[pyroslev]

Focus on making sure the bot works first. All those fancier CNC, jet, powder coating methods are all flash and pomp for making a show floor robot. You can make something that can take the arena and look pretty slick without big bucks.

Extruded Aluminum is a good route to go. Heavy albeit but given that you want a frame that can take a hit in a pinch, it's worth it. Those 17 lb tube frames are cool and all but extruded you can weld when you've got it where you want it and it's nigh near indestructible.

A shortcut you can take is find a local decal guy, sign maker or like person. They have some machines that can spit out some spiffy things and he can show off his craft and be sponsor.

Clean wiring is always a plus and if you can make it so that you can swap things out fast, that goes over well and often can look pretty cool. Zip ties in your colors go over good.

A low cost, even free, way to get a logo on the bot is consult with your art department. Find someone who wouldn't mind putting your logo on the robot. Paint it on the inside of a piece of lexan and slip a LED or something behind it, and you've got something sweet. And if the artist wants to do a spin on the logo, let em go with it. The results can often be quite impressive.