When it comes to launching your next website, you have a lot that demands your attention. From creating content to developing navigation and finding a server, the work seems almost endless at first. If you’re not visually inclined, or if you are and would rather be able to spend your time focusing on other elements of the website, crowdsourcing the design portion of your project can be an affordable and desirable option.
The two most popular platforms by far for crowdsourcing website and logo design are crowdspring.com and 99designs.com. These two sites allow website and business owners to post exactly what they need and what they’re willing to pay for it. This article will help you make the most of your experience at one or both of these sites.
Crowdspring.com
At crowdspring.com, the process is simple. To get your project rolling today, the steps are few, and the cost is affordable. Choose what kind of project you need from 43 categories. The most common ones are website design, logo design, and print design.
We’ll take a look at the small website project. The cost of the Economy package for small website design is $729. For the Standard package the fee bumps up to $789 and includes an additional non-disclosure agreement and private brief. If your project is something you don’t want to be open about with the public, this small fee is definitely worth paying for.
Crowdspring also offers a Pro package that includes the aforementioned perks along with site wide project promotion, a private gallery so that only you can see the submissions, and Crowdspring will invite their top-performing creatives to become involved in your project. All of these prices do include fees.
We’ll choose the economy package for our example. You give your project a title, list the award price your willing to give to the designer who wins your project, and give your deadline date. Crowdspring also offers promotional packages at additional cost along with other options. Plenty of fields are available for you to fill out so that designers have a clear idea of what your vision is and how they can best meet it. If you have any files you want to share with designers to help direct your vision, Crowdspring offers a way for you to do that, too. Lastly, you have the option to include your own legal contract.
Once the submissions start rolling in, you choose the designer you like best, and work one-on-one to get the end result that pleases you. If you aren’t satisfied, your award money is returned to you along with the 15% project fee. Your only cost is the listing fee and the additional options you choose. However, 96% of customers have recommended Crowdspring.
99designs
99designs operates in a very similar way to Crowdspring. Offering essentially the same services, you select what it is that you want designed, be it an entire website or just a logo. The base price for website design at 99designs.com is $599 for one page. Like Crowdspring, 99designs offers you plenty of fields to tell designers exactly what kind of look you’re going for. You can even include URLs to other websites with your comments that tell designers what it is you like about that particular site.
With the Bronze package, 99designs most basic package at $599, you can expect around 15 designs. With the Silver package, priced at $899, you get priority support and can expect around 25 designers. The Gold package ($1,499) attracts the attention of 99designs best designers. Around 60 examples are to be expected.
You also have the option to create your own package and to make the contest private rather than public for $39.00.
Once your designs are in, you award the designer you wish to carry forward with and receive the final, copyrighted project. 99designs offers a 100% money back guarantee.
The major difference between these two websites is structure. With 99designs you pay a flat fee, whereas Crowdspring allows the user to determine how much they wish to award the designer in addition to Crowdspring’s fee. Crowdspring allows you to determine the quality of work you’ll receive by determining your own award price. Also, you’ll receive more responses. However, 99design offers a far better money back guarantee than Crowdspring.
Both are highly respected sites that offer a quality service. Which one you choose to use for finding the perfect designer for your upcoming project is up to you!
