Internet consultant Daniel Watrous recommends that you ask customers for their input on things like a logo design. Here’s his suggested writing template:
[begin email]
SUBJECT: We need your help!
Hi,
This might sound a bit rushed, but we’re in over our heads (again). We could just slog through this one on our own, but we think you might be uniquely qualified to help us solve our problem. Could you do us a small favor?
You see, while we’ve been working hard to make great content for [sitename], the site ‘logo’ (if you even call it that) has gone a bit, ummm, stale. We thought it looked great when we started the site, but sooooo much has happened.
We’ve spent hours (days, weeks and months really) on projects and tutorials and dozens of our readers have contributed wonderful articles too. We’ve been through site crashes and technology foibles. We’ve changed things a few times and just can’t seem to find the right look.
But then we realized that you are our ‘look’. That’s why we think you’re the best person to help us right now.
What we want to find is some type of ‘logo’, for lack of a better word. Something that would represent the lives of the women behind our blog and the values we all represent.
The bad news is that our attempts so far just haven’t produced the results we hoped for. In fact, you can see them here:
[linktodesigncontest]
So how can you help? There are a few ways (and you don’t even have to be a designer).
The most simple way to help us out would be to [reply to this email/post a comment at link] telling us what you think [sitename] has become and what it means to you. Just open up and let us know why you follow our blog and what it has done for you.
If you feel like you have an eye for design you could go to our design contest above and vote on the submissions or even submit your own. Be as creative as you like, since we really are all about you. If you have the best design you’ll win the prize money too!
The last way that you can help us would be to forward this email to your family and friends that you think might have a good design idea for us.
[sitename] is really all about you. Thank you. We really can’t wait to hear what you think and incorporate that into who we become.
Sincerely,
[end email]