When budgets are tight, businesses try to cut expenses any way possible. This often means looking for “affordable” design solutions. Although crowdsourcing your logo may seem like a good way to save money, there are some reasons you should avoid this route.

The most obvious reason is amateur results. Sure, you’ll probably get at least one logo you like. And it might even look pretty good to grandma. But in the end, it would be a surprise if an experienced and trained designer actually took part. (Crowdsourcing looks a lot like “Spec” work to them.) This leaves you with something that might look okay, but doesn’t have the thought and research put into it to create a lasting mark.

There’s another reason to avoid the crowdsourcing route that you may not be aware of. The individuals that enter these contests are usually entering lots of other contests at the same time. The goal is to win as often and as “efficiently” as possible. To keep up the pace, they submit very similar logos to many different businesses, meaning your logo may not be nearly as original as you think.

Even worse, there’s always they chance you could get in legal trouble. Sadly, there have been several instances of individuals submitting art they have no permission to use. Sometimes they are misusing art they could legally use for other types of projects. Other times, they are actually stealing the art from another company. When you choose your favorite logo, you have no idea whether you truly have a legal right to use it or not.

Although hiring a respected designer to create your logo might cost more, you can be certain it is unique, targeted, and legal.

—–

Nate Voss has written an excellent post about this topic.