@UpstartBlogger: I totally see where you are coming from about the gigs and people under-cutting prices. Only if the idiots in this world would quit breeding we wouldn’t have to worry about morons polluting the gene pool. Good luck in the hunt for a logo, and should you need any help reviewing comps you get from the designer, or need them critiqued I would be more than happy to help.

I agree with your second comment also. Well presented text is what gives Upstart Blogger its unique look, all credit to Robert for that, and I do want to keep that look intact with any future redesign. I need something that can be used as a link back to Upstart Blogger for the network member blogs. I’ve got some text based ideas in my head so if nobody comes forward I’ll put something together and post it to get some feedback.

Upstart Blogger has a good readership and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone act irresponsibly. I’m very lucky in that respect. I’m sure other bloggers would love to have such an intelligent subscriber base.

Jenkins - Thanks. You haven’t stepped on anyones toes. You were right to make the comment and, as Andrew correctly states, you did it in a gracious and professional way. Funnily enough your second comment draws even more parallels between musicians and designers. I’m a professional and I charge a price that reflects this. But, I lose a lot of gigs to non professionals who push themselves into every gig with a “we can do it much cheaper” attitude which ultimately hurts everyone in the business. The only way out of this situation is to just pitch for gigs where the person responsible for the booking cares about the music and not about the money. And those gigs are often few and far between.

I doubt I’m saying anything you don’t already know, though.

Jenkins, I think you made your point far more graciously than is often the case. A few times I’ve seen people broach the subject of a “logo competition” only to be attacked for daring consider it. I’m glad to see a level of maturity here; now if only we could spread that to the rest of the internet (and, maybe then, the flesh and blood world).

Another site you may check out where you can find a solid designer is www.logopond.com . I go there quite often when I need to hire a freelancer. People have their portfolios of logos on the site and it is setup rather well. You may be able to find someone there too.

Good luck in your search. I look forward to the new look.

Keep it up.