Need help with icon concept

[THX1139]

On topic:
How about a green lightbulb with a tree inside. Perhaps not fuel efficiency, but maybe energy efficiency.

As for the other "discussion" it's not like he asked anyone to come up with a fully-fledged design blue-print. To me it seemed more like he wanted some help brainstorming...

Coming up with an original idea is often the hardest part of a design project. Those of you who think designers are being unreasonable about helping him with a concept have no idea of how difficult or time consuming that can be. Just take a look at all of the ideas offered so far... they have all been very generic and cliche'. Of course if you don't care about the quality of your message, then that might be okay with you.

 

[uuaschbaer]

Coming up with an original idea is often the hardest part of a design project. Those of you who think designers are being unreasonable about helping him with a concept have no idea of how difficult or time consuming that can be. Just take a look at all of the ideas offered so far... they have all been very generic and cliche'. Of course if you don't care about the quality of your message, then that might be okay with you.

Please offer me all the names of the programs using Gandhi and perpetual motion machines as icons that you know. The problem isn't that the icons are not original enough, Michelangelo. The problem is that they're not cliché enough, which they must be to serve their utilitarian purpose of being easily recognisable. 'Fuel efficiency' not being an idea that has many icons made for, the thread starter asked for help which no one is required to give.
It's not that difficult, though: Electrons orbiting nucleus, battery, fire, lightning bolt, woodblocks, gas station, gas pomp, gas nozzle or any other allusion to energy or fuel, supplement it with a symbol of efficiency like a plus or the infinity symbol or anything else that loops and you have yourself a pleasantly cliché icon.

 

[Kwill]

My ears grow numb with all the variations of "work for free"

Artists hear a hundred variations of this throughout their careers:

1. 'Why don't you sketch out some ideas and I'll run them by my partners with your quote?'
   
2. 'For this new venture we need a logo, business cards, flyers, banners, the whole nine. It would be GREAT for your portfolio.'
   
3. 'Let's see what you come up with. If I like it I'll get you something for it down the line.'
   
4. 'I already have the concept all you need to do is the final art.'
   
5. 'Do this for me and I'll owe you lunch... (If I like it.)'
   
6. 'Draw these products for the catalog and I'll get you a pair of tennis.'
   
7. 'I need a logo for this fantastic new business venture. When it takes off I'll throw some green your way.'
   
8. 'How about designing the ad so I can get the money to pay you?'
   
9. 'Let me see if if I can get you something for the printing. When the money starts pouring in, I'll pay for the artwork.'
   
10. 'Better yet, just do the artwork and I'll find someone else to do the printing... (for free).'
    
11. My personal favorite: 'Design the graphics for a small fleet of airlines. You will have a very nice portfolio piece. And we'll put your name on the door so passengers will see it as they board the plane.' (I wish I would have saved that email.)

Conversely, what's heard with other professions:

• Before 6 minutes with doctor: 'Your co-payment for this visit is $90.' (Afterwards he has no idea what's wrong.)
  
• Before selling a car I asked my mechanic to give me an idea of what it would to make it safe. He charged me $100 for a diagnostic to tell me it would cost $2000 to make it safe.
  
• Will the car wash show you what your car will look like if it's clean before you decide whether to pay for it?
  
• Can you drive through Mickey Dees and ask for an idea of what will go in the bag if you actually had money?

In what other profession is time, effort or product free? Artists on this forum frequently offer constructive advice. (Check my post history.) All they ask is that the OP put forth reasonable effort to solve his/her problem first. If that's not done, then the OP falls into the category of a potential customer. And designers happen to sell intellectual property.

An unresearched idea is virtually useless. It could infringe upon someone else's trademark or copyright causing legal woes. It may not adequately distinguish the product from its competition. Or perhaps the next customer would have been willing to pay for a design that was just given away. After all, designers need money to pay for doctor visits, mechanical repairs, car washes and Mickey Dees.

 

[LittleBob68]

This guy did not walk into your design studio and ask for free work. He posted on a public internet message board asking for help. It's a pretty simple concept. I have never seen a group of people including doctors, mechanics and the such that are as arrogant as some 'designers' seem to be. Like I said before, if you dont want to help dont help. It would be soooooooo easy for you guys to just leave it alone. It is obvious that some people dont mind helping so why do you have to be so hateful to them/the op? Remember, the question is not if you should have to do free work, the question is why do you need to concern yourself with something that obviously has nothing to do with you? Dont help the guy and let the nice people that want to help him do so.

 

[SwiftLives]

I suppose you have just as much right to be offended that you're not getting free work as I have to be offended that I was asked for free work.

Personally, I think it's pretty arrogant that someone thinks he can post on a public board and receive free services from people with whom he has no prior professional relationship.

And most people on this thread, while critical of the original post, did offer up helpful suggestions on various websites for him to visit to help him brainstorm.

And people call designers arrogant?

 

[LittleBob68]

I suppose you have just as much right to be offended that you're not getting free work...

Personally, I think it's pretty arrogant that someone thinks he can post on a public board and receive free services from people with whom he has no prior professional relationship.

I am not offended if nobody helps me with my request(however, somebody did). I am offended when I ask a reasonable request and people attack my character and are just down right rude.

I feel sorry for you, I would never think
someone is arrogant because they asked me for help, even if I don't know them. I actuall can't even understand the reasoning behind that.

 

[MattSepeta]

Does it

Does it always have to come to this???

What is the problem with letting upcoming scenarios play out this way:

Person "A", a long time and positively contributing member, posts asking for some sort of free design "work", free suggestions on design work, etc; service "X".

Person "B" sees the post and thinks "This chump is going to get a crappy "X". "Oh well" thinks B, "Sucks to be them. Not my problem in the slightest."

Person "C" has some time to kill (Don't we all, we are on a largely useless message board) stumbles upon A's post and figures "What the hell, why not create a quick X?"

A B and C are happy.

I don't get it.

 

[TheAnswer]

Does it always have to come to this???

What is the problem with letting upcoming scenarios play out this way:

Person "A", a long time and positively contributing member, posts asking for some sort of free design "work", free suggestions on design work, etc; service "X".

Person "B" sees the post and thinks "This chump is going to get a crappy "X". "Oh well" thinks B, "Sucks to be them. Not my problem in the slightest."

Person "C" has some time to kill (Don't we all, we are on a largely useless message board) stumbles upon A's post and figures "What the hell, why not create a quick X?"

A B and C are happy.

I don't get it.

Because you forget there is also a person "D", who is made happy by exclaiming "How dare you expect us, who slaved away for years educating ourselves in this sublime and intangible alchemy, wherein only we are capable of extracting the purest concentrate of abstraction from the primordial sea that contains all conceptual possibilities, to work for free?"

 

[ezekielrage_99]

An unresearched idea is virtually useless. It could infringe upon someone else's trademark or copyright causing legal woes. It may not adequately distinguish the product from its competition.

That is so true, I've been in a position before where a I was working for a blue chip company that decided crowdsourcing all the marketing and new branding for the logo.

It turned out to be an extremely expensive mistake, with me saying "I told you so".

 

[KeithPratt]

Posters are saying this kind of thread is testament to designers' arrogance — but I don't see designers, I see the same frustrated and hostile wind-up merchants found in every corner of the internet.