Once I have enough posts made, I plan on having a logo / banner contest. In the mean time, I though I might pick your brains for suggestions.

You see, I'm not exactly sure what I want. I know the dimensions I need but am not really sure what direction I should take it. If you look at my site, you can see the banner. The banner is actually 2 parts, the banner and the logo which is an overlay (the letters TFP) on the left hand side.

I'd like the logo / banner to relate to the theme of the site - pool care and backyard enjoyment forum. What I have right now blends well with the site, but doesn't feel like an "brand" so to speak.

Any suggestions to help me fine tune my request when I do have the contest?

www.troublefreepool.com

My suggestion would be to build a portfolio of logos from other web sites and present the ones you like and don't like to the designers (via PM not publicly due to copyright issues). In this way the designers will begin to see your taste in graphics and your first concepts are more likely to be close to what you want.