ianp622 is the only one with any merit. I mean what do you expect from guys who are getting $20 for their trouble 
Well, as he says, "it's got to be good." $20 is lots of money for just tinkering on the computer, don't you think? Never mind the creative process and giving up a design that you could have applied to a real job that might actually pay some money. Then again, looking at the designs, I'd say he's getting about the right amount of effort and skill.
On a related note, it sucks to be the graphic designer in the group. For some reason, it inspires friends to go with their dreams, because they assume that at the very least they will have a graphics professional to back them up. Most annoying is their complete lack of understanding of how much work there really is in branding. They want it creative, unique, and preferably for the price of lunch, or a small bag of weed. If I design a generic one, it's going to be just that, generic and useless for the portfolio. If I go the extra mile and design something truly unique and stylish, I've sold a unique design idea (that I then can't use for a professional project) for lunch and weed.
The worst one, and this is not limited to friends, is the "make three or four different, unique logos, with different symbols, and we'll let the client choose" as if it's
that simple.
