Crowdsourcing has been very popular with businesses and designers of late. Although its implication on ethics and economics has been widely debated, there are businesses and designers who believed that crowdsourcing is definitely the best option.
For the benefit of those who have not heard of crowdsourcing before; crowdsourcing is an act similar to outsourcing. However, instead of outsourcing to an individual or a contractor, crowdsourcing outsource creative ideas or tasks to a crowd (group of individual, community or contractors).
Crowdsourcing To The Businesses
Crowdsourcing allow businesses to take advantage of the huge creative talent in the community and choose the best works and award the individual or contractor accordingly.
Let’s take a company that needs a business name and have a custom logo designed as an example.
The company simply need to create a design brief such as business description, etc. The company then place a price on the work (prize money), set the completion date and start a “contest”.
A naming contest in Crowdspring starts at base price of USD$200. Naming contest is a contest which call for creative names for companies, events, etc. Creative individuals and professionals would suggest ideas on what would be a great name for the company.
A custom logo contest in 99designs starts at a base price of USD$269. Designers will then try to design the logo at the best of their ability. Here we are not talking about one designer but scores of designers around the world.
- When the contest draws to a close, the company will then evaluate the submitted designs, choose the best design among the many, and reward the winner accordingly.
The higher the prize money, they higher the participation rate will be and the more quality options the contest holder would have.
Beauty Is In The Eye Of the Contest Holder
From a designer point of view, you can be the best designer that have ever walked this planet or designing since you started holding a mouse, but that will not guarantee you that you will win contests.
It is a contest, in 99designs, there’s only one winner. For sites like DesignCrowd and CrowdSpring, contest holder may also award prize money to 2nd and 3rd best design. Rarely would there be less than 10 design submissions. Some contents would reach to three digit submissions. So what are the chances? You do the maths.
On a bright side, it is definitely a good place for beginners to test their skills and compete with the best designers in the community and benchmark. Design could only get better if you continue practicing. Sooner or later, with skills and a tad of luck, you might just win some contests.
For professionals who have clients to manage, crowdsourcing is too time consuming, not worth the money earn, and something that would just shoot our blood pressure sky high, especially when what we think is the best design compared to others, is not in the contest holder’s eyes. It’s frustrating sometimes.
Crowdsourcing to Outsourcing
Some contest holders in crowdsourcing sites such as 99designs, CrowdSpring and DesignCrowd are web service providers themselves. Some are web developers. So take the time to get connected with them. If you are talented enough and with an EQ of Barrack Obama, they might just outsource design works to you when a project comes along. Turn crowdsourcing to outsourcing in your favour.
Wrap up!
Crowdsourcing will continue to be a debate subject for designers and creative talents out there. It will never stop. It’s a two edge sword. Everything is. Do what works for you. If crowdsourcing is not for you, leave it. If it is for you, earn from it.
There is no point debating about it. One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
