A good logo is essential, especially in these days of mobile access when sometimes the only representation of your company that a user may see is a tiny little logo. Logo design, however, is not a skill that everyone possesses.
And here’s where we hit the common startup conundrum: what to do when you don’t know how to do something well yourself but you don’t have a whole lot of cash to pay someone else to do it? While plenty of people make a stab at “it” (whichever “it” it happens to be), logo design is one of those areas that you really, really shouldn’t try to do yourself unless you’re a professional.
So what’s the solution?
48hourslogo is one site that bootstrapping founders can turn to when they need a quality logo, quickly. For a $29 fee to start, founders can create a logo design contest and see entries coming in within hours. And while logos are their main focus, they also have design contests for web and print design.
The process is simple. In order to get a contest going, you start by telling them your company’s name and a little bit of information about it; basically anything that you think may be relevant to the visual persona you’re going for. They then give you a few different logo styles to choose from, ranging from “abstract” to “initial” to “fun,” among others. Pick out your target audience by selecting the industry you company is in, let them know what colors you think are best, and include any ideas or concepts you’ve already worked out.
How much does it cost?
48hourslogo requires that your “contest prize” be at least $99, of which they’ll take a 15% fee, plus their original $29 fee, putting the lowest price at $144. After that point, founders have the option to upgrade to a private contest for a $30 upgrade, making it only visible to logo designers on the site and not findable in search engines. For $19 more, the contest can be featured on the page, placed above all of the others in order to pull in more entries. Finally, for $5 each, founders can send invites to specific top designers whose work they admire on the site, offering them the chance to get in front of the competition.
The site has already served over 15,000 customers, with almost 1.4 million logos designed at time of press. For people looking for inspiration – or even just an idea of exactly what quality of work their “prize” could gain them – 48hourslogo also has a sampling of recent contests, their winners, and how much they cost front and center on the homepage.
So if you’re in serious need of a logo or a logo redesign and that’s just not a skill you’ve mastered, head on over to 48hourslogo.com and get a contest going!
