The New IPVM Logo Revealed

JH
John Honovich
•Published Dec 21, 2011 00:00 AM
PUBLIC - This article does not require an IPVM subscription. Feel free to share.

This weekend, IPVideoMarket.info will become IPVM.com. As part of this move, we have selected a new logo based on a design contest and extensive member feedback. This post explains what we selected, why we selected and the process used. For those of you considering a new logo for your own company, this should be useful.

The NEW IPVM Logo

Here it is:

And here's why we choose it:

  • Top vote getter in multiple rounds of member voting
  • Clean look, easy to read but not plain text
  • Powerful, bold lettering that conveys strength and determination
  • Highlighted 'V' emphasizes our focus on video

The Selection Process

We paid $695 USD to have a one week design contest. 87 different designers submitted 315 different designs. The service we selected, 99Designs is well known and widely used for tech startups. You can scan through the 315 entries yourself to see what you most like or dislike.

The upside was that we saw many different approaches to designing our logo that gave a much better feel of the possibilities involved. This was important given that I am not an expert at graphics, logos, etc. Many of the designs were bad but at least a dozen where quite interesting and innovative.

Of the handful we saw had potential, we were able to request modifications of the designs. For the two finalists we selected between, they submitted a combined 50 different designs with various options and fine tuning to optimize for our needs. This was quite useful and allowed for a more personal touch.

Along the way, we shared the designs with members in a LinkedIn discussion [link no longer available] that generated more than 40 comments, two polls that received about 40 votes and exchanges on Twitter. The polls were probably the most constructive method as it organized response and allowed people to quickly rate options. The comments on the discussion group had some gems but also triggered a number of vague complaints.

Value and Worth

I felt the $695 was worth the price though I did not factor in the amount of time it would take to review and discuss the various options. I spent about 8 - 12 hours on this which was a non trivial amount of time.

Other options include lower cost design contests and hire a dedicated designer to do the logo.

  • 99Designs offers three tiers with $295, $495 and $695 options. The main difference is the number of designers and the incentive the designers have for each option. For most established businesses, I do not think it's worth the risk to save a few hundred.
  • 99Designs also offers logos using common templates for $99. This might be a good option for someone just getting started who wants a step up from a self made logo in Paint.
  • Of course, the most traditional approach is hire a dedicated designer. I have no experience with this. i will say that having a lot of designers throw out ideas was very useful as I got to learn and compare vastly different styles and approaches that no single designer could match.

Let me know if you have any feedback about the new logo or the process.