A New Logo, from 99designs

Exciting news! Paleomantic has an inspired new logo, and I hope you love it as much as I do. The logo is an original and fun twist on the Paleolithic shield-and-sword, and captures the essence of the Paleo Diet and Lifestyle.

The ripe fruit represents the abundance of nature, and the spoon is full of the goodness and health which nature provides. The leaves are vibrant and bursting with vitality. The last curl on the vine is heart, connecting with the ‘romantic’ and joyful aspect of the blog’s name. With it’s pink/purple exterior and it’s golden yellow flesh, the fruit could be a passion-fruit, or a grape from the vineyards which surround us here in the Veneto.

The design is by Adhitya H.Putri, from 99designs.com. Adhitya’s design name is Aditto Chan – click on the links to see her portfolio. I feel  blessed that Adhitya found my brief and intuitively knew what I was asking for. Her design leapt out with it’s freshness and when we started collaborating, I felt that I’d found a design angel, flown down from heaven to help me.

I’d designed the old logo myself, last summer, but as Paleomantic started to take form and it’s light started to shine, I became frustrated with the look. I love the font, Paris, which I’d found and purchased from myfonts.com. I chose it because it conveyed the familiar feeling of the handwritten blackboard at your favorite cafè. I designed the logo with the Paleo niche in mind – the Paleolithic spear and shield are instantly recognisable and relevant. But I was finding that the all-caps of Paris were too static, and the logo itself, too masculine. It wasn’t representing myself, Paleomantic’s readers, or the energy of the blog. I went back to myfonts.com, and hunted and trialed until I found a complementary font. Mulberry provided movement, a sense of playfulness and femininity, and yet still had that lovely handwritten feel. And that’s where I stopped. I’d reached my limit. I needed the help of a professional.

Those of you outside of the Blogosphere may not know of Problogger. It’s a blog by the Australian entrepeneur, Darren Rouse, and he and his team provide advice for bloggers. I receive so much inspiration, motivation and knowledge from Problogger, and if Darren Rouse recommends something, then, as far as I’m concerned, it’s worth a shot. He’d raved about 99designs.com and so, following his advice, I headed over.

Oh! So much fun! 99designs is a network of designers from around the world. You write the brief for whatever design work you are needing  – a logo, a cd cover, a t-shirt, packaging, car-wraps, website design, full branding. Whatever you need, they have it covered.

You nominate how much you are willing to pay: bronze, silver, gold or platinum.

And then you launch your contest. Designers from around the world compete to win your prize. As the entries roll in, you give ratings from 1 to 5 stars, and communicate with the designers. They make tweaks and adjustments, until such time as you choose the finalists, and then finally the winner.

The whole process from go to woah was brilliant! I loved Adhitya’s design the moment I saw it, and over three or four days we played around with the details. I chose the winning design well before the contest was due to end.

If you run a contest, but you’re not satisfied with the design, you’re not charged. And if you have chosen to guarantee the prize, in order to attract more designers, and you’re still not satisfied, then the prize money is divided amongst the finalists. It’s a great system.

It’s also affordable. I reached out and researched some fabulous designers, but their services were beyond my budget. With 99designs, I was able to nominate my price, and this made my project achievable.

I found a great designer, who I hope to work with again. I have a gorgeous new logo, which is truly representative of my blog. I didn’t break the bank. I lived an international design experience from the comfort of my kitchen. And I totally, thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.

I’ve signed up for the 99design affiliate program, because I think it’s great – an innovative and exciting company that is helping designers around the world to get their work out there, as well as providing a fantastic, efficient service for those of us who need the touch of a professional.

If you or your friends have any design work that needs to be done, then I can fully recommend 99designs. Let them know that you’ve been recommended by me, and we’ll both receive a bonus! You receive a free $99 upgrade on your first design contest, and I’ll earn $50 for the referral. Nice, huh? Just click on this link or the ad box in the sidebar to take advantage of this win-win affiliation.

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What do you think about the new look logo for Paleomantic? Do let me know! And if you have any questions about 99 designs, don’t hesitate to ask.

Best Wishes, Good Health