Friday, February 05, 2010

Natl Endowment for the Art's Open Call for Logo Design!!!

NEA's Open Call for Logo Design -- Come on all you creatives out there!

Posted: 05 Feb 2010 05:49 AM PST

Artworks-300x125 Earlier this week, National Endowment for the Arts(NEA) chairman Rocco Landesman announced the NEA's open call for a new logo design to convey its focus (tagline?), "Art Works."

Designers, you'll find the RFP here, The deadline is February 26th and the winner gets $25,000. Much better than the take from typical design crowdsourcing ops like 99designs.com.

The announcement, made to students at Miami's architecture and design high school, gave the NEA a wonderful chance to take center stage. That's an opportunity usually left to the programs it funds. Landesman described the NEA's needs here:

These two words – “art works” – pretty much sum up everything we are about at the NEA and I hope you will see them everywhere. Art, artists, and arts professionals work to change the communities they inhabit: they are placemakers and help create livable, sustainable, complete communities. I look forward to having a logo that conveys that.

You know that contests are all the rage -- from America's Giving Challenge to Chase Community Giving -- but this is an interesting amalgam of contest, crowdsourcing and flat-out PR. I think it's a brilliant communications campaign. Here's why:

  • Most of us only have a vague idea what the NEA actually is and does. This contest is a pweroful platform for Landesman and colleagues to build understanding of its value.
  • Art Works is the NEA's thoughtfully-conceived brand. They've done the planning to ensure that its relevant and this contest is a wonderful way to build its network of messengers.
  • And it's news (new, time sensitive), so will be spread by traditional and non-traditional media (like me).
  • The contest gives the NEA to talk about itself this week, while the submissions are coming in, at the deadline and when a winner is selected. That's several points of entry into the news cycle.

I'll be tracking the coverage and response this campaign generates for the NEA, and will share back with you. Meanwhile, what's your take on this strategy? Does it work for you?...

NOTE: Please read the comments section. AIGA has come out strongly against this practice of soliciting graphic design work on spec

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