Has anyone had experience with sites such as Custom Web Design and Programming. Freelance Programmers. Outsource Web Development Outsourcing, Outsourcing to Freelance Programmers, Web & Logo Designers, Writers, Illustrators on Elance and Guru.com - The world's largest online marketplace for freelance talent. etc?

I have some graphic design work I need done - but this is just a personal site so I want to keep the cost as low as possible. I want a logo/image designed and was thinking this might be a good way around it.

I stumbled across this site which does Design Contents where you post details of your e.g logo and designers post their work and then you pick a winner, and they get paid! Seems pretty good to me, but I think the minimum is $100 and I don't want to spend that much on something that I don't really need (I just would like) or could really almost do it myself (badly)

I got some work done on my present site from Joomla Freelance Jobs and Projects - Joomla Programmers Webmasters Designers - Joomlancers.com - I got an Indian guy to do some work for very cheap, but he didn't finish what he promised, I'm still chasing him. I would still use the site again though, I'd just be more careful.

What are you opinions on this, and for a tiny simple project like mine, where is the best place to look?
Thanks

(Eh, what happened my links??? - all I did was put in the www - is this supposed to happen?)

You need to uncheck 'Automatically retrieve titles from external links' when you're posting... I know, I hate it too. :|

you think 100 is too expensive for a logo???

If I had a company or business, $100 would be cheap - but as I said this is a personal site and I would just like something a very simple to blend a little better with the site. Considering I got a load of work done on the set up of the site originally for $50, I would expect someone to pop out something quick and easy for less than half that. Any graphics designer would be able to pop something decent out in a few minutes after my brief, I just want an outline graphic and a nice font for the text.

Hi there,

A graphic designer probably could pop something out in a couple of minutes and as it turns out some of the most famous logos in the world were developed very quickly. Art Paul who designed the Playboy bunny logo said "if I had any idea how important that little rabbit was going to be,
I probably would have redrawn him a dozen times to make certain
I was doing him justice, and I suppose none of those versions would have
turned out as well as the original. as it was, I did one drawing and that was it. I probably spent all of half an hour on it."

However, this is more the exception than the rule. When I'm designing logos I spend a lot of time thinking of ideas, despite having received a "brief" from the client. I spend time researching other logos and I always provide more than one design and there will inevitably be changes as what the client has in their heads is not what appears in the brief. Some of the briefs I have received are hilarious and basically amount to "I'm not sure what I want but I'll know it when I see it, oh and keep in mind that my wife likes yellow". Ok, then let me just produce 15,000 different designs and see what you like.

Anyway, I know this is getting away from your original post and it's certainly not intended to be a personal attack, I understand that you want to get things done for as low a price as possible as it's a personal site. My point, and there is one here somewhere, is that just because a web or graphic designer (most of the time) enjoys their work, it doesn't mean they should do it for slave wages. With a good designer there is skill involved and usually several years of education.

All the best,
Jennifer

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Laughing Lion Design - Web & Graphic Design Ireland
Jennifer Farley - Photography & Digital Artwork

exactly, would I have the neck to ask a web developer to implement a complex cms and because it's a 'personal' site be shocked when the bill comes in? !

I've used scriptlance extensivily in the past. It's good, cheap, busy.

Negatives -

The more clear you make your projects, the more expensive people bid. It's annoying. So you need to get a balance between explaining yourself clearly without giving too many details.

Also, to cut out the people who autorespond to every project, ask people a question in your project. If they don't answer it, forget about them.

I can recommend some people if you like.

Oh - one more thing. In my experience, the Indian guys are really polite and nice, but their skills are somewhat lacking. The eastern European guys are very technically skilled, but can be a bit difficult to work with...