Crowd-what, you may ask? Touted as an efficient and affordable way to harness creative talent from a wide variety of sources, crowdsourcing is a term coined in a 2006 article in Wired magazine. Wikipedia defines it as “the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to an undefined, large group of people or community, through an open call.”
A crowdsourcing user typically posts the requirements of a job on an appropriate crowdsourcing website. People then submit their suggestions and receive compensation only if and when the work they submitted is actually used.
I’ve been a bit skeptical of the process, but I know a number of people who have tried it and been quite happy with the results. Crowdsourcing is available for all types of marketing services. Here are a few:
Graphic design: 99 Designs, Crowdspring
Brand names: Name This
Product Design: Ponoko, Redesign me
Video: Poptent
Website usability: User Testing
I’d love to hear about your experiences with crowdsourcing!
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2 Comments
As a creative myself, with 30 years of experience, I took a look at Crowdsourcing as a way to outsource my overflow of work. I was not impressed with the results I received for either a logo design or a homepage design. I found it disappointing.
Personally, 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.