From Harvest Records‘ newsletter:
WE’RE ASKING YOU TO DESIGN OUR NEW OUTDOOR SIGN!
Here’s the details:
If we choose your design, you will not only have thousands upon thousands of Haywood Road drivers, bikers & pedestrians marvel at its beauty for years to come, but you will receive $100 in store credit to be used anytime! The deadline to submit a design is MONDAY, JANUARY 24th at NOON. No submissions will be accepted after that date.
Feel free to submit as many ideas as you have. Please email your design in .pdf format.
There are 3 REQUIREMENTS:
#1: The sign will end up being roughly 2ft tall x 16ft long.
Please keep your idea with that same ratio — 1:8. The 1 being vertical, and the 8 being horizontal. If this doesn’t make sense, just ask us to clarify.
#2: The only actual words in your design should be “HARVEST” and “RECORDS”. Nothing else.
#3: No LP/vinyl/record images please! For instance, don’t make the “O” in “RECORDS” look like an actual LP.
That’s it!
13 Comments
I'm late to this post party, but just thought I would comment that a lot of what I'm reading here reminds me very much of things I hear about my own chosen profession, video production. There are a lot of people around who think of people who produce videos (whether they are commercials, wedding videos, or documentaries) as just a bunch of people who point cameras at stuff and shoot. I've heard the "my nephew could do that for free" comment in its various forms more times than I care to count, so I totally sympathize with the designers who feel that contests like this should not be done. If a business was having a contest to get someone to produce them a free TV commercial, I would be just as annoyed as the graphic designers who have commented here.
"Besides, anyone who ever got into woodworking or design in general should never expect to make a living doing that as their primary gig, especially not in this economy."
With all other issues aside here, as a professional, trained designer (who paid for her creative suite, went to school for 4 years, and, gasp, makes her living doing graphic design) this statement is offensive, and more importantly it's extremely discouraging.
Believe it or not, for some people design is something we went to school for, something we've completed internships for, something we've been professionally trained to do and we do it every single day, it's our career—just like any other career. We go to an office, a studio, whatever, and for 8 hours a day we create design. We design web sites, logos, brochures, posters, advertisements, and a plethora of other things. Just like teachers teach and lawyers practice law and sales people sell shit. It is a profession.
It's really disheartening to see that people like you view design as some sort of hobby that is done for a little extra cash. Yes, unfortunately, maybe that is the case with a large majority of "designers" that perhaps you come across, but please know that graphic design is a professional field with a rich history, a cultural importance, and a modern day relevance–despite all of the crap out there, and despite your misconceptions.
wow ash, bet you didn't expect a thread this long! if "designers" don't want to take part then they shouldn't. harvest wants a new logo. it's their store, let them do with it what they want. it's a great shop, an asset to the community, and i hope they get a great new logo out of it.
hey designers – i am not a professional, so, although Harvest has requested pdf format, what would you all suggest I save my image as (format and size) if using Photoshop in my light-hearted and fun attempt to enter a contest? Thank you.
"No one ever has to do that. All worthwhile designers have some form of an online portfolio. A quick glance through a designer's work will tell you whether or not he or she has the ability to design in the style you seek."
The difference being that the designs for the Harvest sign will already be created and submitted, whereas fishing through online portfolios still leaves a bit of guesswork in determining what exactly that particular designer would come up with, if hired. With this contest, they see a design they like, they choose it as the winning entry, bang, done.
And if you think about it, it's actually a more interactive, community-minded way to design your new sign, since the nature of the contest requires the winning design to be a reflection not only of Harvest's taste but also a segment of of the community, or a collection of tastes whittled down to one winning entry. Harvest could even take the runner-up entries and decorate other parts of the store, with the artists' names and info. To me that seems like a much more organic process and seems in many ways to be a "thank you" from the business to its supporters. "Here, you guys, anyone out there, can have an equal shot at creating our next design."
"And spec work contests have hidden costs. Chances are, the person who wins this contest will not have the technical acumen to produce a design that not only looks right, but works."
I'd say that's quite an assumption. I would hope anyone who is producing work that is of high enough quality to win this contest would know what they're doing and be familiar with the technicalities of image processing.
"Harvest Records being a local store is not an excuse for them to not put money back into local designers or artists, and possibly helping someone else out in this economy."
Allowing for that much exposure on a busy street and $100 to boot would be considered by many to be "helping someone else" in this economy. Let me ask you this. Did you go to school or receive some sort of training for your trade? If so, when you were still in school or just getting started, wouldn't you have jumped at an opportunity like this? And even if you didn't go to school, wouldn't you nonetheless have enjoyed such an opportunity at some point in your career? If the answer is "no," then you're probably not being entirely honest with yourself.
Bottom line: these patronizing suggestions of how someone should make their business decisions, especially in a down economy, aren't "helping" anyone. It's amazing that, in this time of rampant digital downloading, that anyone, anywhere could continue to run a successful record store. Harvest is a staple of the Asheville community, but I assure you they're not getting rich. There's simply no good reason to hold a smug judgement over their heads for not paying premium price for a non-essential service. I commend their creative approach.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know how many graphic designers are in the area?
I disagree with Mr. Party. It's not smart business. Unfortunately, it is commonplace.
I believe the old saying is, "You have to spend money to make money."
Harvest Records being a local store is not an excuse for them to not put money back into local designers or artists, and possibly helping someone else out in this economy. With a new sign they increase their street visibility and hopefully generate new business and make more money. The fair thing to do is help the person that is helping you improve your business. A new sign is an investment and should be treated as such.
Most designers are willing to work one-on-one with a client to come up with a price that benefits both parties. Soliciting designs in the way above is detrimental to other small businesses that everyone in this city is so eager to protect.
(And I would like to state again, that this particular case is not the only one I have seen. I am not picking on this one particular business. I see this a lot and, as a designer, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth each time.)
Here one of the flaws in your argument, Ricky.
"It's also a process that will yield the most desirable results, as they will be able to pick from a wide variety of design ideas, as opposed to working within the confines of one individual's style/design limitations."
No one ever has to do that. All worthwhile designers have some form of an online portfolio. A quick glance through a designer's work will tell you whether or not he or she has the ability to design in the style you seek. A quick Google search will provide you with a handy list of local designers, as will talking to your neighbors. Designers are easy to find. We want to be found.
And spec work contests have hidden costs. Chances are, the person who wins this contest will not have the technical acumen to produce a design that not only looks right, but works. Designing signs has technical restraints and requirements. As does designing anything else, besides a JPEG for a website. So somebody is probably going to have to fix the final file. And that will cost the contest holder money. So why not pay a capable designer to do the work in the first place?
Given your slightly dismissive tone, I'm sure you, like a lot of people, view design kind of like a non-profession. We don't actually sell a tangible product, and everybody's proverbial nephew has a pirated copy of Photoshop, right?
But if you've ever sat down with the right kind of professional designer, you would know that it can be the easiest, least time-consuming, and most effective way to have a product designed for you. So don't knock it until you try it.
And pray that the "my nephew could do that for free" movement never finds its way to your chosen profession.
"Besides, anyone who ever got into woodworking or design in general should never expect to make a living doing that as their primary gig…"
Poppycock, I say! This is a testament to how little design and craftsmanship might mean to you.
These are two important elements that I think Asheville should pay more attention to if we want to be known as an artistic community.
Also, being an artist or artisan doesn't mean you have to win people's affection with free ideas and be willing to live poorly. If you do great work, you should make a living whether that's as a designer, banker or school teacher.
"Build Your Resume" by doing free work is the most ridiculous reason to screw designers/artist out of a living.
Harvest, find a designer whose style you are in tune with and work with them. You'll build a great relationship, support a specific business and get what you really want in the end.
Nothing like de-valuing someone's profession and talent down to $100.00 in merch.
Whatever, it's smart business. Harvest will be saving hundreds of dollars and in the meantime provide the opportunity for someone to build their resume. It's also a process that will yield the most desirable results, as they will be able to pick from a wide variety of design ideas, as opposed to working within the confines of one individual's style/design limitations.
Besides, anyone who ever got into woodworking or design in general should never expect to make a living doing that as their primary gig, especially not in this economy. I'm not saying it's a bad career choice, you just have to be reasonable with your expectations.
If Harvest were a giant corporate record store who could afford to pay an established professional designer, that might be a different argument. As it is, they're a much-loved small local shop who are probably feeling the bad economy as much as anyone else and as a result can't be expected to shell out tons of money for non-essentials.
I always get a sour feeling when I see stuff like this. Free design work in the guise of a contest or challenge. I know some people are going to jump on it, because that's what always happens.
It's not supporting your local store. It takes away work from professionals, whether you're a graphic designer or an artist (wood, metal, or a combination of the two would make an excellent sign). These people are also local and trying to make a living. Stuff like this cuts into that.
That being said, I sincerely hope they don't plan to print a sign from a PDF file…
Free spec work! Yay!