Perhaps I didnât understand what youâre saying, but UpWork isnât a contest site. Clients choose designers they want to work with based on their portfolios, work histories, and proposals. No design work is done for free or before a contract is signed. I donât know about Dribbble or Useme since Iâve not looked into them. I suggest staying away from the contest sites and the clients who use them. You canât earn much money there and the so-called clients will be nothing but trouble.
Even on UpWork, the better jobs typically only pay a fraction of my usual rate. However, in the past, UpWork has provided me with filler jobs during slow periods. Some of those jobs turned into good longterm clients that do pay my usual rate.
I understand about needing to find work, even when that work isnât for the best clients or under the best circumstances. I also understand how many of the things mentioned in this thread donât necessarily apply when working for remote clients who arenât willing to pay for top-quality work. A client who is only willing to pay âŹ50 for a logo cannot expect the same level of quality and thoroughness as a client willing to pay âŹ2000.
For example, I previously mentioned your logo having too many colors to be practical for spot color work. For a well-paying client, Iâd make sure the logo or a version of the logo would work using spot colors. For a lesser-paying client who likely will never use spot colors, I might not concern myself with it. For a well-paying client, Iâd stay away from the easy clichĂ©s and obvious solutions. Low-paying clients, on the other hand, are unlikely to appreciate such things. Iâm not suggesting that low-paying clients should get sloppy work. Instead, Iâm suggesting that catering the work to the clients, their expectations, their tastes, and their budgets is the most practical approach.
With all that said, I wouldnât overthink your magnifying glass logo. For an ignorant cheapskate client hiring work off a contest site, they can only be expected to get what theyâre paying for and what their level of understanding permits. Give them a clichĂ© with a dozen different colors â thatâs probably what theyâre looking for and you wonât have a chance to explain the options to them anyway.
Again, Iâll suggest staying away from the contest sites if you must work for remote one-off clients over the internet. Upwork is better, although not perfect. Save your most thorough and best work for those clients who you can work with directly and who are willing to pay for the many long hours it takes to produce the best work. If I were you, Iâd refine the magnifying glass logo that I previously said I liked and be done with it.