Gander Outdoors Logo Contest

Recently I entered a logo into the contest that Gander Outdoors(formerly Mountain) held for their transition into new ownership. The winner would receive $100,000, so it was a no brainer to at least try. I've learned from my trips into the 99 Designs and Design Crowd jungle that these contest are really like the lottery. You have no access to the person who decides the winner so you don't know what they like or dislike, so making an entry is like buying a ticket. Seriously, people were entering over 20 logos to this thing, and more power to them. My rule for contest like this is to make something I like, but don't put too much into it, that way it doesn't break your heart as much when you lose. Besides, the top 99 finalist would receive $1000, so that was my goal. If I win, great, but I would be content with a thousand dollars.

So the logo I designed took maybe an hour, and it was one of the 99 finalist. Success. I stuck to the modern trends, like simple structure and a slightly unorthodox design. Something memorable, but would blend in to all the other hot new logos of our generation. One thing that I really wanted to build on was the ability of the general public to replicate the mark. Like if you were in the forest and lost or whatever, and you put a mark on a tree to remember the way. Something along those lines What I ended up designing was mountain imagery on top and a curved lower section to depict water. Simple design that a five year old could replicate, yet crisp enough to stand with other modern designs and be instantly recognizable.