Crowdsourcing a logo might seem like a good idea at first. You may have seen a list or video highlighting the positives. Now read about the positives for the alternative, hiring a specific design company.
So You Are Crowdsourcing a Logo? Good luck.
Positives you may have heard regarding crowdsourcing may be that it is a cheaper option, has a much quicker turn around & claims to fix problems in the design process. Now in order to be positive about the whole process we have to first be aware of the negative.
The Many Cons of Crowdsourcing
The main reasons for choosing a specific designer over crowdsourcing involves repeating one word, specific. Specificity is key for brand identity. You want a unique look for your brand that is relevant. Here are some bullets striking the negatives of crowdsourcing:
- Risk of stolen design
- Inexperienced designers
- High chance of generic look with no development
- Cheaper does not mean better, it means cheaper
Remember it all comes back to the word specific. You may have no idea where a crowdsourcing logo submission is really from. The logo may have been taken from some random internet website & modified slightly. In addition, you stand a high chance of encountering floods of inexperienced designers who will spend very little time in their draft. Lastly, we have all heard the expression “you get what you pay for.” Indeed you do.
It’s a hundred lower-quality designers putting a few minutes of effort into your project (and possibly stealing the design from someone else) versus one higher-quality designer putting 20+ hours of effort into your project (and creating an original logo).
Leave the negative behind by choosing a specific design company (investigating your local community designers first) for your new logo.
Pro(s) of Crowdsourcing?
While crowdsourcing does present a great way for designers to grab some fun projects from around the world & build their growing portfolios in the process, you should only consider the positives for your brand.
The one positive that may prove true in choosing crowdsourcing as a an option for your logo or updated brand is the word of mouth & social media buzz that can ensue. However, it will probably not be worth it.
Sony did not think so.
An old 1981 issue of Time Magazine documents the once famed crowdsourcing contest for the global, timeless brand of Sony. With nearly 30,000 submissions for the contest it was whittled down to three finalists, a German, an Australian & an American.
That’s when Sony realized it made a huge mistake.
Who won? No one.
The contest fizzled out of memory as a failure with Sony essentially saying thanks but no thanks to all of the submissions including those from the three finalists.
Keep in mind, even though bad publicity is good publicity the buzz of crowdsourcing may not outweigh the negative impact it can have on your brand identity. Like most business choices, crowdsourcing involves a risk assessment.
Have peace of mind by hiring Andiamo Creative to create or redesign your current logo (and consider crowdsourcing a logo no longer!)
