Think Twice Before Entering
That Design Contest

When entering a contest is worth it, and when it isn't.

3. What's at stake?

Two of the most popular prizes offered in design contests (oftentimes together):

• A nice addition to your resume & Recognition
• Money

Now let's break it down a little further.

The Resume Builder & Recognition

• From the designer's perspective:

  Pros: The ability to say "I made X logo or Y design for Z company" is the basic prerequisite for any career-bound designer. In fact, a resume that lacks this requirement is doomed to fail.
  Contests add a competitive edge to this line. The ability to say "I won X logo contest by (impressive brand name company here)" implies a challenge undertaken and overcome.

  Cons: If you've already established a reputation as a designer, this may mean little to you.

• From the business perspective:

  Pros: Unless offered in conjunction with something else, "resume builder" costs virtually nothing to give.

  Cons: Bigger name companies might invest a little more in the contest, however, such as in marketing for the contest. In exchange, contests can become good sources for positive PR.

• Decisions, decisions:

  If "resume builder" is all you're offered, it's basically asking you for free service.
  If you're a pro designer, this isn't the contest for you unless the name is really big, and the offer includes something better (more on that next). If you're a beginning designer, it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot - you'll get the experience and the resume builder.

The Money

This is probably the most popular out there. And from a business standpoint, it's the least-complicated prize to offer (after all, it's the same type of compensation for a PR firm or freelance designer). It's easiest to think of money-based prizes as a paycheck, with a bit more flair.

With that in mind, here are two questions to consider:

How much is enough (or too little)?

• From the designer's perspective:

  Money is tricky, because it all depends on the value of your work.
  A typical professional business website can cost anywhere between $2,500 - $35,000.
  A typical professional logo design can cost anywhere between $300 - $2,000.

  Your reputation as a designer, as well as the reputation of the business may also play a role in these estimates. Professional designers with a proven track record for successful designs tend to cost more, whereas newbie designers may still need to bite the bullet and work on that portfolio a little more.

• From the business perspective:

  While some companies may offer fair prices, ranging from popular whole numbers like $500, $1,000, or even $10,000, it's often a lower-than-market-value number like $400 for a website design.
  Contests often become opportunities for cheap labor.

The guarantees of payment?

• From the designer's perspective:

  Remember, this is a contest. That usually means there is only one winner (first place), and perhaps a little left for the next runners up (second and third place). If you don't even make the top three, you can kiss your payment goodbye.

• From the business perspective:

  For each contestant, there's a new mockup. Only one is necessary, and usually that's the best of the bunch (cheers for quality). Plus, the bill at the end is only for the one chosen.

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