Designers copying your design

I have found in past contests that designers copy other designers concepts or designs. For this reason, I have starting participating in more blind contests. I know that in some circumstances it's hard to avoid this ... for example if the CH specifically requests a certain design theme.

I fully agree with krsbelle, I've had problems in the past with jobs where the CH encouraged other designers to follow my concept, I think the rules should be quite rigid in this sense, is what I say, many of the designers in the competition are false designers or even predators, waiting for getting good concepts of top designers for a chance to succeed.

I too am glad DC now has blind contests. There is no fear of other designers copying your concept or of your concept being too close to another. Other design sites I have been on had this feature and it's a good thing that DC has joined in on this!

It was quite ironic to me when I witnessed one designer complaining very loudly in the comments about another designer (not me) stealing her concept. An administrator basically set her right. Then in a succeeding contest she steals mine. I guess she thought if someone could to it to her, she can do it to someone else. It is very difficult to assess concept plagiarism. Many times I look at a contest and there are over 200 entries and every concept you can possibly imagine has been explored and my thought was, why doesn't the CH just choose one and get it over with? Also there are contests where NONE of the designs have been rated, take note, SILKTAP. The CH there left ONE comment and did not rate any of the over 200 designs they received. MY thought was, so why bother holding a contest?

In many cases the responsability is of the CH...
Many Contest Holders are not very "helpful" for the designers that are working for them.
Lack of informations, regulations, guide lines, ratings etc etc.
Also it is really sad to see that the CHs sometimes do not care for seeing that designers are copying previous entries of some other designer just because he/she has received a higher rate.

The problem we sometimes have hard time to deal with is when the ch starts pointing to a designer telling the other designers to make entries like entry number123 , this becomes very difficult when all designers in a contest start doing this because the ch has asked them to

yes, i like blind contest. :-)

I've been a few contest where the ch has done what you have said "Sharie". I'm in one right now where the ch is doing that. And yes as "much as I hate to copy someone else's design" the ch asked me to make some of my designs like others. But what I try to do when that happens is do what they want but try to make it different in a way that would make yours stand out from the others. I think that would be one of the only things that you can't control on a contest.

let me know what contest and I will call the contestholder and talk with them about this, please

Thank you

The contest is White Dog Tickets. I think the CH has narrowed the contest down to about 3-4 designers. And they have asked all of us to make changes based off other designers entries.

Thanks,
Squewheet

Note: Contest Ends About 10+ hrs.

I guess silktap has reopened its contest but as of this writing they still have not rated a single one of the 248 entries. I was so surprised to see it again on my contest list. I was almost at the point of trashing those designs from my profile page. I know this site exists to serve contest holders as they are the one who bring in the funds that keep it going. Another contest that keeps opening and closing and opening and closing, foing from blind to public is christopher hauser logo design for my own brand. I hope they pay extra to keep it going so interminably long. I kept my design for this CH even though it was eliminated because frankly I thought my design was good, even though it did not seem to please him.

Conrad2

Yes the client pays to extend the contest. I spoke with silktap yesterday, they said they were going to rate the designs, you never know if they will or not, we can't force them to rate but we "strongly" encourage.

About the personal logo contest contest holder ch1 I did chat with him also, he said he would have a winner in the next week or so. But reading his comments that is what he seems to keep saying. This guy is a world traveler and goes to remote areas with no internet access, (one of those kind of photographers) This has been his main problem and why he has extended the contest so many times.

Hi Sharie, Thanks for responding! :-D
I am glad DC requires the client to pay to extend. At least that. I'd be very interested in seeing how these two contests develop. I actually like the methodology ch1 used to rate the entries, at least in the beginning, but with 800 submissions, hmmm, it seems rather extreme to me, with all due respect. If you take a look at the entries, he's got so many great designs to choose from, most of the designers really responding in the best way they could to his requests. In my opinion, he would have been better served had he taken a look at the top 5, 10 or even 20 ranked designers' profiles, selected and contacted those whose designs he thinks goes well with his style, and contracted one of them to do the work. I think he would have his logo by now.

About Whitedog contest... I spoke with the client and he has in mind what he wants says they are his ideas for the designers to design and doesn't look at it as having the designers copy each other, he said he points to a designer that has created what he has in mind to see if the other designers will do a better job. I told him we do not allow this it is considered copyright infringement on the designers ideas/concept. Ch proceeded to tell me they are his ideas. I directed him to our designer guidelines and rules he said he stop pointing at other designers entries.............

Thanks Sharie for the update on the WhiteDog Contest.

Squewheet

About Whitedog contest... I spoke with the client and he has in mind what he wants says they are his ideas for the designers to design and doesn't look at it as having the designers copy each other, he said he points to a designer that has created what he has in mind to see if the other designers will do a better job. I told him we do not allow this it is considered copyright infringement on the designers ideas/concept. Ch proceeded to tell me they are his ideas. I directed him to our designer guidelines and rules he said he stop pointing at other designers entries.............

Yup, I saw what was going on in that contest and I stayed as far away from it as I could: I didn't join in! :-)

yes, i like blind contest. :-)

I used to like them too, but other than toning down concept plagiarism, it's not that much better in terms of CH behaviors. Take note of Derbysoft for the Technology Company Logo that was a blind contest. 210 entries and only 6 were rated and other than the contest winners, were all below 50 points. Looking at the designs now submitted after all has been revealed one could see that there were many excellent ones certainly deserving of some attention or recognition. Designing is not a walk in the park and putting out the effort of conceptualizing, refining and rendering is not, for most designers here, a casual affair. However, I really don't see how to change the situation so I have no suggestions. It may be just "the way it is" *sigh*

Its just frustrating when a CH wants a clean design and clear logo that you work hard on to come up with, and see it two entries later from a separate designer! Where is the integrity? Can we all just work from our own imagination or are we all somehow subliminally influenced by each other if the contest isn't blind??

Yeah you are right. Sometimes you don't if your doing good or not since there are lot of CH are not giving feedbacks and
rating and later you'll learn that the CH already picked a winner.. :-)

In many cases the responsability is of the CH...
Many Contest Holders are not very "helpful" for the designers that are working for them.
Lack of informations, regulations, guide lines, ratings etc etc.
Also it is really sad to see that the CHs sometimes do not care for seeing that designers are copying previous entries of some other designer just because he/she has received a higher rate.

Yeah you are right. Sometimes you don't if your doing good or not since there are lot of CH are not giving feedbacks and
rating and later you'll learn that the CH already picked a winner.. :-)

Or when the CH emphasizes things like minimalist and even gives examples then at the end choosing quite an ornate submission. Go figure.....