Hello and Welcome to Logo Tournament. I've compiled a list of the Top 10 Tips for Contest holders.
10. If you invite a desinger to enter a contest please consider ranking the designer rather than eliminating. To enter a contest is one thing but to be invited is another...it is considered proper etiquette As a CH you should be now we are working for free and as a CH you should at least try and rank 10-15 designers...the points we gain are of value to us.
9. Review online portfolios and only invite those who you feel can contribute..no sense asking a designer to enter a contest that requires an illustration. If a designer has no illustration in his/her portfolio is that a logical choice.
8. Feedback: be pro-active not re-active with your contest. Granted we understand that some CH's may not have the time time to practical and constructive feedback...My advice is to work with closely with those designers who you feel have capture what you are looking for.
7. Your design needs. Please be clear with what you want. There are certain special effects that do not translate will on some media types. For example shiny glossy effects may look sensational on screen but not print well on certain media types unless you use specific material. Glossy and shiny effects are best printed on Coated stock (gloss) and will look faded and worn if printed on matte finish.
6. File Types: EPS is a required format by LT. EPS is an encapsulated Postscript Language. Designed for Direct print or placement into a document. It is not designed to be EDITED. You have the right to the source file which is far superior to EPS. All designers should be supplying Illustrator Versions..
for more info on EPS goto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encapsulated_PostScript5. File Types JPG: JPG is pretty much the standard format for bitmap images. However LT's the supplied converted 3 files received are not press ready formats. Which is why Designers should also be supplying at least 1 version to you that is 300 dpi CYMK between 6 and 8 inch in size..this would be used in place of the AI file if required.
4. Colour Pantone
Pantone is the industry standard to printing correct colors no matter where you are in the world. Pantone(spot color) is series of sold colors that make reproduction of logo easy on almost any sub-strait. Gradients can be achieved in with Pantone by adjusting the tint value. so if you logo has 1 colour (blue 287c) a gradient of that blue can be achieved by tinting the blue. Which mean you can have certain effects and still maintaining a single color print job.
Using Pantone creates cleaner lines in print
3. CMYK: Is 4 color process which use Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black ink to reproduce your logo in print by placing the ink in layers to form the file image. Dis-advantage of CMYK for logos is the reproduction from one print house to another or even using the same print house. There is a chance that a set of business cards printed in one place will not look the same printed some where else. This is because the equipment used by each print house will most likely be different. Also effecting this is the quality and brand of ink used.
2. Fonts (Typeface is key to the success of your logo design)
Thing you should look for
a. Kerning; the space between the letters has the designer corrected for kerning issues. Here is a test look a the the design and squint your eyes, concentrate on the text portion. does the spacing appear clean and overall in balance.
b. The quality of the font is it a professional font or one downloaded for free (may or may not have restrictions) Many free fonts need a lot of work to go from mediocre to professional.
1. Save the thumbnail images you see here on LT. Print 1 design on a sheet of 8.5 by 11...This will be somewhat blurry however it works....once you've printed the logos pin them on a wall a wall....if your in an office great get feedback from staff. Leave the design up for a few days. by doing this you have gained a better perspective of the overall effect and appeal of each design..This works and I use this will my clients all the time
another thing I learned from a one of Canada's Greatest Painters (Robert Bateman) and that is to use a mirror. Seeing a design backward really brings out certain aspects that help foster your design choices.
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NOTE to Designers
please do not post here if you have a comment please email me and I'll edit or add it in thank you
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