Fresh, creative, and memorable logo

BidSimple

There is no recession when it comes to government spending. We provide leads, training and practical help (e.g. proposal writing; help with certifications and vendor applications) to our clients who wish to do business with public agencies.

Public agencies procure everything you can think of from the obvious (e.g. construction services, office supplies) to the not-so-obvious (e.g. sewing supplies, promotional gifts).

Pursuing public work is very overwhelming to most business owners. There are literally thousands of places to look for opportunities. Most businesses don’t know where to look or have time to look. Also, they are often overwhelmed by the red tape and paperwork involved.

“Bid” is the term commonly used to in this industry (i.e. I am “bidding on” a government contract”)

“Simple” is to convey the intent of my business: to make the public bidding process less complex and a lot easier. I want my clients to breathe a sigh of relief or know that I’m helping them open the door into new areas.

Also, because construction companies bid on public projects and they must use minority and women-owned trades to complete large projects, I find those opportunities, too.

I've been called a sales rep, a writer, business partner, and a lead source. All are accurate.

I am not limited to any specific industry. Any business or non-profit that wants to win contracts with public agencies is potentially a customer. We are not limited to a specific geographic territory either. It generally helps that the business be at least 2 years old. We target the CEO or decision maker within the companies we target.

Most of my clients are small or medium sized businesses. Some have tiptoed into the public realm before and maybe won a contract or two. Others have thought about the opportunities with public agencies, but have never had the skill set or desire before I came into the picture.

With the exception of my creative design clients, most of my clients are conservative as a whole. Think “government”, “construction”, and “auditing” … yet think “public relations” and "creative design" to add a bit of spice.

I will also be partnering with government agencies, school districts, non-profit agencies who wish to obtain better pricing for their bids. Also, I am discussing partnerships with associations & small business development centers which focus on economic development and rural assistance.

I am also partnering with major corporations who sell directly and through reseller channels (Office Depot, for example).

Therefore, the logo must appeal to buyers (public agencies), sellers, and my business partners.

Logo:

• Simple, clean, elegant, modern yet timeless.
• I'd open to seeing designs with the name BidSimple OR my business name all in lower case (bidsimple).
• I am drawn to rich earth tones (chocolate browns, mossy greens, mustard yellow). I also love retro 70's colors.
• Open to seeing a logo in patriotic colors although I’m not a huge fan of primary colors.
• No more than 3 colors total.
• Must appeal to both men and women, both creative types and very conservative people
• No template looking logos!! Fresh ideas only.
• We would like to express that public opportunities are available to all industries.
• Font must be legible (no goofy script and not too small)
• Visually balanced
• Preferably can be reproduced on a white or colored background
• Ability to reproduce in all sizes
• Looks good on a fax, business card, flyer, or on a billboard
• Vector and eps file format
• Able to resize it at any size without distortion

Business Card:

• I would love a truly unique business card … one that will cause people to really look at the card both front and back, rather than throwing it into their purse or pocket without a second glance.
• "unique" meaning something other than a 2 x 3-1/2 standard size.
• Maybe something that looks like a sealed label because, in my world, sealed bids are normally required. (This is just an idea. Please don't think that I won't love other designs because I definitely will!!). I really liked the designs here, for example: http://99designs.com/contests/24578
• However, on the flip side of things, I don’t want to have to pay a freakin' fortune to have the business cards printed, so I’d like to see some standard card designs as well. I do feel the logo in and of itself should get someone's attention, plus the printing could be done in a portrait style fashion, rather than the standard landscape as well.
• I envision printing on front and back of the card. On one side, just the logo and maybe some basic contact information. On the flip side, listing:

Kim Whitley-Gaynor
http://www.bid-simple.com
kim@bid-simple.com
Office xxx-xxx-xxxx
Cell xxx-xxx-xxxx
Fax xxx-xxx-xxxx

Then along the bottom, side or top:
bid leads .. proposal writing .. training .. HUB & vendor applications

It doesn't have to be in the above order. It doesn't even have to be all on one line