In the last column, we talked about how companies can get a new corporate logo without using a designer or paying a high price.
To provide some real-world insight into how the process, I asked a client, Fab Calitri, who runs Calitri Construction, about his experience using crowdSpring.com, a service in which designers around the world bid for design projects.
Why did you decide to use crowdSpring as opposed to using a graphic designer for your logo?
crowdSpring gives you the ability to use designers around the world, as well as getting ideas from more than one designer. In my past experience, the graphic designers that we have hired always complained as to how much time that they were spending on the project.
How did you provide crowdSpring with the guidance and information needed so designers could take a stab at the Calitri logo?
I basically picked our two favourite colours, orange and grey, and we provided a heads up that we work with upscale designers and architects. We also mentioned that we had two divisions but we wanted to create one unique brand.
How did you find the process? Was it easy to do? Did you have to raise your price to attract designs?
The process was extremely easy; the graphic designers are willing to make changes to their current designs.
How many logo designs did you receive?
We received more than 200 logo designs.
How did you determine the one you liked?
We liked the overall look and feel of the logo and felt that it represented us as a company - the logo felt very rich.
Any advice or tips to people who might be interested in using crowdSpring?
It is an excellent and well thought out web site and service, which is very user friendly. It lets you to choose the amount of money that you're willing to pay. In my own example, I used a value of US$300.00, plus crowdSpring's fee, and it was money was well spent. I would definitely use it again and have been recommending the service to my colleagues.
Special to The Globe and Mail
Mark Evans is a principal with ME Consulting , a content and social media strategic and tactical consultancy that creates and delivers 'stories' for companies looking to capture the attention of customers, bloggers, the media, business partners, employees and investors. Mark has worked with three start-ups - Blanketware, b5Media and PlanetEye - so he understands how they operate and what they need to do to be successful. He was a technology reporter for more than a decade with The Globe and Mail, Bloomberg News and the Financial Post. Mark is also one of the co-organizers of the mesh, meshUniversity and meshmarketing conferences.