you get 60+ designs from as many designers as possible. The highest Premium package of $999 will give you 80+ design submissions from pro designers.

• Get dozens of design submissions

  Several designers will respond to your logo design contest by submitting their logo ideas. Even if you launch a contest with a low budget, it will attract 20+ designers who might submit their logo ideas to you. Then, as you upgrade your contest, you will have more design submissions from talented designers. That means you have more logo ideas to choose from.

  At Designhill, you have packages of Fast Track, Standard, Executive, and Premium to pick. These packages let you have designs ranging from 20 to over 80 submissions. 

• Engage with the designers

  Many designers try to develop unique ideas while responding to your contest for custom logo design. But you will get the best results when you engage with their design process. Ensure you build a collaborative environment in the contest by staying active. 

  First, rank those designs based on their level of creativity. Pick design ideas that are relevant to your business. Then, give feedback to those designers to help them improve the logo per your brief.

  Use private messages on Designhill to give feedback to the designers. This helps in making personalized communication. 

  Also, your design contest should make the feedback visible to all the designers. That will help them to know what exactly you require from the design. 

  Think of boosting your contest prize as well. This measure will increase competition engagement as more designers will engage with your contest. 

  If some designers perform well in designing your logo, appreciate their efforts. Tell them that they are close to creating a great logo for you. That is your way to boost engagement with designers.   

• Give your feedback to the designers

  Next, interact with the designers whose logos you find interesting. You should also give feedback to those who ask for your opinion. But first, carefully review the logos so that you can guide the designers with a purpose.

• Claim ownership of the design

  After you pick one winning logo design, claim ownership of the logo immediately. Designhill ensures that you legally get your ownership of the winning logo. Make sure you have covered all the legal aspects of owning the logo as your brand identity. The handover process makes it easier for you to get all the file formats and ownership transfers.

• Here is why you should prefer a Logo Design Contest over a Traditional Designer

  A logo design contest has multiple advantages for the contest owner compared to the traditional way of hiring a designer. Here is why you should opt for a design contest:

• Cost-effective solution

  A logo design contest option is much cheaper than hiring an expensive designer. A logo design contest gives you access to hundreds of designers willing to design your logo. You will be paying to just one designer who wins the contest. 

  On the other hand, when working with a designer to create a logo, know that most designers charge a high fee, which everyone cannot afford. If yours is a new business, their fees might not be affordable to you. Know that most such designers will charge extra if you request them to redesign or make some changes. Many designers charge consultation fees and hourly rates.

• Get a wide range of design ideas

  Another advantage of a logo design contest is that it gives access to dozens of unique ideas. You can collaborate with designers from different cultural and skill backgrounds. Designhill has a huge pool of talented designers willing to work on your logo per your brief. That means you get many design ideas in just a few days.

  When working with one designer traditionally, you get just one logo idea. It will lack variations and ideas that a group of designers put into a design project.

• Designers available 24/7

  Most designers have set their working hours and may only work on your logo during those hours. That means if you need a logo urgently, you may not access talented designers when you need them. That can lead to delays in creating your logo. 

  That is not the case with a logo design contest. You can access many designers immediately as they are willing to participate in the contest. They are available for consultations, and you can give your feedback anytime.

• Steps to take when launching a logo design contest

  Designhill is a leading platform where you can safely launch your logo design contest and get design submissions from a global community of designers. Here is how to run a logo design contest. 

• Launch your logo design contest

  First, visit the Designhill website and search for Start a Design Contest page under the services menu at the top. Once you click the desired option, you’ll get a page asking what designs you’re looking for. Select logo from the given options and proceed further.

• Give your business details

  Next, provide information about your company name and what it offers to its target customers. Then, describe your preferences regarding logo design style, colors, and other elements. At this stage, provide your project brief to the designers, including your website name, social media links, and other guiding information.

• Select your package and pay

  Select your package from the four packages -Fast Track, Standard, Executive, and Premium. Choose a package that suits your budget. Remember that you will get at least 20+ design submissions with the lowest package. Then, as you upgrade, you get more submissions from the designers against your logo design brief. 

  All you need to do is to select the required package and check out. That will start your logo design contest and make it visible to the designers on the Designhill platform. 

  So, these are the key tips to consider while starting your logo design contest on Designhill. Ensure you provide a precise design brief that guides the designers toward creating a purposeful logo for your brand. 

Wrapping Up

Designhill is a leading creative platform with more than 330K designers from around the world. You can visit the site to launch a logo design contest within your budget. Provide all the essential information related to your business to make a perfect brief. Pay close attention to every submission, give feedback, ask for improvement, and at last, choose a winner and release the award money. Walk away with a custom logo to use it the way you like.