The "Out of our minds" promotion.

2009 is the year of the start-up. Or so it has seemed by the numerous requests for corporate identities that I have received this year. Many recently laid-off people seem to be skipping the job hunt and opening shop instead. For years I have had a minimum rate for logo design projects. This year as well, only I have lost several projects to starving designers now offering bargain basement pricing and the growth of “crowdsourcing” sites.

I thought long and hard about this problem and the question that kept nagging me. How can I sweeten my proposals to ensure I win them? Was I willing to take a pay cut? Sure, if I had some help.

The idea hit me one day like a load of bricks. I even had a name for it.

Offer 2 professional designers for the price of one. Even better, I’ll offer the client 3.

I emailed two very professional and seasoned freelancers I know, Brad Choma and Denny Kurien, with the invitation to meet over breakfast.

I shared my idea with them, we discussed it for 2 hours, and left with a partnership.

The “Out of our minds” promotion was born.

Working together, yet separately, we are offering a unique promotion to any start-up for the duration of 2009.

3 professionals working independently on the look of your brand, for roughly the same price you would typically pay for one.

We will share the final concepts with each other and polish them as a team before presenting the client with 6 finished identities to choose from.

Unlike the Crowd-sourcing sites that can see thousands of amateur designers competing by submitting logos in the hopes of having their design selected, “Out of our minds” is unique as it immediately brings 3 extremely seasoned professionals to the table. The client doesn’t have to spend weeks going through thousands of entries in the hope that one stands out.

We research our client’s business. We speak to them directly and we’ve all been working on some of the world’s most recognized brands for a very long time. Anybody starting a business has to have a strong identity in today’s market. They need a look that stands out from the crowd. We’ve just made getting one not only much easier, we’ve made it extremely cost-effective.

3 Professionals, 6 concepts, one low set price.

$2009 during 2009.

www.outofourminds.ca