If you are a graphic designer looking for some spare cash or you are a small business with a limited marketing budget, crowdSPRING may be the site for you. Sure, the name is a little unclear and the capitalizing the last word may annoy you a little bit but this website is a great graphic orientated marketplace. Essentially, how it works is that businesses post a project with a specific request for some creative work (logos, website, etc.), add a monetary value and post it. Graphic designers can then search the projects and submit a corresponding design in an attempt to win the account.Â
While no one is going to get rich winning these accounts (varying in the range of $150-$1000 generally), it is a great way for graphic designers to both add to their portfolio and earn a little additional income at the same time. The real benefit is for the small business owners that may have an extremely limited marketing budget but still want a professional result. The traditional approach would involve hiring an ad agency or design firm, which could cost thousands.
People concerned with security of their intellectual property have nothing to worry about as crowdSPRING has intergraded several measures designed to protect both the buyer and the seller. The site even has integrated a ‘Pro Project’ feature for clients who required a high degree of discretion, even as far as to implement non-disclosure agreements with the graphic designers. The result is a completely secure site that serves as a valuable service to independent graphic designers and small businesses.
(Editors note: crowdSPRING is currently competing in the Wired Small Business Program, check out their online video and if you like you can give them your vote.)
Tags: crowdSPRING, graphic design, small business
Hi Christian,
Thanks so much for writing about crowdSPRING and for providing a nice summary about our creative marketplace. We launched in May 2008 and already, nearly 11,000 creatives from 130+ countries work on crowdSPRING. You are absolutely right that crowdSPRING lets buyers (we’ve had buyers from 32 countries) leverage creative talent around the world to get a professional result.
As for the name – it’s pretty difficult it is these days to name a company AND get a URL. We spent far too much time thinking about a name but ended up focusing on the concept of crowdsourcing – which is our model – and the idea that in our projects, one person is typically selected as the winning designer. Hence – crowdspring. The capitalization was introduced by the designer who designed our logo – a nighttime janitor.
Thanks again.
Best,
Ross Kimbarovsky
co-Found
http://www.crowdspring.com
Hey Ross,
I am glad you guys liked the write up. You have a great idea with crowdSPRING and it was a lot of fun to browse around on your website. Good luck in the Wired Small Business Program, I am definitely voting for you guys as much as possible.
Cheers,
Christian