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a voice for men artistry paul elam

Logo contest! Win $300!

AVFMlogo

There’s just one little catch: You have to design a logo for A Voice for Men.

But the logo contest is a real thing, as is the prize. Go here for the details.

You can see my first attempt above. Post yours below! And maybe even submit it to the official contest.

Also, read the comments over at AVFM to see Mr. Elam bring the banhammer down on a graphic designer who offers to do the logo for free. No, really.

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Christo
Christo
11 years ago

The claim that A Voice for Men has “no income.” LIAR! What is that $100,000+ a year their cult followers send them?

Gillian
Gillian
11 years ago

The weird thing, for an observer, is that “Adam Catalyst” made some helpful and productive suggestions there, and even retained a positive tone after being savaged by one of the Elambots.

Of course, the commentroversy over there perfectly illustrates the problem they seem to keep running into. They want to do things their way, even if it means that they will pay more and get a less desirable product, because it is the way they want to do it. The fact that the way they want to do it is specifically not the way that serious people and professionals feminists and their mangina and white knight enablers want them to do it is just icing on the cake.

Because, as everyone can see from the call for proposals, they are absolutely serious, and prefer the simple and obvious over the subtle and complex (which, as we all know, are suuuuper-icky girly things!!)

Athywren
Athywren
11 years ago

Aww, for a moment there I was really excited! I got my pencils out and everything, but then it’s for them… somehow I don’t think they’d accept my design:

Top right corner – “A Voice
For Men”
Bottom right corner – “Counter-Humanist Theory”
Central left – a lovingly crafted dog poop icon, to really get to the heart of their philosophy and its rational basis.

Why not instead put out a call to readers who would be willing to do the work pro-bono? Have them submit a portfolio, contact a few, and choose one to work with?

Very few people volunteer to do anything on here, and the few that do disappear after a few emails. It just doesn’t happen.

Yup, because people who are fighting for their rights – for their very lives – are often too busy playing minecraft to actually engage in the fight.

gillyrosebee
11 years ago

Is it wrong of me that I totally hope that they choose a winner and it totally turns out to have been designed by an out of work single mother over 25 who has decided to turn to freelance graphic design to pay for her bonbon habit?

Or would it be worse to have the winning design produced by a firm of unmarried professional women who also do pro-bono work for lesbians and girls’ sports teams?

gillyrosebee
11 years ago

And you can tell how squee-full I am about this whole michigas by how many times I totally used the word “totally” up there.

Oh, and the fact that “Valley Girl” was playing when my alarm went off this morning.

Mazel
Mazel
11 years ago

The only reason Elam is putting the kibosh on talk of work being done for free may be because he believes he can lure more members by offering a cash prize.

Alice Sanguinaria
11 years ago

Damn it, I have to open an image manipulation program to mock this, right?

HeatherN (@hrn212)
11 years ago

I love how the replies to the web designer are like a perfect microcosm of all that’s wrong with the MRM.

– We’ve got an admission that they’ve got problems getting good volunteers. (Cuz human rights organisations…notoriously lacking in volunteer-minded people).

– And then right after that assertions to the contrary, that volunteering is the life blood of AVfM. – Which leads to the most bizarre contradiction – “We are a volunteer-run organisation, which is why we’re shouting at the web designer for suggesting we ask for volunteers for this.”

– There’s the “If you’re a good web designer, you don’t mind Paul badmouthing the others.” – Which just reeks of “The honey badgers don’t mind us saying shit about women, so it’s okay.”

– Accusations of “goalpost moving,” as if the web designer’s question is meant to be somehow a “gotcha,” type of question.

– So many insults, name-calling and mockery.

– Hating someone for knowing something and trying to educate them about it.

HeatherN (@hrn212)
11 years ago

Also, I love how they’re hating on the web designer for not volunteering, totally failing to recognise his point that he CAN’T legally volunteer. That’s the whole reason he’s against the competition in the first place. Oh, for goodness sake.

scarlettpipstrelle
11 years ago

Reading the comments: Wow, what if you offer to haul Elam’s ass out of a burning building where he’s trapped? What gets said to you by him and his henchmen then? Better wear earplugs and body armor.

Ally S
11 years ago

Elam to Mr. Nice Graphic Designer:

Oh cry me a fuckin river. I wish I had a dollar for every one of these “I was gonna volunteer my super expert professional services, BUT”

We are having a contest. If you don’t like it I suggest you don’t enter it.

This website runs on the generosity of donors and my job is find the best deal that I can, keeping in mind that the donations represent hard work and sacrifice on the part of donors. And keeping in mind the plain fact that I spend 90% of my time treading water with AVFMs nostrils just above the waterline.

I don’t have time or patience for this shit AT ALL. Especially for armchair quarterbacks who claim to have needed skills but make up flat out lies about why they don’t volunteer, while trying to tell us the “right” way to do things.

If you think that has harsh, fucking think again. I am working on my anger this week and doing a damned good job. I have zero use for this bullshit.

Translation: We’re undergoing financial hardship, but your offer to help us out for free in order to lessen our financial burdens is unacceptable because CONTEST!

He’s an asshole in every way imaginable. And LOL @ at his implied thread of anger at the end. Real mature of him.

Cthulhu's Intern
11 years ago

I like how the sliders are flipped to 100% masculine and 100% serious, but every other category is just a little “eh, just do something with these.”

Cthulhu's Intern
11 years ago

Also, if I design a logo that looks identical to Man Boobz’ logo but with the AVFM text, do you think he’ll notice?

Malitia
Malitia
11 years ago

OK. So my first attempt at artistry here. It’s not witty or smart, not to mention too professional, but here I go:

http://www.anony.ws/i/2013/11/09/IMcOy.gif

cloudiah
11 years ago

Nice, Malitia. I’ve taken a stab at it too:

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

Ally S
11 years ago

LOL cloudiah that second one is terrific XD

augochlorella
11 years ago

Here’s my contribution.

I’m debating actually submitting this to the contest. On one hand, submitting it would just be giving Paul Elam more of the attention he craves. On the other hand, I did spend five whole minutes of hard work on this…

Cthulhu's Intern
11 years ago

http://imgur.com/KohsaiM
Here’s my attempt. Sorry I’m not a graphic designer. If there’s a problem, it’s probably the top right. I’ll remove that if you need to.

wordsp1nner
11 years ago

Augochlorella:

OMG. I love it.

Malitia
Malitia
11 years ago

Dunno… that monster ( http://mahou.imouto.org/board/pic/1a34216288ff9bb9c4003aaa960b6110.png ) could be more convincing. :3

cloudiah
11 years ago
scarlettpipstrelle
11 years ago

I love all your entries!

PsychoDan
PsychoDan
11 years ago

I’m pretty sure the reason they’re so hostile towards that designer is that he’s upset that his entire profession is being denigrated, except for the “few good ones”. The real heart of the whole thing is this:

If you’re one of the few good ones, then you don’t give a fuck, since you know you’re one of the few good ones. The truth is most web-developers are super-over-fucking-priced and love ripping people off for little work. Yes, they are like lawyers.

And guess what, the lawyers and developers that currently work with AVfM don’t mind Paul saying that – so take your fucking excuse and shove it.

Because, of course, if they admitted they were wrong for smearing an entire group, and that to be one of their ‘exceptions’ required not complaining about it, that would bring their whole worldview crashing down.

Shaenon
11 years ago

To be honest, I agree with Elam’s general point: paying for a creative service is better, for myriad reasons, than trying to get people to do it for free. I would’ve phrased my response as more “Thanks for your generous offer, but this is the way I’ve decided to do this, and I feel it’s important to compensate designers for their work” and less FUCK YOU CHARLIE YOU’RE BANNED, but I’m not one of the leaders of the most important human rights movement of the century.

I’m impressed by how quickly they all start screaming at each other the minute there’s a slight disagreement over how to design a friggin’ logo.

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