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First of all, as a client, I love this site. We really feel like we got a very good design!

Late last night we spent some time ranking the top 10 because I've done some reading on the designer's point system and wanted to make sure that we rewarded those designers that did a good job capturing what we were looking for and also those designers that went the extra mile really trying to make something nice for us.

What bothers me is the 5 or so new designers that are submitting work in the last 2 hours of the competition. My opinion is that if you had a design, you should have presented it for the running several days ago (or atleast 24 hours before the contest is going to end). What's really crazy is that one of the designers in our competition (that submitted with 30 minutes to go in the contest) had a really great idea that we would likely have considered and definitely would have placed in the top 5. However, I've decided that I am not going to rank the designers that submitted within the last two hours of the competition.

I like the idea that someone would actually work with us (the client) to really give us something special rather than someone who tries to get an entry in at the last minute hoping to win favor.

It seems to me that to protect the design community a little more, you'd maybe want to implement some kind of "no new designers after x amount of time." Some kind of policy where if you want to participate in a design competition, you must enter within 24 hours of the competition being over. You could still do new submissions during the last 24 hours, you just could not be a new designer doing a submission.

My $0.02 for what it's worth.

When a designer does this they know they run the risk of not even getting looked at. That's a risk they take for whatever their reasons are. Feel free to move them into the "not interested with malice bin"

I've actually had a contest holder send me a 'politely nasty' note for doing that once in his contest. He loved my concept but just didn't think it was fair to choose my design. Whatever, it's his money and his logo.

Personally, I like to get in contests right at the beginning, first entry if I can and work with the CH intil the end. But sometimes it's safer to enter at the last minute. I recently won a very high dollar contest with over 1100 entries by submitting an off-the-wall idea in the last 6 hours. Had I done it even a day earlier I would of been copied right into the not interested bin. Remember, we're not part of a design team, this is winner take all and it really stinks when you, as a designer, lose a contest that was completely driven by your ideas.

Also some designers don't work this site everyday. They may get here after a few weeks absence and just see a contest ending that they are really inspired about or have a special skill for. It's not that they didn't want to spend a week working with you on a concept, it's just they weren't here.

Just my thoughts, but I totally agree with you too. Send them scolding PM's... designers tend to be hypersensitive people, mean notes might be funny :)

No offense but I don't see the problem, don't choose the design if it upsets you.

A lot of designers wait until the last minute because they fear their concept being stolen by other designers, its a very valid fear, while the majority of designers are honest, there are a minority that ruin that, and will cheat and plagiarize existing designs in the contest for the money. While I can see and understand why you feel the way you do about last minute entries, I'm hoping you can understand why some designers resort to that.

I wouldn't say that it upsets me. lol

I tend to educate myself on a subject before I participate. I came on the forums and read some stuff and read the faq's to get a feel for how the site works. I feel bad for the unsuspecting contest holders that don't educate themselves on some of the tactics used by some designers to get a quick win or a quick ribbon.

I can also definitely see where a designer might have an awesome idea and wouldn't want to submit it until the last minute because of the fact that it could be stolen. However, the CH could decide to end the contest early or another designer could come up with a similar concept and then you would lose out on your ability to submit that design. It's a double edged sword.

However, like you said, to each their own. I did enjoy the experience and I'd recommend the site to anyone looking for a logo. Might even use it again in the near future.

Well, i've won two contests that i've entered in the last hour only and one of them was of 500$. I did not enter them intentionally, it happened while i was browsing contests, bumped into those ending in last hour. I skimmed through the brief description / checked the top entries and felt they did not meet what the clients want ( from my own believes ofcourse ) and thought i could present something good that might be of interest and good to the client.

Now, that being said, after finding out that my designs were chosen, the client asked for alot of modifications / variations they wanted to see first to make sure that it was good to go for them and would work best as they visioned, i did that and ended up having my logo being chosen.

So, i do not see something wrong with that, as long as its not a strategy / habit followed on. But, again, its the client who decides what is really good for their money or not.

If you had a really really good one that you thought was close to something you might have visioned or really looking for submitted in the last hour and its a strong contender to your top favorite, would you just let it go because you believe its not fair to come in last hour ? maybe you will, maybe others won't. That at the end is totally personal choice, simple as that.

I think in a logo design contest, apart of being fair or not the logo must be the right one for the company it was designed for. So, it doesn´t matter if it comes in the last minute.

Now, there´s something different when some designers come in the last minute copying elements, concepts, ideas and tweak them to make them look better.

When I first wrote my post, I was somewhat irritated that 4 designers would wait until the last minute to try to grab my attention. After reading some of y'all's posts, I kind of get where you are coming from.

I think part of our issue was that we were extremely happy with the results of our competition and had ranked the winning entry at day 3 of 5. Now, that doesn't mean that we weren't willing to entertain different ideas, but something would have had to have been absolutely awesome to sway us away from the design that ultimately won.

And, Rammm, you are correct that ultimately the CH should be happy with the design received. And, if we had chosen a last minute entry, we probably would have let the competition run longer to see if any other designers had something fantastic up their sleeve.

And, I definitely agree with you that some designers probably do it so that they can copy a good design and try to win. That was the part that I didn't like. Thanks for the feedback.

Overall, we enjoyed our LT experience and will be back again when it's time for a logo update with one of our other companies.

in my opinion ...

In some cases, propose a logo in a contest with more than 500 entries and a few minutes at the end, for a designer is a challenge on the edge.

creativity also needs this

ch you can lengthen the expiration time and work with a new designer who has proposed something better even if at the end

in some cases it is frustrating to start a contest and get to the end without having received a bit of motivation for the non-acceptance of their work

Sometimes you spend hours for a logo and it is clear that the lack of communication is detrimental to the creativity of a designer

also encourage the designer to continually improve its concept makes the overall quality of the contest very high

just giving new look and idea i think and also make different look :)

Sometimes I find that I read a brief and nothing springs to mind, then a few days later, I get an idea I think is good. I go back to find the contest and sometimes it is close to closing. If I really like the idea, I'll put it in anyway. Personally, I like to work with designers as much as possible, but in the end, don't you really just want the best logo you can get?

I must agree with pmfl here - I've seen so many designers cleverly copying the first, second and third position designs in the last few minutes, and WIN. It happened once with me - it is nasty.
I also think, that designers with main strategies to win in the last minute are not as good designers as they think. That is my opinion, ofcourse. I think, that entering last minute is an abuse of the time spent by all other designer figuring out what exactly wants the CH.

However, I am the only one who thinks like that, so I guess I am wrong, but never the less - This is my opinion on the matter - No new designers in the last 2 hours! :)

As a contest holder, I had wondered about this, too, so I appreciate the thread. The reasons given here by the designers make perfect sense now. I do know, though, that I think I wound up subconsciously "loyal" to the designers that I had been working with the whole time. Still, I understand now why it's worth the designers giving it a shot at the end.

And as for accepting designs the last two hours...unfortunately, there will always be a last two hours no matter how long the contest is :)

Paul

pillarpaul said:

As a contest holder, I had wondered about this, too, so I appreciate the thread. The reasons given here by the designers make perfect sense now. I do know, though, that I think I wound up subconsciously "loyal" to the designers that I had been working with the whole time. Still, I understand now why it's worth the designers giving it a shot at the end.

And as for accepting designs the last two hours...unfortunately, there will always be a last two hours no matter how long the contest is :)

Paul

Actually I think you can end contests early :)

You ran a great contest and picked a nice logo. I'm sure you'll gain some repeat designers when you come back.

pmfl said:

First of all, as a client, I love this site. We really feel like we got a very good design!
What bothers me is the 5 or so new designers that are submitting work in the last 2 hours of the competition. My opinion is that if you had a design, you should have presented it for the running several days ago (or atleast 24 hours before the contest is going to end). What's really crazy is that one of the designers in our competition (that submitted with 30 minutes to go in the contest) had a really great idea that we would likely have considered and definitely would have placed in the top 5. However, I've decided that I am not going to rank the designers that submitted within the last two hours of the competition.

I like the idea that someone would actually work with us (the client) to really give us something special rather than someone who tries to get an entry in at the last minute hoping to win favor.

From a designers perspective.
it's a get_recognized/win situation for a designer to inject last minute cooked up designs since it escalates them up through this list: https://logotournament.com/logodesigners (points tab)
In fact if it is out of a fear of a design being stolen then that's a 3win situation and I don't think last minute uploads would end their days naturally, nor anyone would see a benefit not to Last Minute Upload.
As for the CH side of things.
There might be a case when CH actually locks on a concept/particular design long before the submission deadline and doesn't bother making decision about other submissions or ending the contest as soon as he knows what he wants. Does it come from the notion that "maybe..." there will be something worth the sum I'm willing to pay? I don't really know. The way I see it the only thing that comes after "maybe" is another "maybe" which only makes CH fall into his/her own uncertainties. If that's the case CH shouldn't be irritated or be blaming Last Minute Uploaders and end the contest appropriately.
My view
Contest time span can be used from it's start to it's very deadline, that's what the span is for. I will upload if I feel I have something worth showing even at the very last minute.

Those of use who do wait until the last few hours or 24-48 already have been working on a design...I follow the contests see how it's being looked after by the CH an d the designer submissions...I may simply place it on my watch list and start an intital idea. however in most cases I submit with 24-48 but I do wait..because to many leechers who submit and do so by submitting last minute knock offs of top ranked designs...it happen all the time...

I can see the CH point of view as well but if a CH is not 200% thrilled with the top 3 designs then yes he/she should consider the last minute entries...and evaluate...there is always time and judging mode allows CH to sit back and really visit the submissions...my advice is take 24 hour break not look at the designs until after that you have a clear head and really be able to assess the submission.

Over all it not easy on designers or CH the competition is tough.

half the time I dont even know the contest is there until the last couple of days, because no matter what I try, I cant get new contest notifications, I have to manually scroll through contests, there isnt even a search function :/

illumina said:

...no matter what I try, I cant get new contest notifications.../

Have you tried looking in the Junk folder of your E-mail?

I don't always have time for LogoTournament - I usually only enter competitions in between jobs/work (I'm a freelancer) - sometimes I don't see contests until the last day or so. Other times, I see a contest in my email and work on thumbnails when I can but don't get a chance to render a logo on-screen until the end.

Ultimately, you're here to a great logo - I think you should make that your top priority. It's great to hear from CHs that are also willing to work within ethical confines - as a designer, I appreciate your appreciation - but as long as the "new guys" aren't ripping off already submitted logos, I would think it is in your best interest to consider all offers.

just my thoughts...

.oO said:

illumina said:

...no matter what I try, I cant get new contest notifications.../

Have you tried looking in the Junk folder of your E-mail?

That was the first thing I did. I also logged out, logged back in, turned off new contest notifications, logged out again, logged back in, turned it back on, logged out, then logged in. Still didnt work. And seeing as its only me its affecting, nothings being done about it. LT would be a LOT easier to navigate if a basic search feature was implemented.

i just can not see the point being objected on new artists submission in last hours.
please consider these:
* as a designer, we are working for your contest and also running our own life (most of us consider lt is just a part-time job, not 24/7). i agree with others that there are some causes why we submit at last hours.
* as ch, you should stick at your purpose of holding a contest, looking for new logo design. Resentment is inappropriate conduct. open your mind please. the contests suppose to be mutual contract.
* there are no connections between late submission with ethic or abuse or what ever... (this is an absurd opinion, please be reasonable), as long as thee are not copycats (stealing is violating the code/ethic, last hour submission is not).

i hope there are no body offended as i am not intended to do so. just try to be level and straight. :)

" Look at the hate we're breeding Look at the fear we're feeding
Look at the lives we're leading The way we've always done before.."

some designers wait till the last minute to protect their design from being copied at the beginning...(it's not just the copiers who submit last) also...some designers may not have seen the contest until the end, perhaps they took some days off....so banning last minute submissions seem harsh.

illumina said:

.oO said:

illumina said:

...no matter what I try, I cant get new contest notifications.../

Have you tried looking in the Junk folder of your E-mail?

That was the first thing I did. I also logged out, logged back in, turned off new contest notifications, logged out again, logged back in, turned it back on, logged out, then logged in. Still didnt work. And seeing as its only me its affecting, nothings being done about it. LT would be a LOT easier to navigate if a basic search feature was implemented.

just click the header "created on" to sort the contest listings. simple.

It happens to me, so I decided to submit designs at the last minute and possibly sway the CH down with a clever idea. I usually have a bad experience submitting early and getting your ideas used around and then being accused of copying when you start the whole thing/idea first. So whatever the CH do, its on his own discretion, there are a lot of talented designers here, so it would be really hard to chose, ultimately you will chose one, so still works out in the end...

pmfl, you are completely wrong about.
Ideas don't come easy and when they come clients shoud apreciate it.
I don'tcare if you don't have the time to present it to the clients nor take them into consideration in case you are the owner. Not considering all the designs could only be against your benefit..

or perhaps no more submissions of entries on the last 24 hours? This way, we still have time to bring it to LC. I think this is another preventive measure for late copycat submissions as well.

I think that it is silly for designers to wait until the contest is about to end. A design needs time for the client to comment on and recommend changes which would be impossible at the last minute. I love looking over the designs and letting the designers know what is great with the design as well as what could be improved. I hope that I don't get entries at the 9th hour, which will only make the decision more difficult than it already is.

I don't like it when someone comes up with an amazing idea for it to then be copied but to look very different. If you get what I mean?

I also think that submitting a design in the last few hours shouldn't be a problem. In case it's a copied design posting an LC case in the Forum actually makes the decision quite fast. Rarely does the CH complete the contest 1 day or less after judging mode.
I myself usually submit when the contest has 2 days or less left because I get impatient of waiting /my problem, I know :)))/
I can see the CH's point of view - the contest being flooded in the last minute can be irritating when you have almost made up your mind. But after all - they are just more options, isn't that right? - you will either love them or ignore them.

P.S. It's really challenging to do something different after 200 good entries so far :))

illumina said:

A lot of designers wait until the last minute because they fear their concept being stolen by other designers, its a very valid fear, while the majority of designers are honest, there are a minority that ruin that, and will cheat and plagiarize existing designs in the contest for the money. While I can see and understand why you feel the way you do about last minute entries, I'm hoping you can understand why some designers resort to that.

That's why we have Logo Court.

doncorvair said:

That's why we have Logo Court.

Which could be absolutely, completely, totally useless if its a last minute submission and the contest holder picks a winner quickly.

biink said:

just click the header "created on" to sort the contest listings. simple.

I've been doing that.
I want a search feature, to search keywords, not have to manually scroll through every single contest to see if it contains a keyword I could otherwise implement a quick search for.