With the dawn of the so-called meme generation, more and more animations, graphical work and funny logos are created, which makes that the 21th century will most likely be known to mankind as the period of the visual representation boom. In fact, successful companies/brands cannot live without creative, compelling logos and other creatives. Unfortunately, though, asking an agency to design such a logo is beyond expensive.
The continuous growth of the freelance industry brings us plenty of skilled artists who are willing to create any form of artwork for a much more reasonable price. And there is no better way to find this community than on specific design contest sites.
Artwork and designing gigs are special breeds within the freelancer world. Most of the time they can be found at marketplace type sites where artists can present their skills, and sell their services and design packages. Many creative freelancers are also available at design contest websites which are the exact opposite of marketplace sites: here clients are the ones submitting a job offer for freelancers, explaining in detail what kind of work they expect from the freelancers.
The possibilities are virtually endless: there are categories for illustrations, book covers, 3D artwork, logo designs, business card designs, art for merchandise etc. Furthermore, everyone can apply to a design contest, and submit their own take on the client’s idea, while clients can choose from countless artworks and announce a winner or winners when the deadline is met.
Once a contest is over, the artist sends the winning work, while also renouncing his/her rights to the finalized product in favor of the client. It’s important to note that in most cases only the winning design is rewarded with prize money, meaning that the runner ups might need to go home empty-handed. Luckily, though, there are some freelance sites that offer compensation for other submissions that were taken into consideration.
Design contests are set up through pre-determined packages, meaning that the more expensive the plan is, the more features it offers. For example, cheaper packages put a limit on how many artists can submit their design proposals and the prize money for the winning design is lower, both of which could risk that no talented designers will show up. Spending more on the plans allow clients to organize more attractive contests with no participation limits and, thanks to the greater competition between freelancers, have better end results.
Beginner artists must understand the difference between freelance marketplaces and design contests before jumping right into freelancing. On a marketplace website you need strong marketing to catch the eye of a browsing client; at a design contest, however, it is the submitter who checks out all the proposals, including yours. So if you are confident enough in your skills and think you can stand up against hundreds of other designers from all around the world, then a design contest is the right choice for you. Still, bear in mind that in most cases there is prize money for only the winner, so it is very likely that you end up working a lot on a specific project but are left unpaid in the end.
However, regardless of the result you should never give up trying. To have better chances, and maybe landing you some private assignments, organize your previous designs into a superb gallery on your main page. Another great way to leave a good impression on a potential client is to respond with eagerness on any feedback. And let’s not forget that clients often request changes during the run of the contest, thus following the feedback of your client is the key to snatch the prize money.
Whether you are a YouTuber who needs a cool logo, a publisher looking for an illustrator, or a company reworking its corporate branding, you’ll definitely love design contest sites which are created to make clients satisfied. Furthermore, launching a project is far more cost effective than hiring a team of creatives, not to mention you receive several different takes on your idea. In fact, projects that promise a winner or several money prizes attract better results. On a design contest site you are not forced to accept an artwork right away: in case a promising concept needs some refinement, you can contact the artist and ask for the necessary changes. However, if none of the artworks live up to your standards, you can ask for a full refund if you made an upfront payment or decide not to select any design.
Toptal (standing for Top Talent) is a freelancer website founded in 2010 that highlights a small, but truly outstanding group of designers and developers, selected through a series of interviews and tests. Submitting a job request on Toptal will always result in the highest quality of talents who’ll definitely meet your standards. Furthermore, top companies and start-ups regularly borrow freelancers from the site for tasks like web designing and programming. Even though this amount of professionalism comes at a price, the service pledges to satisfy clients by offering a no-risk trial, allowing suspecting clients to see the freelancers’ skills in action and get a full refund should they be unsatisfied. However, Toptal guarantees perfect customer satisfaction, so you can be sure that no half-talents or dodgy workers will appear on the site – only quality work.
DesignContest is a high-profile freelance website established in 2003 which, despite its pretty long-running carreer, is still a leader in the designer community. As the name suggests, DesignContest specializes in client-created contests, attracting artists from all around the world. Furthermore, the site opens its gates for an international community too, as it has a localized version for 10 countries, including Australia, Germany, Spain, France and Russia. The service doesn’t shy away from those who are curious: with the innovative demo mode, everyone can experience the feeling of running a contest using a bunch of custom templates. However, if you are not thinking in contests, you can hire single individuals as well for your non-recurring projects. DesignContest has a set of advantages for both sides: buyers can enjoy affordable package prices and a full refund, while artists may receive compensation by ranking second or third.
In our current age, visuals are everything: logos represent companies to such extent people immediately associate the golden arches logo of McDonald’s with its gold fries. Even the nowadays outstandingly popular YouTube channels and videos cannot exist without good design. Thus, to suppress the millennials’ seemingly infinite appetite for custom made artwork, DesignCrowd came up with a crazy new idea: instead of spending hours browsing freelancer websites for possible candidates you could just post a design contest, set a prize and let artists compete with each other. The website is a huge job board, including several categories, where employers can create projects (describing their wishes in detail) and receive multiple design ideas from various freelancers. Furthermore, not only do all participating designers receive a small compensation, but if you are unsatisfied, you can get your money back as well.
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