Design Fstoppers' New Logo And Win $2000

Design Fstoppers' New Logo And Win $2000

4 years ago Patrick and I came up with the idea for Fstoppers.com. We needed a logo and so I went into Photoshop and created the "FS" inside a circle that you can see above. It took me about 5 minutes and neither Patrick or I have ever really liked it. It's time for a change and we will pay you to help us get there.

Fstoppers.com is about to be totally revamped. The blog itself will work exactly as it always has but we are adding 2 completely new facets to the website that will a big jump forward. To match our new site redesign we would like a new logo. You can submit your logo ideas to us at contactfstoppers@gmail.com. If we end up using your logo design we will give you $2000. If we like multiple logos we will put it to public vote on Fstoppers.com. If we don't like any of them, we may decide to stick with what we have but we hope that won't be the case.

Now before you go out and start designing let me explain to you what we want. The first thing we need is a "Mark" similar to the FS we currently have. We like the idea of the "FS" being a unique shape but it's also very important that the "F" and "S" are easily legible. This "mark" needs to be accompanied by the full name "Fstoppers". Both the "FS" Mark and the "Fstoppers" text need to work together and separately.

Below are a few "marks" that I like for one reason or another. You'll notice that each of these examples are extremely simple so please do not over complicate your designs. Feel free to use them as inspiration or create something totally unique.
logoideas

We had a design firm come up with some concepts and our favorite was the one directly below. We agree that it's an interesting concept and it has potential but it looks too much like a bank or IT company's logo. The other issue is that the "FS" is pretty difficult to read. The circular one below that is something that I created. Again we like the basic direction but it feels a bit too "star trekish." Feel free to take either of these ideas and tweak them.

bestlogoideas

CONTEST RULES
1: All submissions must be emailed to contactfstoppers@gmail.com with the word "logo contest" in the subject line by Wednesday June 12th.
2: All submissions must contain a "mark" with the letters "F" and "S" and the word "Fstoppers" written out in full.
3: You may submit as many logos as you like.
4: If you use aperture blades in your design I can almost guarantee we won't choose it.

May the best designer win.

Lee Morris's picture

Lee Morris is a professional photographer based in Charleston SC, and is the co-owner of Fstoppers.com

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103 Comments
Previous comments

Other contests have photographers submitting work they have already done. This is a bit different. But, haters are always gonna hate.

I agree it's a grey area. The same could be said in any spec situation: nobody's forcing you to submit. The problem comes when it becomes the norm, so that every job comes through submitting completed work for consideration. Slippery slope?

When Fstoppers runs other contest they dont profit from the result here they do.

Perhaps your entitlement is the problem then.

Fstoppers isn't entitled to have contests where they give away amazing camera bodies and gear. Nor are they not entitled to offer $2K to the public when they could just as easily go to a design firm. If you don't want to compete in this contest, then don't. But don't have some self attained sense of entitlement that Fstoppers owes you something

I submitted a design just for fun =) I'm no designer, but it said "logo ideas" right? so i sent in a good enough sketch ;)

I make one,

but i think there are to many restrictions to get a good and perfect work and design

But i try :-)

Nice idee as well to ask the community!!!

BR
Sasch

Challange accepted!

I would be proud to have a logo i designed used by
FStoppers. They do so much for photography a thank you would never be enough,
but thank you. It’s more than i could say for people who want to leave comments
that only hold it back. Do you think its easy doing what they do Day in and Day
out. I learn so much from them. And it
doesn't cost me anything but a little of my time. I think it’s a good idea to
ask for help from us. Who else knows them better than the people who follow
them on a daily basis? We could offer a
perspective a design company can't. They don’t just need a logo. They need a
logo from someone who knows who FStoppers are.

i submit just for fun... ;-)

Yeah, your current logo beats all of those IMO. Why in a hurry to change it? I think it works just fine. I'd be more inclined to go ahead and do a website overhaul/facelift. This design is a little dated and, to be honest, contains a high ad to content ratio that I would presume you could back off a little now.

Agreed. The Current logo works for me perfectly, it's stylish, modern but still simple and minimalistic. The new "logo" ideas look horrible. I'd say that you should simplify the layout of the website. Sometimes, it's quite hard to find a specific news.

The only thing they should be doing differently is, at the end, making their top 5 or 10 logos available and letting the users make the final selection. :)

in my experience, throwing the decision for something as important as branding to the crowd is never a good idea. While they can ask us to submit our ideas, ultimately the decision needs to be made by them because they have a clear understanding of their brand.

Good luck finding a winner. Here's my 10 minute sketch. :P

lol, it look like my local farm company.. =p

Hahaha XD

Crowd sourcing. Makes me think less of this company.

Did you know Twitter did the same thing and only spent like $5 on their logo?

Contest only available for US disigners? (i'm from Venezuela)

Look, as many of the arguments are valid in both cases here... Maybe people should go review this content that was brought to us by the same guys who are looking to pay $2,000 for a logo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XXbahdg7YR4#!

Consider the source and cut these guys a break, fstoppers has been an awesome resource for the photography community with virtually 99% of the content completely free and the content that costs, it's optional and well worthy of the prices charged.

If these guys simply ASKED the community to create them a logo for free, I think it wouldn't be too much for somebody out there to donate some of their time and sketch 'em up a good logo.

At first I tought it looked like spec work. ALOT.

Then I realized that whenever a public institution needs ANYTHING done, they go trough the SAME process. Send out a message in the industry asking for a quote for services nicely explained.

Difference here: the price is already on the table which IMO shouldnt. 200$ is way too cheap for most of the 'shopers I know and you guys know this too. You should have made a public call for submission and fees.

the winner still wins, but no one knows how much....

That's not quite the same thing. If I send an RFQ to one or more vendors, I'm not getting finished work from them and then selecting the one I like best. I'm getting pricing and a plan, and then I agree or pass on the plan. FStoppers is crowd sourcing their next logo. Let's be clear on that.

you could crowd source and receive a bill attached. you pick the best finished product and pay.

You get a contest and more originality, and the creatives get more than 200$ which is nothing for a design that leads to "image brand".

Understand the risks:

AIGA believes that designers and clients should be aware of all potential risks before entering into speculative work:

Clients risk compromised quality. Little time, energy and thought can go into speculative work, which precludes the most important element of most design projects—the research, thoughtful consideration of alternatives, and development and testing of prototype designs.

Designers risk being taken advantage of. Some clients may see this as a way to get free work; it also diminishes the true economic value of the contribution designers make toward client’s objectives.

There are legal risks for both parties should aspects of intellectual property, trademark and trade-dress infringements become a factor.

-- As a designer, and representative of AIGA, this is simply my recommendation. Send out a request for proposal, and use that money towards a professional, and build a healthy relationship with your designer.

Yeah yeah, it's spec work and in the long run we all know that this is bad, BUT, we do need to recognize that, first of all, they are providing us their product with no direct cost (other than checking some ads here and there). So there's a difference in their company nature.

I've been reading this blog for a long time and I've been provided with some damn useful information for free so I think it's fair to them to be able to ask for it, and I would be glad to try make a contribution and pay them back in a way that is possible to me.

My only question now is: is this a US-only contest or international contributors will also get their money somehow?

But it's not fair, we should at least take a look at the new redesign you have :/

Almost guarantee? So you're telling me there's a chance!!! Haha

I like the FStoppers logo. I don't think you have to change it

We just sent our submission for review! Is there a limit as to how many designs can be submitted?

Please design your own logo or hire a competent designer to design it.

Submitting now. I hope you like it.

Can I send a multi page PDF?

I understand why you wouldn't want aperture blades in your logo. Only the very coolest of the cool do that...

Can this actually be considered a true contest if there is a chance that nobody will win? From what I understand, there will only be a winner if you like & decide to use their submission.

Entered - I'm 17 and haven't got anything to lose so thought I'd give it a go despite all of this 'spec' controversy!

You get hundreds of Logo-Designs for just 2000 Dollars. You guys, who complained a lot about cheap photographers ruining the market are now doing the exact same thing to graphic designer and artist.

The 4th rule is hilarious!

[TROLL]Ho ff.... my favorite (one of) is going to the dark side.

Next time I mary me I will hire thousand of photographers for free and paid only the one who will shoot me as legendary as George Clooney is.

What ? Yeah, the industry blablbla... don't do what I do, only what I say and all will be all right...
[/TROLL]

Seriously Fstoppers. I believe you are well-intentioned but your method means exactly the opposite.

If you want to have a new logo. Make it collaborative ! Here are few tips :

1) Open your contest officially ONLY with non professionnel designers. (here and only here you arg "do or don't" will be appreciated). As in the photography world there is plenty of talented amateur.

2) Make your audience vote the best idea FOR YOU

3) Take the winner concept with you to a talented Photoshoper/Illustrator to polish it. (It will cost you 500$ max!)

Lee Morris, what do you think ??

lol wow a lot of people pissed about a contest. :)
I'd bet if f-stoppers throws in a free dslr body you'll see a bunch of the haters, entering the contest.

FS, Just when I think you have completely lost sight of understanding how to support the profession that you purport to represent, you go and self-promote a contest for budding professionals to submit spec work to you in hopes of winning a prize. Your credibility just went to zero.

the "design" community needs to relax. I am a photographer but also a working engineer. Depending on the magnitude of the project, massive teams of engineers can be put together and hundreds of collective hours may be spent preparing a bid for a potential project... if a company does not win the bid, they do not ask the potential client to pay them for the hours they put into preparing the proposal. It is simply the nature of the industry. If you do not like that idea, find something else to do. Stop complaining about this being an issue of "spec" work. Work hard and you will succeed. Stop being little babies.

How large do you want the designs? Do you want them at 300 dpi's or smaller to send in?

Of course that they know they can pay for a professional, thats not the point, if i had a web page with thousands of followers i would like to do the same, i would want to grow up with them, i would like to grow up with my project.

They believe in you, to create their Logo, in the web its like your face, its your presentation card, its a big thing and they offer to pay from his pockets and not a little because they respect you, and your time, as well as your work.

Think twice before typing a negative comment were are here to learn, share and have fun. Being negative just because you want to feel smarter makes you going in the opposite direction.

There is so much anger haha. You guys wasted time ranting when you could have just been having fun in photoshop making a quick logo that comes to mind. Everyone has different ideas and everyone can get more practice in photoshop and illustrator. Be optimistic and just have fun with life.

Hi Lee, writting from Montreal, excuse my english.

Did you find something yet or I can start designing?

Patrick.

:D I am so excited about this! Will be sending new designs shortly!

What about this ?

I sent my logos today around 3am. Hope you got it right.

When will the winner be announced?

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