Folks, we've decided to award $100 to each of @vizzini and @ameet for their excellent contributions to our contest. We're mentioning this, as now we are finally giving out $425 in prize money. We would like to retain the right to use the @vizzini's and @ameets' artwork and hope that we'll revisit the 99designs site when we need a website or other artwork and we'll get the same response like we got this time.

Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
TAP.

Folks,

I've got an issue, I'm looking for an answer from 99designs, there's not a squeak after 5 hours of closing of the contest. I'll not be online for the whole day starting 2 hours from now. Like I said, we'd like to give a prize to all the three above, but we need those tweaks and we need to know whether the #289 and #327 would like our idea of awarding them a 2nd prize (the 2nd and 3rd are actually a tie in my opinion, so lets call them 2nd)? It will be at least to acknowledge all the work they put in, and also since we liked their designs. The prize money for the 2nd will be decided by us after we get an input from the designers.

If I don't get an answer in the next two hours, we'll be back online very late tomorrow night or the day after tomorrow.

Thank you all,
sincerely,
TAP.

Hi Folks, my team has finally come up with the following statement:

1. We are delighted with the wonderful response by the designers on the 99Designs site. While we have selected the three candidates as winners of this contest, there are small issues (something needs to be tweaked here or tweaked there). There were many designs that came up in the last few hours of closing of the competition, but were in a raw state, which could've been developed into a more powerful design than the one that we've currently selected.

2. The winners (subject to some small tweaks) are thus as follows #332 is a very novel way of putting sleek curves that represent a birds head and airfoils in a simple elegant shape. Thus #332 is our top choice.

3. #289 is our second choice, however, we would like a dark font (perhaps of the same color as the logo). Even though you have an issue with the Mazda inspired logo, many women who we spoke with loved this over others, their reason was that this logo personified all the elements we were trying to portray.

4. #327 is our third choice. It was liked by the contest holder and some male members of the team very much, although the women were totally not in its favor.

In all of the above there are small tweaks necessary. Since I, (yours truly TAP), am new to the 99designs.com site, I'd like to understand how can we give three prizes? Can we give three prizes and request the entrants to make small tweaks on their logos to finally win the prize or is this "time's-up"?

BTW, about colors, you can also use a green pallet (for eco-friendliness) in combination with blue. Please balance the colors yourself, its here I don't have much say.

Ok, folks, I've given a few finalists the 5*'s. Unless something spectacular comes along, I'll implore you to work on these and come up with your final submissions based on color, refinement of design, and based on all that I've given as feedback on your designer pages and pm's. Please also make a careful overlay of stationary and visiting card proposals that could go with your designs.

I'll like really refined "eye-candy" kind of changes, please don't make drastic changes and when you put the stationary or visiting cards, understand that it would also reflect our image.

We'd like a pantone pallet in balanced shades of blue, orange, and red, and also a greyscale. The final should be in vector format. I'm still thinking of choosing two out the total and give a consolation prize to the second.

Thank you for the fantastic interest you've had in this, and believe me, anyone who's work is chosen, you'll be really proud to have it on NASHERO planes.

Sincerely,
TAP.

@romasuave, I'm very sorry: I really really loved the way your design was going, but it is indeed extremely similar to the link. It does not really matter that you came up independently. This often happens in patent issues when one comes up with exactly the same thing as someone else: shows that you've got great ability. Actually, what @bombardierbob says is something I'm very closely familiar with. I've seen many litigations by the larger-gorillas (big companies) who have a fleet of attorneys interested in getting their pay-checks justified.

Many of you are suggesting that #252 is inspired by the MAZDA symbol. I've read their logo-philosophy ( http://www.mazda.com/csr/download/p…200503.pdf ) which clearly states that their's is a stylized "M".

As of now I cannot identify a clear winner, all the four stars are in the winning league. If someone comes up with a new innovative one, I'll be thrilled. We'll make a decision to promote one or the other by tonight to 5 stars and then hopefully a clear winner tomorrow and perhaps a consolation winner (we'll think of what we can award as a prize for that one) tomorrow.