Cola Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Alright, this guy on a message board I frequent is starting a restaurant near where I live at. He asked me to create the logo for his restaurant/bar. I posted some of my earlier concepts asking for C&C and what not a few months ago. I submitted a few different concepts which all featured the "jalapeno" guy I designed and felt would be the iconic piece of the logoset. Anyhow, he suddenly stopped responding to me a few weeks after I submitted my initial designs. I don't know if price talks got him feeling cheap or he really didn't like my stuff, but anyhow- I noticed he has added a signature image to his posts on the message board...a logo for his restaurant he is opening.Is it a bit too similar to mine? Does it steal the likeness of my jalapeno guy? What would you guys do about this?My logos:The logo he is now sporting:Pretty small image, but you get the drift. Am I overreacting here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Meningocele Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Sorry, I don't really see a great likeness. Yours are far better, anyway. If he was ripping you off, he should've done a better job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidson Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 yeah, his doesnt even look like a chili. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiasco! Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Agree with Milo. His is the suck, but it's not enough of a rip to do anything about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logoman Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I know how you feel. This type of thing happens all the time with price shoppers. They don't give a second thought to taking a good idea, balking on the price and then going to someone else to "re-create" a logo you worked on.I wouldn't say you are overreacting, but you may not have any recourse. The similarities are probably too general for any legal action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayJaxon Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 The logo he is using is nowhere near as good anyway. I can tell that he did steal your idea though. (A Chili with a hat and glasses) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cola Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 They don't give a second thought to taking a good idea, balking on the price and then going to someone else to "re-create" a logo you worked on.I wouldn't say you are overreacting, but you may not have any recourse. The similarities are probably too general for any legal action.Yeah, that is really what bothers me...and how I feel like I've been screwed. He basically jobbed me out to give him some concepts with the intention of soley working with me...then takes my ideas and gets some kids to sketch his best likeness on paper. While I don't feel like his logo is strong at all, I just wonder if he would have ever went with the animated jalapeno having never saw the logos I presented.I know I wouldn't have a legal leg to stand on, but I kind of want to PM the guy and say something. Guess I'll just take the high road here once again and keep quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiasco! Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVP Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Graphically, I don't see that much of a similarity. Ethically, he failed for his lack of response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezus_Ghoti Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Why not just PM him and threaten legal action? Even if you have no intention of following through, it might scare him enough to stop using your idea. What do you have to lose? Unless the guy is your friend or something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JQK Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Why not just PM him and threaten legal action? Even if you have no intention of following through, it might scare him enough to stop using your idea. What do you have to lose? Unless the guy is your friend or something...With friends like that...I'd say something to the guy. Might even threaten some kind of legal action. Even if you don't go through with it, at least cause this man a few sleepless nights... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quantum Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I don't see enough here that constitutes theft. That said, stop doing work without a partial upfront payment. Earnest money will help keep cheapskates honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcgd Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 "I honestly can't see what the harm is in doing spec work...I mean it gets your name out there..."Exhibit 1,000,023 of why you shouldn't do spec work right here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddball Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Honestly, you got ripped. There's no if's and's or but's about it. You did work for him, he didn't like your price and then took your idea to someone cheaper, a friend's community college son, and he got it done for free. The sad part about it is that you have nothing to stand on if there was no contract. Sure there's similarities because it's a jalapano wearing a hat and sunglasses, but that's as far as it goes. I feel bad for you, but again, doing work for free does get you screwed. Have a contract that says you don't do any work without 50% up front, and that includes ideas and sketches. Until you have that contract signed, you do no work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueYankee26 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 LOL, yours is so much better, if it was a rip off, then he should have done it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otherwilds Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Looks like he was inspired by the logo & mascot of Barberitos...supposedly that's a burrito in his hand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueYankee26 Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Looks like he was inspired by the logo & mascot of Barberitos...supposedly that's a burrito in his hand...Now that's a similarity!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreamSoda Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 ahhahaahahahhaahahahare you serious?!!?!yah, a company with the name Jalapeño Bistro is ripping off your logo by also using a jalapeño in their design...WOW, get over yourself, their's looks nothing like yours.haahhaaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winters in buffalo Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 1. Your second design is more similar to Chili's branding than his logo is to your work. 2. With a name like Jalapeno Bistro, I'd imagine that if he asked 5 different designers for logo submissions, all 5 would have some similarity to yours. 3. His logo sucks. You'd be doing yourself a disservice to claim that he ripped you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowBoutThemFins Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 wow. his is terrible. not seeing a huge similarity though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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