Intro: What Contests Should I Do?
(Most of the details are specifically for DesignContest.com, but the concepts can be applied to any contest site.)
Most people creating logo designs for contests (rather than as part of their business) probably have other obligations. This article will show you how the different levels of involvement contest holders put into their contests should affect your decision to work with them (or not work with them).
Part-time freelancers have the coveted ability to pick and chose what to work on, how much effort they put in to each submission, and how much time they will devote to a given contest. Since your winnings are probably paying for dinners out and movies, not the electric bill, you can even take a leave of absence. The only thing you may sacrifice is your rating (more on this later).
The Four Kinds of Contest Holders
(and how their actions affect my decision to submit a design)
Great Contest: The Active Contest Holder (CH)
This is probably the best possible situation. On DesignContest.com, when the CH gives feedback to a designer for a certain submission, everyone can see the comment. Any question the CH answers (about color preferences, proportions, etc) are seen by all designers.
The only possible downside, is that you will work on revision after revision, only to not win the contest. This has happened to me. You'll get angry about all the time you "wasted" but in reality you worked closely with a client and produced many (many, many) designs. You practiced designing and working with a client.
An Active CH Will:
1. Rate/Eliminate Every Design - This is helpful for you because you can easily see what the CH loves, likes, doesn't really like, and hates. Each design can be rated from 1-100. These "points" determine your ranking.
2. Comment on Most of the Designs - Rankings are helpful but if the CH doesn't provide their reasoning behind giving a submission a 24%, the designer won't know how to improve. ALWAYS read the comments the CH leaves for other designers. It will help prevent you from making the same mistakes.
3. Provide Comments with Substance - The multitude of "This is OK" comments are not all that helpful. Sure they show other designers what the CH kind of likes, but they don't help anyone move closer to what the CH loves. Even though the CH can sometimes seem to be nit-picking, I'd rather have a vocal, opinionated CH than one who doesn't communicate.
4. Give Revisions - These are critical for most designers. When a CH grants you a revision, you can submit an extra design. This is necessary if the CH is asking for a lot of changes.
OK Contest: The Rater
If you are looking to up your rating (and maybe win), this is the contest for you. Some contest holders will give their favorite designs 98%. The "nice but not perfect" designs get 95% and the "meh, that's OK" designs get 90%.
Even if you fall in the "OK" category, you get 90 points to bump up your rating. Multiply that by the 7 submissions you get and you have 630 points!
This CH often posts meaningless comments such as "this is nice" and "i like this one", and provides little if any direction. You might get lucky and submit something they love; you might not.
NOT THE BEST Contest: I Don't Believe in Ratings!
Other contest holders will not rate any designs but will comment on the ones they like. This is problematic because instead of the submissions being arranged from highest rated to lowest rated, they are presented in chronological order. So the first few submissions you see may not even be close to what the CH likes.
If you are getting feedback from this CH, then stick with the contest if you think you'll win. One drawback to this kind of CH is that, since there are no ratings, when they pick a winner, there are no silver and bronze medals. The silver and bronze medals are awarded based on the rankings assigned to the submissions, so if there are no rankings, there are no silver or bronze medals. Second and third place designs won't get you money, but they do help your portfolio, so to me, this is a big turnoff. I almost never submit to contests that fall into this category.
BAD Contest: The Absent CH
These contests mystify me. How can you pay for a contest and then not comment on or rate any designs? I never submit to these contests; they're just not worth my time.
