Comments on: Crowd Sourcing Design 101

By: todd

todd — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:25:01 +0000

So I’m going to come off a little harsh at first (as a designer). IMO the logo that you chose is terrible. The gradients are way off. The quickest way that I can pick out an amateur’s work is by looking at their use of gradients. So many beginners go overboard and don’t take into account what a gradient is representing… Light. Where is the light source in your logo. Top righ? Top? Bottom? Bottom Left? I’m not sure.

The lettering in “irtual” makes me think I need glasses. Why are the arrows there? Why is the sphere there? What are those squares? What is going on with this logo? What is it representing?

If this was the best one out of 143 then I would hate to see what the others look like. But then again you get what you pay for, right? Why do you think that top companies invest so much into their brand. You don’t see Nike, McDonald’s, or Apple using crowd-sourcing and it’s because they understand that the value of a design goes well beyond what you see. And that a professional, while costing more, is just that… a professional. If you were on trail for murder would you use crowd-sourcing to find a lawyer. Probably not. So the question comes down to value. You value the knowledge that a good lawyer might have, but not what a good designer can do for your brand, company, web presence or business success.

Six months ago I would have bashed crowd sourcing, but I understand it’s purpose now. It provides amateur designers a spring board into the industry – allows them to think about specs and work with clients. Like you said, it helps them build a portfolio where they may not have been able to otherwise (and I’m all for that). Just don’t mistake that crowd-sourcing will take over the industry.

In your opening you said that one of the concerns was:
“Will the graphic artist actually deliver?”
Well you might have gotten 143 different designs but I doubt they actually delivered a quality product. And this is just my opinion. If you want professional work you go to a professional if you want to save money and don’t mind amateur work (or can’t recognize the difference) then maybe crowd-sourcing is for you. Just be aware of what you’re getting and know that your customers/clients will get that same thing. What does the logo above say to me… no thanks!

By: Business Success Formula - Recognizing Nonsense

Business Success Formula - Recognizing Nonsense — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:46:53 +0000

[...] though I own and can use Adobe Photoshop – I still used crowd sourcing design to create my logo [...]

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:29:05 +0000

Lissie – WELCOME!!! Glad you found the “straight talk” around here of help!

By: Lissie

Lissie — Mon, 25 May 2009 01:29:23 +0000

Its not often these days I click onto a site and spend 30minutes reading - but I just did on yours! This is a great blog for those of us who have fallen into running an online business. I am starting to think that I should start a professional website (NOT the one I linked to here LOL) and starting thinking about branding and graphics etc. I really like the idea of using "crowd sourcing" - though frankly I am amazed at the price that designers charge - given that you can get competent writers for $5/article I really,really wish that I could design ! I like what you've done with thesis too - that's one decision I have made for the new site , its running on thesis because I am over free themes which work 99% of the way but not 100%! Lissies last blog post..A Perfect Passive Income Opportunity?

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:00:42 +0000

The term “crowd sourcing” refers to the fact that you’re soliciting submissions from the “crowd”. The term is actually BIGGER than just design. Instead of hiring a single contractor to do the job, you post the project and allow anyone to “enter”. The key element being that there is no barrier to entry… anyone can enter – anyone can win.