Getting A Startup Logo From CrowdSPRING:Sad

Back to work on my startup and the first day has been a hard one. I'm no artist, but I attempted a few weeks ago, to make the logo for my startup, and was quickly, and kindly scolded as to the fact it looked like "Clip Art"

My advisor told me, that I ought to go to CrowdSpring to get a "real" logo. So that I did. I had never heard of CrowdSpring and was happy to land my eyes on what I think is a really smoking startup idea. I have no idea how long CS has been on the market, and I know very little about the company. The following is my experience with them so far.

I scanned over the site quickly, as like most of us, we read a ton of sites a day, spend a ton of time on sites all day, everyday, and no one has time to read every single line on every site they visit. At least I don't.

I read as much as I felt I needed to know, to get the job done. The job I needed was a logo for my up and coming startup. Now if my cheesy clip art design was not the fit, I certainly wanted the best thing I could get for a new startup launch, as logo design and branding are pretty much one of the most essential keys. If you fuck this one up your startup could be fucked. Seriously, I'm not kidding. So why did I think my clip art logo was good enough in the first place? Cause I'm not an artist.

I signed up for the $200.00 guaranteed award. This means that I waived my right to get my money back if I didn't like any of the entries. So that means some artist would surly get the money.  

I picked 14 days or something near it as the amount of time to get design submissions. This was the suggested time from CS. Things went great the whole entire campaign. I gave every artist feedback and a score. At first I scored low, like one or two stars as CS suggested I do this, as to give more stars right away would scare away true artist. I felt sad, because when I did this, artist would "withdraw their entries". I was upset, because I actually liked the entries, but I had no idea the artist could and would withdraw the entry. I guess in my fast reading over of the site I never saw that "rule". 

I started scoring three and four stars from then on, as to me this would give the artist the ability to enter up to ten entries, and they never withdrew the entries after that.

Finally the closing of the campaign came when I was on a "mission" or a vacation depending on who you were in the group. I had driven with my family from Denver to California. My family thought it was a vacation and I knew what it was for me. I had to put my twin brothers ashes in the ocean, as this was his request if and when he ever passed away. Half in the mountains and half in ocean. 

We drove back straight from San Diego to Denver. Something like seventeen or eighteen hours of hell. When I got back into Denver I had five days to pick a winner for the logo. So after I slept, I got up and went to work, looking over every logo. So many GREAT ones. I was overwhelmed at all the amazing entries. I worked on it for hours and hours. I know that for some "buyers" on the CS site, know right away who is the winner. But for me, I had 154 entries, and at least 40 of them were SUPER AMAZING. How can one pick? Sure I had many entries I liked more then all my addictions, and I wanted to give each and every entry a really good look, and evaluation. I didn't just want to rush off and pick someone blindly. 

After hours of strategizing about who to pick, I finally nailed it down to 9 entries. I was happy about that, as I had 3 more days to pick a winner. Then the unthinkable happened. One of the top nine artist withdrew all their entries. WAIT, WHAT? How is it possible that an artist can and would withdraw their entry in the final hours of decision? How is it beneficial to them if they take their entry out? CrowdSpring is like a raffle in a way. You put your art into a bowl with all the other entries and the buyer picks one. If the artist takes their entry out, how is that a benefit to the them? I never read one word about the artist being able to withdraw their entry after the campaign has closed. All CS kept telling me was how many days I had to pick, and that's it. I missed that rule too.

I sat around for hours trying to figure out the reasoning for this rule of CS. Does CS want me to pick right away the first day? Are they putting pressure on me to pick? As far as I knew, I had seven days to pick. How is it beneficial to CS to put pressure on me to pick within hours? How is it beneficial to the artist? Why should I fear the good ones being withdrawn? Of course I'm going to pick, I agreed to that. 

To me it seems really unfair. If an artist puts their entry in, yeah, withdraw it all you want, until the campaign closes. I think when it's closed and it's the 'pick a winner seven day period', if no one can submit an entry, then no one should be able to withdraw. 

I'm sad all the way around. I'm sad about my brother. I'm sad about the artist who withdrew, I'm sad for my startup. I'm sad, sad, sad, sad. Tomorrow maybe even more great entries will withdraw. Who knows! I'm not going to give into pressure and hurry up an pick. If I end up picking no one, then who gets the cash? and it's more then $200.00 as I felt, that was to low amount for all the hard work the artist put into creating so I added to the award. Does CS keep it? Maybe I should award the money to the person who I think had the worst possible entry, and go back to designing my logo myself. That would be easier on my soul then the torment I'm going through about picking a winner.  : - /  

Truly, I was close to picking and now it just seems sad. 

*After sleeping on this overnight, I am thinking that some other company wanting a logo, saw mine and was able to offer the artist more money. That's the only possible reason I can think of as to why an artist would withdraw their entry. 

You know I really like the idea of CrowdSpring,but it can be a, a stressful heart breaking experience. ~ 

* Second update: CrowdSpring has notified me that they withdrew the entry that I had in my top nine favorites as the entry was the work of someone other than the person whom posted it. Now that's sad. I like stolen art, I guess.

I do hope none of my other top picks withdraw their entries. I can't tell you how hard it is to pick, when so many are so awesome. It's breaking my heart.