In preparation of the formal launch of my startup company and product, there has to be branding. Back in August 2009, I was watching Episode 13 of This Week in Startups. In it, there was an interview with the founder of a disruptive startup which connects passionate designers from around the globe with savvy clients who need design projects completed in a timely fashion without the usual risk or cost associated with professional design. The company is called 99Designs. With less than 30 days from our launch, it is time to complete a scheduled task titled "Get logo for HueCubed".
Without going into the specifics of the overarching HueCubed project in this post, I knew I needed to manage a very short "Get Logo" project.
Get Logo Project Details
Budget: $150 Schedule: February 7 - February 14, 2010 Scope: Logo for branding the HueCubed properties and products, to include TheCriticalPath blog
When you're managing your own project, where you are both the project manager and the sponsor, things tend to get a little skewed. I believe I bring passion to every project. But, because I'm standing in the sponsor shoes this time, I now appreciate the sponsor perspective more.
Using 99Designs has allowed me to crowd source a design. I listed the price I was willing to pay, the duration of the contest and provided as much background information as possible to enable designers to provide me with quality submissions. We immediately entered a rapid prototyping stage. As quickly as the designers submitted and as quickly as I provided feedback, we had more and more iterations to refine our idea. Just hours before the closing of the contest, we have 77 entries.
When you're bootstrapping a startup, you do what you can with the resources you have. Thank you to Jason Calacanis for creating and hosting This Week in Startups. It has really given me tools I need to make my startup happen. Watch the program on ustream.tv or download it from iTunes. Once this contest ends, and the logo is selected, I'll write a follow-up post. Though I can only select one logo, I was really impressed by all of the designers.