Somerset Partners in Web Page Design

Held by JennMurray

Summary

Status
withdrawn
Status Comment
Contest is not accepting entries.
Entries
30
Prize
$1,000
Details

A closer look at this contest

Created:
Fri, 16 May 2008 14:47:55 +0000
Ends:
Fri, 23 May 2008 14:47:55 +0000
Modified:
Fri, 16 May 2008 14:47:55 +0000
Last Feedback:
none given yet
Comments:
49
Designers:
20
Feedback:
0%
Brief Summary

We're starting a real eastate company specializing in purchasing commercial office buildings. We're looking for a website design that incorporates our vision for this company. We want something creative and classy. Tabs should include "about us", "people", "investment strategy" and "contact."

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Discussion

  1. How many pages is this contest for? and is it for design only?
    --
    With such a high prize on offer, you may want to look at the 'guaranteed contest' option, and I'm sure you'll find that the more experienced designers will flock to your contest :-)
    --
    SitePoint Community Mentor

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    Nadia P
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 16:10:12 +0000
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  2. PS: Do you have a logo available?
    Also, the brief is not overfilled with details. I realise you are a new startup company, but do you have another material that you can supply that the designers can work with? What type of information would you like included on the entry page, main facts, where are you situated, call to action areas etc. The more information you provide, the more you are helping the designers come up with a design that you'll approve of.

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    Nadia P
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 16:13:28 +0000
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  3. Good points Nadia P .... Looking forward to more details from the CH :)

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    webknix
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 16:39:36 +0000
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  4. Let me start by saying that I am new to this. We do not currently have a logo. I am not sure what the guaranteed contest is, I do know that I don't want to guarentee anything until I see that I like some of the options. I would like to do the copy writing for the site after I choose a winner and deal directly with that person.

    I would like to eventually code the site as well but for now just design and then I will speak directly to the winner when I choose one. Thanks and good luck. I like the use of buildings as a back drop at the top and am looking for creativity but nothing to crazy.

    Thanks.

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    JennMurray
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 16:50:06 +0000
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  5. Hello JennMurray - can you offer PayPal as a form of payment for awarding the prize ?

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    webknix
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 16:56:50 +0000
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  6. Can you offer Western Union?

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    pavot
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 18:08:01 +0000
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  7. I can offer western union.

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    JennMurray
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 19:57:39 +0000
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  8. Hello,

    How many pages do you want designed? Do you want a page designed for each tab? If so, is this included in the prize amount? For the contest do you just want to see the home page designed?

    Also do you want a fluid or fixed width?

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    Createabit
    Comment Date
    Fri, 16 May 2008 21:06:16 +0000
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  9. hi JennMurray
    i like to join in.:)

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    allan
    Comment Date
    Sat, 17 May 2008 04:07:13 +0000
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  10. I will join in. as well. Thanks for the good amount of the prize money. Now I am really motivated.

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    Jad Graphics
    Comment Date
    Sat, 17 May 2008 07:57:43 +0000
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  11. ....but don't you guys want to know more specifics before you enter... what if it's a contest for 50 pages for example? :-D

    Jenn, I can understand your points, thank you. We still need to know what the prize money covers... if you could answer the other questions posed about how many pages are needed would be great.

    Generally, if you need pages for a complete website, it would be an entry page and an inner page that you can use to recreate all the other pages from... is this what you are after?

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    Nadia P
    Comment Date
    Sat, 17 May 2008 08:12:25 +0000
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  12. hmmm...good point i think on part of Nadia P. i'll wait the ch response.

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    allan
    Comment Date
    Sat, 17 May 2008 11:14:37 +0000
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  13. tine, i really like your designs. simple and oozing with status. i think i like the menu sizes (about us, contact etc.) better in entry #5. i think, the CH might think that "it doesn't have enough" or "its too simple".. so another suggestion would be to try to add to the website while keeping the simplicity. i hope that makes sense mate.

    good work :)

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    flowithego
    Comment Date
    Sat, 17 May 2008 13:02:14 +0000
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  14. This contest has "Caution" status ( see top of page) .... I don't think that is going to attract a lot of good designers unless the CH starts providing valuable feedback.

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    webknix
    Comment Date
    Sat, 17 May 2008 15:17:18 +0000
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  15. Typically, a project like that requires a Homepage and Subpage designs.
    Jenn, let us know if you're expecting more than that.

    Thanks. Good luck everyone.

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    Jma689
    Comment Date
    Sat, 17 May 2008 19:27:23 +0000
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  16. @ webknix, thats why im also still waiting..

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    V1
    Comment Date
    Sun, 18 May 2008 18:02:38 +0000
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  17. Sorry sorry sorry- I guess the contest continues over the weekend. In response to Nadia I think the entry page and innner page is exactly what i'm looking for. So far I have not seen anything that I really love. Let me know if there are anymore questions. Thanks.

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    JennMurray
    Comment Date
    Mon, 19 May 2008 13:11:32 +0000
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  18. If you could provide some more exact guidelines. Maybe same pages that inpire you. That would help alot. Intead of having people trying to guess what you want.

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    Juba
    Comment Date
    Mon, 19 May 2008 15:13:38 +0000
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  19. I wish I had more in mind. I am not sure exactly what I am looking for. I am looking for your ideas and then I will comment individually on the ones that I like. Thanks.

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    JennMurray
    Comment Date
    Mon, 19 May 2008 17:26:06 +0000
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  20. "We're starting a real eastate company specializing in purchasing commercial office buildings. We're looking for a website design that incorporates our vision for this company."

    So what, exactly, is your vision for the company.

    Also, Somerset Partners is already a well known name in the real estate world. Is that part of the plan? http://www.somersetpartnersllc.com/

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    stuboo
    Comment Date
    Mon, 19 May 2008 22:48:48 +0000
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  21. - It might also be helpful if we had a logo to start with.

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    Aqueous Designs Atl
    Comment Date
    Tue, 20 May 2008 13:03:52 +0000
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  22. Yes that is part of the plan. We want to appear larger than we actually are. We want our site to have a larger than life feel.

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    JennMurray
    Comment Date
    Tue, 20 May 2008 13:07:31 +0000
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  23. @Jenn Murray... I really like this kind of design projects but I have mixed feelings about your project, because of the following facts:

    1) you didn't give enough info about your firm (what is your firm's exact name -Somerset Partners ? , where is the firm situated? Do you have a logo? and so on...);

    2) the fact that real estate firm Somerset Partners already exist (the link that stuboo gave) and you wrote "We're starting a real eastate company...", which means that you are starting the new firm 'borrowing' the well established name... ?

    3) you haven't given any feedback yet.
    ...

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    Indigooutline
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 12:42:50 +0000
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  24. Indigo- I am happy that you wish to participate and am happy to answer your questions. We are a start up and have not fully settled on a final name for our firm. We are looking for branding and decided that a website would be a good place to start. We will probably not end up calling ourself somerset as they do already exsist. Our firm will be located in new york. We are a family company with many years of real estate investment expierience. We primarily invest in office properties and mostly outside of new york (midwest, southeast etc.) We are NOT developers and simply invest in value add opportunities. We see ourselves as being extremely entrepenurial. What we want to convey a feeling of trust and confidence through our website. We want it to be a place where our investors will go and think "we're serious about our business. We do not have a logo and I guess that would have been a better place to start. With that said, I really am looking for creativity and a website that takes an intersting approach. Thanks for your comments and I hope this helps.

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    JennMurray
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 13:06:03 +0000
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  25. No more houses please---we invest in commercial realestate

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    JennMurray
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 13:14:31 +0000
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  26. Thank you! Your answer helps a bit. If you'd give feedbacks (at least short ones, for example... what you think about the colors, photos, use and positioning of the elements, overall look... and so on) it would help the most.

    I did plan to enter a couple of days ago... but now, I think you have a lot of nice designs already submitted and since guys here are capable of making remarkable designs with some help from your side... feedback would be a wise thing to do :)

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    Indigooutline
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 13:37:22 +0000
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  27. Yeah. It's tough to admit when you're beat out, but honestly, I think tine's designs display the most 'larger than life' factor with the minimalism. Big sites like GE, et. al. all use those principles. Heh - oh irony.

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    Muttur
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 15:04:24 +0000
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  28. A thing the contest holder needs to think in the first place is that pictures here dont mean nothing. You will not be able to use them to your own site. So what you really need to stick up is the layout appearance and combination of colors and fonts. But mostly something pratical that gives potencial clients a dynamic offer in the market.

    Now a guy that grabs a used brand in the bissness can't be seriously and cannot be taken for real. Or He has no prespective of what he really wants.
    Now has designers we should be carefull with this kind of contests. Remenber you are submitting work for free.

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    Juba
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 20:08:11 +0000
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  29. Antoher thing is if you plan to have offers online?
    Or just a descriptive website?

    Major companys have a good stand up commerce and offer online. And are not too cocky. So if you wanna look big you need to think big and show and sell online.

    http://www.century21.com/home.aspx
    http://www.intercontinental.net/
    http://www.coldwellbanker.com/

    Have a look:
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=es&client=opera&rls=es-es&q=real+estate+corporation&btnG=Buscar&lr=

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    Juba
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 20:20:21 +0000
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  30. Juba, your comment regarding images is definitely worth noting, however I would have thought that anyone who submitted a design would only use images they had the rights (or were able to eventually get the rights) to use.

    Whenever I put together a mockup I use images from my existing library, purchased from istockphoto.com, or I use the watermarked preview version until it's approved. If a designer is simply pulling images from Google they'll have a lot to answer for when the client (rightly) assumes they'll be able to use it.

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    flashmantom
    Comment Date
    Wed, 21 May 2008 23:04:57 +0000
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  31. Well first you don't know if a sketch design is going to take the same images at all. Especially images with watermarks in it...
    I dont know for how long have you worked in design but a preview means nothing wether it's for a web work or imprenta.
    And dont waste your time photoshopping images to remove watermarks in a place were you aren't sure you are getting paid.
    Good luck. ;)

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    Juba
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 03:11:26 +0000
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  32. only 1 day and 10 hours to go and nobody seems to know what you (the client) want -at least, I dont!-. feedbacks with clear likes and dislikes might be a good idea right now. if you want to get the "perfect design". just a suggestion!

    feedbacks please. even short ones.

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    djredsky
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 03:48:09 +0000
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  33. I only see 1, 2 or 3 stars max. what is a 5 star design?

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    djredsky
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 03:49:30 +0000
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  34. This contest isn't like "ThinkNetwerk" right?
    http://99designs.com/contests/6491
    "Please only submit the highest quality ideas." - free ideas?

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    Stiliyan
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 07:43:19 +0000
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  35. @Stanliano... I just checked out the ThinkNetwerk project...

    It would be great to get some feedback on this... I submitted an improvement on the 99designs uservoice site, more to generate a bit of discussion than to actually see the functionality implemented.

    I realise that a lot of designers spend a lot of time on submissions to 99designs, and of course there's only ever 1 winner, and in some cases, such as ThinkNetwerk, the contest holder is more of a 'passive browser' than an active buyer, and so sometimes no one wins.

    Have any of you been keeping track of your time spent vs money won on 99designs projects? I guess it will be different for everyone but would be great to get a general concensus.

    If you want you can check out my entry in suggestions to avoid too much unnecessary chatter in this competition.

    http://99designs.uservoice.com/suggestions/5441

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    flashmantom
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 10:01:36 +0000
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  36. I have calculated that I have probably drummed up about 50 hours over the past 2 months on "ABANDONED" contests alone. :(

    (this is under various user names)

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    Zippy
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 10:38:05 +0000
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  37. __ Indigooutline said - "feedback would be a wise thing to do". I whole heartedly agree. Designers are capable of giving something totally diferent from one submission to another if comments are given but a 1 star just says that you don't like it. So we are all here designing blindly with no direction.

    Please give comments to the submitted designs. Also, please make sure you are opening them in a large view, not just the hover pop-up view and don't judge the design by the stock photos chosen. Those are easily swapped out if only you gave a comment to do so.

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    Aqueous Designs Atl
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 12:44:43 +0000
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  38. I'm new to 99designs, does this happen a lot? I really like the possibilities of what 99designs can provide, however, if this happens often thats very discouraging.

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    digitalswirl
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 19:45:12 +0000
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  39. Looks like we had another window shopper...

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    flashmantom
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 23:16:18 +0000
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  40. I knew it. this guy was shady

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    djredsky
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 23:32:09 +0000
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  41. you guys should Withdraw your Entries. I just did

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    djredsky
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 23:34:26 +0000
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  42. no free ideas

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    djredsky
    Comment Date
    Thu, 22 May 2008 23:34:39 +0000
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  43. this site can waste your time and efforts...what a waste

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    webknix
    Comment Date
    Fri, 23 May 2008 01:25:28 +0000
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  44. __ Digitalswirl... I've seen it happen a few times however I have also won as well. I guess we just have to get good at recognizing a good contest and one that is not. I'd say someone that has put a lot of thought into exactly what they want & have a lot of details with feedback would be a good contest to enter.

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    Aqueous Designs Atl
    Comment Date
    Fri, 23 May 2008 02:45:27 +0000
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  45. ~~Aqueous - Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it. I will learn to be a better observer.

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    digitalswirl
    Comment Date
    Fri, 23 May 2008 02:59:58 +0000
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  46. Well, I guess this is no surprise at all...

    Is it possible that this JennMurray is a Jenn Murray - Web Designer (first hit in Google)?

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    Indigooutline
    Comment Date
    Fri, 23 May 2008 11:37:09 +0000
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  47. http://www.jennmurray.com/index.html
    Jenn Murray is an experienced web designer that specializes in providing small businesses with websites.
    mmmmmmmm?

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    djredsky
    Comment Date
    Fri, 23 May 2008 16:49:31 +0000
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  48. I think we can't be completely sure about this... It might be a coincidence.

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    Indigooutline
    Comment Date
    Fri, 23 May 2008 21:58:26 +0000
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  49. Well guys vote on this to prevent this kind of shit happening

    http://99designs.uservoice.com/suggestions/4821

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    Juba
    Comment Date
    Sun, 25 May 2008 18:05:24 +0000
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