New Company Brand Cheaper than an iPad2

Not sure if you've heard of these new design competition sites popping the net lately but if you're a place looking for a cool new brand, site, or a tee-shirt, and want to offer little compensation to get it, well these places are for you. 99DESIGNS is one of them and I have to say, they seem to be onto something, but who is really making out here? The companies looking for a new look pays roughly $300 for a new brand and designers from all over the world upload their spin on the request. If the company likes one of them they pay the chosen designer $300 minus a few fees and what not.

I was intrigued and thought I'd give it a shot. Here's what I came up with for multiple contests all paying around $300.

No takers but it was a good exercise and has made me ask the question again, are the designers better off to have the ability to compete without even meeting a client or is the client better off getting hundreds of options for little upfront to no cost? Tough question to answer. I will always prefer the face to face approach but appreciate what 99DESIGNS is doing, I only wish the pay outs were more in tune with what a decent brand would go for. I understand why a Mom & Pop would jump all over this, but so are the big companies who look at this as a cost saving measure, slashing designers one by one!

However if you're a designer and think you got what it takes, and are in need of a little cash, check them out and good luck! 99designs.com