In my last post I asked, “Why not try crowdsourcing?” I decided to try it myself and report back here.
I’m now one week into my quest to find a new logo for my company using www.crowdspring.com, a well-known crowdsourcing website.
For the uninitiated, crowdsourcing is a way for anyone to tap into a large pool of skilled workers and international talent at a reasonable cost. You can crowdsource anything these days from graphic design, research and development, computer programming to photography.
Detractors of crowdsourcing mock it as a poor substitute for hiring “true professionals” such as those in ad agencies. Others level the criticism that it borders on being unethical since so many individuals work on these crowdsourcing sites for free with only a fortunate few benefiting monetarily.
My view is that this is a free market-driven society and if people choose to work for “on spec” in the hope that their skill will attract paying clientele, that is their right. The internet and today’s technology amplifies their reach by allowing these individuals to showcase their talents to a much wider audience.
Shortly after my last blog, I took the plunge and posted my company logo project online. Here is my experience in the one week I’ve been a crowdsourcing “buyer”.
My crowdsourcing project was posted on www.crowdspring.com exactly one week ago and the contest to find a new logo by attracting submissions from graphic artists/designers on the site continues for a period of two weeks. I am guaranteed a minimum of 25 designs or I will receive my money — $375 US — back.
I’ll admit, my crowdsourced project got off to a rocky start. There was no response to my project for a good 48 hours. Then the site encouraged me to send personal invitations to “creatives” inviting them to submit their logo proposals. So I was mystified, no dumbfounded, when the first response to my friendly invitation to post original logo designs was rebuffed with this curt response from one creative:
“Thanks for the invite, but I’m not a lab rat used for experimentation.”
Needless to say I was a bit offended by the unprofessional tone of this message. So I wrote back and got this explanation from that individual along with an apology for the “abruptness” of his response. This designer had enjoyed a reasonable amount of success on this crowdsourcing site having won several monetary awards. But he admitted to having a “love/hate relationship” with the whole crowdsourcing concept. His concern was that there was “way too much plagiarism” in crowdsourced contests. He claimed that “lot’s of (creatives) use stock vector images, add type and, voila! Instant designer!”
I decided to take his comments in the spirit in which he said he intended — as a warning to watch out for “knock-offs”. Fair enough. He later said he might submit his proposal after watching this logo contest for awhile. I’m hoping he does.
Overall, my experience on the Crowdspring site has been a good one. I’ve had pleasant and professional interactions with several of the graphic designers/creatives who’ve solicited my feedback on their logo proposals. Many are in fact professionals. One of the logos I like so far was submitted by a nationally published illustrator who was the former staff art director for Rolling Stones magazine, The New York Times and McGraw-Hill. Given submissions of this caliber, I’m confident that I will emerge from this crowdsourcing experiment with a professional company logo that I can be proud of!
Results at the half-way point
In this first week of my crowdsourcing experiment, I’ve narrowed down the 29 logo submissions I received to three of my favorites. Please take a look and let me know which you like best.
I expect to receive several more logo designs over the next week and will post my favorites from among these as well before deciding on a new company logo for “Integrated Website Solutions Inc.” I hope you’ll share your thoughts on these logo designs. If you have tried “crowdsourcing”, was it a good experience for you?
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Photo Credit: DensityDesign, Flickr
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In terms of crowdsourcing for designs, for me, I am quite on the fence regarding the use of a crowdsourcing site for a logo design. It is still a touchy issue for most designers who said that crowdsourcing is a no-no for obtaining a logo design. I have tried crowdsourcing before and I know the risks involved but it comes within the territory. But there are other no-frills logo design websites online such as http://www.logobee.com, http://www.logodesignstation.com, logoyes.com, etc. which are actually great in getting a professional logo design at a fraction of the price and minus the risks of crowdsourcing (plagiarism is one of them). Seeing that there are no consultation services, the price is significantly lower than that of conventional design firms. For instance, I have tried http://www.logodesignstation.com and the experience was indeed a positive one. I managed to get my business logo design at an affordable price and the turnaround time was great as well. Highly recommended. Although crowdsourcing for logo designs could be a bane for some, many find it to be a viable alternative to get a fast logo on the cheap. It all depends on the individual actually.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Kingston! Nice to hear about other good crowdsourcing experiences.