How a Coffee Startup Chose its Crowdsourced Logo Sometimes, the answer is clear.

Chris Dominello and Mike Roussell created an antioxidant-infused coffee called Neuro Coffee. Before launching their company last winter, they needed a logo. A design shop can take "up to four weeks and tens of thousands of dollars," says Dominello, and they didn't want to spend either. So they instead used 99designs, an online startup that sets up design contests: Entrepreneurs post a brief and offer a prize (in this case, $1,600), and people across the world submit entries. "We had 40 different designers with 40 images in, like, an hour," Dominello says. Here are six, plus explanations from the designers. Turn the page upside down to find out the winner.

Related: Why Small Businesses Need Strong Logos