Graphic Design Crowdsourcing

I was reading the local newspaper the other day and discovered a local start-up website called DesignTourney.com. While this is probably the first time a local newspaper article inspired a blog post for me, it reminded me about something I often bring up while working with clients looking for certain design work.

The process is fairly simple. For example, if you need business cards or a logo you simply fill out a form to post your project. You come up with a prize ($250 cash will do) and you post your project with whatever specific requirements you might have. The design community will then submit their creations and the owner can then choose the preferred design, awarding that designer the $250 cash. With this process, DesignTourney.com has entered the world of crowd-sourced graphic design which already has big players like crowdspring.com and 99designs.com.

I see crowd-sourced graphics as both good and bad for the graphic design industry. If you operate a small business and you need a logo, stationary or website, crowd-sourced graphic design is a great option. You’ll be able to set a fixed budget and hopefully you will receive a number of designs to choose from. It’s a serious contender if you’re looking for a quick, appealing design within a strict budget. However, there is a very legitimate reason why crowd-sourced graphic design won’t be turning the entire graphic design industry on it’s head. Chances are you’re looking for design work because you’re not a designer yourself – as soon as you enlist the creative abilities of a crowd you loose the knowledge and experience a design agency brings to the table. You might receive 60 different logo variations and fall in love with one, opting to use that logo for your new business or for your re-branding effort, but there’s no professional advice from an experienced agency helping you see that just because you like a certain design doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for your company. There’s no way to place a finite value on experience and knowledge within a field – but when it comes to your brand you want to be careful and make sure you can live with the decision you make for quite some time to come.

My opinion on crowd-sourced graphic design is let the crowds do the fun stuff – perhaps it’s a postcard for your clients on a holiday, or a new version of your business card. Just leave the brand sensitive stuff to the professionals that pull from years of experience. If you’re looking for that experience locally here in Kelowna, I’m consistently impressed by Touchpoint Agency – someone to consider!

As for DesignTourney.com, they have their work cut out for them. I haven’t had a chance to meet the founders to learn about their goals, but the success of their website relies on the crowd itself. In this case, the crowd is graphic designers that already use CrowdSpring and 99Designs to generate some extra income. And with brands like LG and Nissan using CrowdSpring, DesignTourney is going to have to host some decent projects to gain the same momentum the other players already have. Personally, if DesignTourney was my project, I’d play the regional card. Running a small business myself, I prefer supporting local talent and if I’m going to award a random graphic designer $250 – $5000 for a graphic design project, I’d like to keep that local, or at least within the country.