4AM needs a brand, a logo. Some simple, elegant design that can become the ID for our new company. I had some ideas of what I wanted but not the graphic expertise to create it. I don’t personally know any graphic designers, and I am on a limited budget right now as a startup.

What to do?

I remembered an article in the April 2010 Inc magazine about online services that run contests to assist small-business owners like myself. I went with the recommended service, Hatchwise.com.

After only 7 days of the contest, I narrowed down 185 entries down to 4 and with Susan’s input, we chose one. Here are my top 4 choices with the winner:

The Winner

What I liked about the winner?

The simple and elegant integration of the number 4 with an arrow. Plus the designer posted a second version that looks great on a dark background, and made a color change at my request.

What I liked about Hatchwise?

• Their easy to use interface.
• That I could view the designers’ previous work before I had to commit any money.
• That I could rate the entries as I viewed them.
• That I could communicate with the designers, providing them feedback and making special requests during the contest.
• The high quality of the designers’ work.

What’s next?

I have been working on a website redesign in preparation for the new logo as well as the upcoming App Store approval of ScoutTrail.