The Engadget mascot contest: win a Wii!
By Ryan Block 
posted April 23rd 2007 3:08PM
posted April 23rd 2007 3:08PM
Let's face it, Engadget needs a mascot that's not one of our dear, sweet readers all dolled up like some random device on Halloween. That's where you and your artistic talents come in: we want you to make us an Engadget mascot to appear on the site, on future t-shirts, and anywhere else you think an Engadget mascot might show up (think: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade -- just kidding). Just for fun we made Paul draw up that little guy to the right, Sonny the Explody Battery: "Stay safe, boys and girls!"
For your efforts we'll repay you with a brand new Nintendo Wii, provided by the WMExperts store.Here are the rules (and some suggestions on how to win our favor):
- You may only enter this specific contest once, but you can enter it with as many mascot entries as you like. You can create a whole family of mascots, or just one.
- These have to be production quality. In other words, don't send us an outline or sketch you did on a napkin, or a 30-second MS Paint mockup. We want to see some effort!
- Suggestion: if you're only sending one mascot, try sending multiple poses. If you're sending a bunch of mascots and can't do multiple poses, send them in a pose that's easy to use for a variety of scenarios.
- Preferred in vector formats, but rasterized images are ok, too.
- Keep the mascot theme relevant! We don't have any need for a cartoon hippopotamus mascot, you know?
- Do not use trademarked or copyrighted materials. Note how our character's name is Sonny, not Sony?
- The grand prize (Wii, NTSC) is open to international entrants.
- Contest is open until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, May 6th.
- Send your entries to us at contest [AT] engadget.com. Make sure you put "MASCOT" in the title of your email. Attachments are cool.
Why not just not enter, and don't waste their time?
Did you guys ever announce the winners of that screensaver contest? I remember you were going to give out a Wii for that but I never saw the results.
Yes, we did: http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/12/engadgets-3rd-birthday-giveaway-engadget-screensavers/
Just to clarify: is this open to non-US residents as well?
Yes. Anyone can enter, although we can't guarantee the Wii will work on your set, depending on where you live!
too bad for WMexperts their logo looks strikingly similar to Waste Management's..
I'm thinking...."Clippy on Crack."
Stewie Griffin would be the perfect Engadget mascot.
DOMOKUN!!!!!!!
http://www.theducks.org/pictures/domokun.jpg
Dear Weblogs Inc:
It has been brought to our attention that you holding a contest to produce communications materials for your organization. We are concerned that your request for proposal includes a solicitation of design concepts to be produced on a speculative basis by the professionals you are considering.
The approach you are pursuing is one that seriously compromises the quality of work you are entitled to and also violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide.
AIGA strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.
There are several reasons for this position:
1. To assure the client receives the most appropriate and responsive work. Successful design work results from a collaborative process between a client and the designer, developing a clear sense of the client’s objectives, competitive situation and needs. Speculative design competitions or processes result in a superficial assessment of the problem and can only result in a design that is judged on a superficial basis. Design creates value for clients as a result of the strategic approach designers take in addressing the problems or needs of the client and only at the end of that process is a “design” created. Speculative or open competitions for work based on a perfunctory problem statement will not result in the best design solution for the client.
2. Capable and professional designers do not work for free. While there will always be some designers who are willing to create designs in response to an open call for work, without any assurance of compensation, the buyer immediately relegates his or her choices among those designers who are least likely to be experienced. Knowledgeable designers, who are in demand among clients, work according to the professional standards of the profession. Quite often, this choice of a less-experience designer results in a client eventually having to bring a more experienced designer into a project in order to execute it. Of course, this change results in additional expenditures that impact your return on investment in design services.
3. Requesting work for free demonstrates a lack of understanding and respect. Requesting work for free reflects a lack of understanding and respect for the value of effective design as well as the time of the professionals who are asked to provide it. This approach, therefore, reflects on your personal practices and standards and may be harmful to the professional reputation of both you and your business.
There are few professions where all possible candidates are asked to do the work first, allowing the buyer to choose which one to pay. Just consider the response if you were to ask a dozen lawyers to write a brief for you, and you would then choose which one to use and which to pay. Or ask several dentists to work for free until you decide which one you like. We realize that there are some creative professions with a different set of standards, such as advertising and architecture, where billings are substantial and continuous after you select a firm of record. In these cases, you are not receiving the final outcome (the advertising campaign or the building) for free up front as you would be in receiving a communication design solution.
There is an appropriate way to explore the work of various designers.
A more effective and ethical approach to requesting work is to ask designers to submit examples of their work from previous assignments as well as a statement of how they would approach your project. You can then judge the quality of the designer’s previous work and way of thinking about your concerns. When you select a designer, he or she can begin to work on your project by designing strategic solutions to your criteria while under contract to you, without having to work free on speculation up front.
There are many local and national designers who can provide you with solutions that will far exceed your expectations with respect for an appropriate budget and schedule. In the end, this approach ensures a more effective, professional and profitable process for everyone involved.
Your consideration of these professional design issues is greatly appreciated.
EW:
Seems to me that all you guys are really trying to say is that Weblogs, Inc. should hire YOUR guys instead of allowing people to create a mascot for them for free. Just because you type it up real nice doesn't make it any better, you know.
Now, I could write this comment in an eloquent and tactful manner, while being relevant to the discussion, and request you politely to (pardon my french) stop acting like morons, but I see no point, since I'm well aware that you will never acquiesce.
Instead, I'm going to key you in on a few things:
1. You are no one to tell people what is best for the client; you may simply provide your best work, as can your competitors, and the CLIENT must decide what is best for him or her.
2. While 'professional' designers may not work for free, I'm sure there are plenty of 'capable' designers who'll feel no qualms in submitting a design to Engadget without being paid for it, seeing as how there is a 250$ game console that is very much in demand involved.
3. Starting a design contest does not demonstrate a lack of understanding or respect for designers. That is the equivalent of saying that Dancing With The Stars shows a lack of respect for professional dancers, or that having pie-eating contests at carnivals signifies a lack of respect for professional pie-eaters. If designers feel they are being attacked simply because Engadget is running a mascot-designing contest, then I'm afraid that designers have a lot more problems than stopping this contest.
Your opinions on this derogatory rant are greatly appreciated. In the end, In the end, this approach ensures a more effective, professional and much less profitable process for YOU.
Thank you for your time.
EW,
This type of contest is beneficial to wannabe designers and amateurs who may not work for a design firm but still be talented and/or want to joing a design company sometime in the future. Something like "designed the mascot for engadget.com" would look good in a resume don't you think?
You also fail to mention what "tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide" is violated. I did not know it was unethical to hold a design contest.
Why does it concern you whether Engadget gets the best design possible? Perhaps the vast variety of options this contest gives Engadget over-rules the pitfalls?
And who exactly are you to lecture anyone?
Let me get this one for ya.
Feck Off.
There ya go. Done.
^^^ don't worry Debbie Downer... you are allowed to enter too.
In other words, "Hi I'm a member of web thingy designers local 1134. Please cease, and desist, or Guido will break your legs" What a bunch of BS. Bitching about a web blog contest reflects a lack of understanding and respect for the value of having a good time, and maybe winning a NINTENDO WII!!! Loosen up, seriously, no really, seriously. Get the stick out of your bobo.
Your consideration of these NON-professional design issues is greatly appreciated.
Sonny reminds me of Towelie...lamest character ever!
Clippy is looking for a new job.
"There are few professions where all possible candidates are asked to do the work first, allowing the buyer to choose which one to pay."
Ha! Thats about the funniest thing I've ever read! Do your "professional design studios" hire people randomly off the street? Or do your employee candidates require some level of "work" history (ie, portfolio) before you hire and "pay" them? Do you have job requirements that must be met before someone is considered for employment?
I can think of a handful of professions where possible candidates are not required to have some work history or level of competence (requiring work) before they are paid and they all suck.
A stinking Wii? Are you freaking kidding me? What's is that, like $250 What a bunch of cheap bastards.
Seriously, Engadget has enough money to do this the right way. Go hire a real illustrator and spread some of that advertising cash around.
Comments like EW's always make me laugh.
I'm a Creative Director and worked for various agencies over my 20 year career, big and small and personally I could give a rats ass if a single organization wants to perform a contest that REWARDS their fans for creating something that gives them bragging rights to. I wouldn't expect any entry that I submit would help my career in anyway or expect to use it on my resume.
If your designers who belong to your trade organization has any real skills then they should be concentrating on helping their clients profit margin and using that record for their careers. Awards and trade associations love to pat each other on the back and tell potential clients that they get 'Quality award winning' work, when the reality its all just one big circle jerk.
I've helped many organizations double their profits and have been rewarded happily for it. When I pitch any campaign or design to a new client, I stand on this record of accomplishment and not on any awards or trade associations I belong to.
At any rate stop being a baby and let the fans have a stab at this contest, I doubt it really make any difference if your group's band of niece and nephews will hurt from this minor 'job'.
A comment like that from EW makes me think that someone at Engadget or Weblogs inc:
1. got a quote or proposal for 'Mascot Development' from a pro house
2. flipped out at the outrageous cost
3. realized a lot of talented people read every day
4. decided to harness that talent
Who better to design a mascot than those people that know the site best? With as many entries as they get, they'll surely receive something they like, and they won't have to pay royalties! :P
Also, don't forget that if you go with a 'professional', you don't get all of the horrible yet entertaining 'honorable mentions'!
Actually, I've never even heard of those guys! Quite the rant though, very humorous.
Ultimately we just thought it'd be a fun contest to put to our readers -- they're the ones who know Engadget best, not some crappy design association.
As a professional in the design field (who is not a member of AIGA, fyi), I'd have to agree with the statements made by EW.
Any established, professional designer worth a grain of salt would not submit to a concept contest. It devalues the work of the profession as a whole.
Furthermore, your results will not match what a professional who specializes in illustration/branding could have produced for your company via structured communication.
The issue, in my opinion, isn't really whether a contest of this fashion is professionally irresponsible or not ... It's the age-old statement, "You get what you pay for."
You'll get a $250 design for $250.
A new video card would be nice. :(
Actually, I'd like to be the first to vote for Sonny, the exploding battery.
I might do one, seems fun. As long as it doesn't get in the way of my gallery showing :-!
EW -
I'm a professional designer. I usually charge around $100 an hour, with a minimum rate of $1K on a project. The logo I submitted took me about ten minutes to put together. If I win, my calculated hourly rate on this "project" (using the estimated cost of a Nintendo Wii being $250) would be $1500 per.
Both myself and Engadget would be getting more than their money's worth, and your firm could not match the quality and variety offered with this approach.
In short: you are an idiot.
Moral high ground or the chance to win a Wii?
I think you're giving people too little credit, I'm positive they can make the "right" decision by them self.
Looks like someone wanted to crash a party...
I'm going to have to agree that design contests like this are a bad idea. You guys have MORE than enough money to hire a designer to do this for you, or even lift up some design students by giving them the brief. Why are you trying to get design work - which will I assume increase the value of your own work, making you more money (or otherwise you wouldn't be doing it) for nothing? That's not fair to our entire profession.
Besides, GAG and other trade group members can be blacklisted for entering something like this.
It's not like you're a charity, here ... I could see a non-profit doing something like this without shame ...
I am sure you can get what you need from any one of a hundred good designers in your area. No need to rip off an entire profession or show design students that the only way they'll get ahead is by doing spec work just for your own benefit.
Man, I gotta think this "EW" post is a joke or something. There's no way a professional business of any kind would choose such an unprofessional way of attemtping to solicit business. I couldn't tell if it was a "you're putting hungry designers on the street" or "screw you for not liking our original proposal and turning to your readership" rant.
Either way, it's an extremely uncalled for move by EW, if in fact this EW poster is representing a legit business.
Then again, I've had to do business with bigger idiots than what EW is seeming to be...
Phew... I wanted to write a long rant, but I realized that it would be sorta pointless...
in any case, I feel like Engadget should probably maket his a bit more official... I might be wrong, but giving out a Wii and calling it a day is sorta sloppy for a lasting logo...
I mean, these things can get really messy without some binding contracts, and I imagine that most people submitting won't know the first thing about logo copyright laws... (does engadget?)
Also, quick note, sketches would probably be a *better* idea... sending out a finished logo? Seriously, ask for people to send a few very thought out ideas, and then choose the top few out of that lot, then have those people develop the finished logo... Hard to bounce ideas back and forth if it's already "done".
Who said anything about a logo? It's for mascot. Did you not read the post? We're definitely not touching our logo.
LoL @ EW
If u could get a dentist to do free work and pick the best one and pay him/her, that would be an excelent idea. Also if one could get a bunch of lawyers to work for free to write a script and then pick the best one would rock. Unfortunally that's not always possible.
But some things are very much real and are great, like getting people to contend about designing a mascot, being able to download content over internet without paying extra for plastic disc that will get damage in the physical world and so on. There are things that just works better on the internet than in "real life", thank god for that.
Haha. EW must be pretty desperate for work to be soliciting on a public discussion board.
EW-
I demand you cease and desist from advertising, promoting and otherwise peddling your services on a privately owned website. No, we don't want your crappy and overpriced designs.
I do not know who EW is or anything about her organization but you comment about doing something because it looks good on a resume is a bullcrap excuse. Tell me another profession where you would ask someone to build something for free because it would look good on their resume and not get laughed out of the room. The closest thing to this are internships and for those there is usually another form of payment involved (course credit, service credit, etc.).
For the record I do not have a problem with this competition. If designers are willing to accept the terms so-be-it. But let us be honest. Engadget does not want to pay for a professional design. Nothing more - nothing less.
Jimmy,
I did not say Engadget is asking ppl to participate in the contest because it will look good on the partcipants' resume. I'm saying that a Wii and the fact that you could be the creator of the mascot of a very popular website is enough of an incentive for some non-professional/amateur/wannabe designers. IF i knew jackshit of Photoshop or whatever I know i would be taking part, and I'm sure there are many around like me who will.
Engadget may not wanna pay for a professional design but like I said a contest open to all gives them huge mascot options, not just one or a few designs to choose from.
That's just a form letter from AIGA that is supposed to be used for businesses who send out dubious calls for 'contests' and spec work and the ever-popular 'volunteer' (for a for-profit business) that's supposed to give you 'something for your portfolio'. In a way, they're right; design/writing/etc. contests are sometimes used to seriously devalue the work and the rates of professionals. That being said, making a mascot to me isn't the same as other sorts of branding or corporate identity. As for the comment about creating work for a portfolio; most portfolios show work created previously, from school and/or paid work, or even just done for the portfolio exclusively. When people are asked to do a *real work assignment* as part of an interview (common amongst companies looking for free writers/editors especially), that's when it crosses the line.
That has absolutely nothing to do with it. We have in-house designers, but I put this to our readers since I thought that's where the most fun and creativity would be. It's called community engagement.
How about next year instead of our "cheap" Halloween costume contest or birthday cake contest we close it off to the public and spend a wad of cash to have a bunch of professional prop makers and bakers do the contests instead of readers. Sound fun? Didn't think so!
any person in a creative production field always needs works and credit to show employers. Whether it is graphic work, video work, audio work we all need to have work that demonstrates our abilities, techniques, styles, and creativity. So why not work on something that could be fun that you could possibly use as an example of work and win a Wii for it. Maybe it would be a great piece for artists and people interested in character design to mess around with.
"cheap Halloween costume contest or birthday cake contest"
Is very different from what you are requesting...
"we want you to make us an Engadget mascot to appear on the site, on future t-shirts, and anywhere else you think an Engadget mascot might show up"
Surely you can see the difference in the two. I have no doubt that you have in-house designers that are capable of good design and certainly there are good designers that will send you designs just for a chance to win a Wii. However, please do not suggest that a $250 trinket is just rewards for a piece of graphic art that will no doubt pay you back thousands of times over.
If you are serious about making this worth someone's time then how about this:
"We here at Engadget would like you, our loyal readers, to make us an Engadget Mascot. We are holding a competition that ... insert requirements here ... As a reward for your time we will be giving away a Wii gaming console to the top two designers. As a bonus the winning designer will work with our staff to refine the mascot design and will receive $xxxx.xx upon project completion."
As I said before. I do not have a problem with this competition so long as everyone agrees. But the fact is that what you are currently offering is a thin disguise for both Weblogs Inc. and WM Experts profiting off of this site's readership.
ah, very bad phrasing and assumption on my part.
I just think of mascots as being very heavily in conjunction with logos...
Well, it still stands that engadget and the winner should take cares to handle this well.
Not saying it can't be done or anything, just being wary I guess...
I agree with the points EW made but I don't think that they are relevent to this competition since its... a competition, its suposed to be a bit of fun! Its also clear to everyone that they probably wont get anything.
However I agree totally that when employers go looking to hire and Illustrator they seem to think its perfectly reasonable to expect something for nothing! Ive done jobs for peanuts or nothing other than "my portfolio" when I was starting out and to be honest the time and effort would probably have been better spent doing my own work while continuing to look for somthing that had actually paid!
Pay for itself? It seems to me like you think we're going to make money off of this image. For us it's value-add. What's more, we haven't ever sold t-shirts or promo material -- we give it away. What we may sell in the future would just go to charity anyway, we're not in the business of selling swag (at least not any time soon).
Furthermore, I don't think you understand the legal red tape we'd have to jump through to pay a cash fee for the work in a contest scenario. In fact, that may not even be possible. But even if it was, I'm positive it'd have to be US-only, wherein a whole other crop of people would be hurt that we couldn't include them. Besides, what's fun about cash? This is Engadget, we give away gadgets.
If you or anyone else doesn't like it then don't participate! I may close comments on this thread soon.
Mine will be a bricked 360 taking a dump on a shiny, fully-functional PS3.
umm, yes engadget is taking advantage of its readership. so? what is wrong with engadget asking its readers to be a little creative, maybe win a wii. don't like it? get over it. if you're of the opinion that its morally wrong, then just don't enter the contest
you people sicken me.
For what it's worth, I wanted to add another comment.
Yes, the comment I posted was a form letter from AIGA. No, I am not a graphic designer, or even a member of AIGA. I have no potential business interest with Engadget, Weblogs Inc or AOL/TW. I like Engadget (and TUAW and BloggingStocks)!
What bothered me about this was that your requirements were fairly specific. You asked for several poses, of "production quality" with no trademarked or copyrighted materials. "We want to see some effort," you said. That doesn't sound to me like you wanted amateur-quality mascot.
I don't think there is any intent to mislead, and I am sure you have no plans to specifically make a profit on it. However, Engadget, Weblogs Inc. and Time Warner are all for-profit businesses. Any promotion that extends the Engadget brand builds the business. Promoting the brand brings in more readers. More readers creates more ad impressions that earn revenue for the company.
So, when I read that you were doing a mascot contest, I just wondered if you knew that contests like this one are troubling to many creative and organizations such as AIGA.
I felt that AIGA said it pretty well, so I just copied and pasted their letter.
Look, I can't stop anyone from entering. If you're a student, go ahead and enter. If you're an illustrator and you really love Engadget, right on! Go for it.
But otherwise, stop and think about it for a minute and decide if what usually sells for $60-$100 an hour in the US is worth giving away for free to a $2 billion for-profit company like Time Warner.
Finally, Ryan, what's the story with the copyright of the winning entry? Will you offer to buy it at maket rates? Do you expect it for free? Would you pick a winning entry whose creator wouldn't give up the copyright?
A little more clarity around copyright would be helpful.
Well Ryan, I guess you never expected to get your tender parts run through the blender for doing something that, to me at least, said:
"Hey readers, we think your thoughts and opinions mean something so we are asking for your imput and thoughts and hey, if we like it we will grace you with a popular, damm hard to find game console worth a couple of bills."
I am a lawyer in my day job and have had 20 years of experience of looking out for who is screwing who how and this didn't say anything other than that. Its not like Ryan is shooting at the feet of every design geek that reads Engadget and says "Design!" BANG "Design!" BANG
(hops off soapbox)
People need something to whine about, kinda goes with the territory of working with internet communities! Just can't take all the haters too seriously, I guess.
This is like me having my neighbor to come over to help me build a shed and giving him a 12 pack for his help. Now could you see the local construction union having a fit over that. LOL