Need to create effective branding for your spa, but don’t have thousands to spend? Try online crowdsourcing.
Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to a large group of people or community. Well-known examples of crowdsourcing include Wikipedia itself and Trip Advisor. Larger companies are also using the model. For example, the consumer goods giant Unilever recently hosted an online event to crowdsource ideas for sustainable production and marketing. Another example, Spa Revival, went with crowdsourcing and met with fantastic results!
There are a number of online crowdsourcing platforms for graphic design, and spas are increasingly using these platforms as a way to source logos, business cards and stationery, signage, postcards, brochures and T shirts. Spa owners cite creativity and affordability as the two biggest reasons they are choosing to crowdsource their design needs.
Here are the five steps of how crowdsourcing design works, and some tips on how to get the most out of your design contest:
- You (the project holder) choose a project type. It could just be a logo, or you could order an entire suite of branded materials, including a website.
- You can name your own price. For example, MycroBurst logos start at $199. The more money you offer, the better participation you get from the design crowd. In MycroBurst’s case, there are more than 30,000 designers that hail from more than 100 countries.
- Fill out your creative brief. The more detailed you are in describing the who, what, why, when and where of your company, the better the designers will be able to understand what you want to convey in your branding. Describe what your values are, and what sort of image you want to project to your customers. Do you want your spa to convey relaxation? Health? Revitalization? Tranquility? Say so.
- Your contest will last for one week. After you post your brief, designers will start to post their ideas. In order to have the best experience, you will need to provide them with ongoing feedback. If you like a particular design but want it in a different color, send that designer a request. You can also eliminate designs that you don’t like as the week progresses. A MycroBurst project holder will typically receive an average of 116 concepts from more than 20 different designers in a week.
- After seven days, choose your winning design. You will be entitled to complete ownership of that design, so you’re free to use it how you wish.
For more information on crowdsourcing design, check out www.mycroburst.com