Is crowdsourcing like open source software?

[Paul Murray]

An interesting question has been put to me via twitter after a little rant I had earlier today. Twitter

"Do you think crowdsourcing graphic design will ever be as successful as open source software?"

My rant that sparked it... Twitter

His reply, followed by mine...Twitter

Basically, it's being suggested that crowdsourcing graphic design should be seen simply as a cheap alternative for people who don't have the budget/think it's a waste of money to pay for the expertise of a real designer, much in the same way that open source software is often a free alternative to paying for commercial software.

It's an interesting, if a little skewed, analogy, and whilst I'm sure that open source alternatives can affect the profits of software developers, is it really the same? To create software, no matter how rudimentary, requires knowledge of the language you're programming in. Design, being a visual medium, is seen as being easy where all the hard work is being done by the software.

What's everyone's opinion on this statement? Also, feel free to join in the discussion and retweet on twitter since I'd love to hear what other people think.

[richimgd]

I think crowdsourcing attracts less experienced designers as any experienced designer wouldn't take part in it since the money on offer is often low and the client doesn't always know what they actually want. Its a hugely wasteful process where hundreds of designers spend a huge amount of time and energy where only the winner gets paid. Some people want an excuse to work on a project though who might want extra work for their portfolio and might be willing to work for cheap / not be too worried about winning the job. These people are normally young designers or unqualified people studying design. Good luck to them I say.

Open source software is totally different in the sense that its not made by a bunch of amateurs, its often better and more innovative than the paid for software. Something to note is many open software and tools don't even have a paid for equivalent, so the comparison with crowdsourcing in many ways is irrelevant.

[Paul Murray]

I agree, crowdsourcing sites seemed to be aimed at amateur 'bedroom' designers, who think that design is all about the software used. Sadly many of the people involved in these sites don't understand or care about the damage they course, simply because they are not directly involved in the industry. It seems it's easy to call yourself a designer now, thanks to the myriad of cracked software floating around.

99designs have a regular feature on their blog where they feature a 'designer'. I've taken a look at the latest guy, and honestly some of his winning entries are pretty plain and unimaginative. But, since he's won so many contests he's regarded as a successful designer.

I failed to see the relevance of comparing open-source software with crowdsourced design. I think he was trying to imply that crowdsourcing, say for example a logo, is the same as collaborating with a community to create open source software.

I've since questioned the comparison, so hopefully I'll see what he was driving at.

[richimgd]

I think he was trying to imply that crowdsourcing, say for example a logo, is the same as collaborating with a community to create open source software.

They're totally different though arn't they, since crowdsourcing is about 'designers' working in direct competition with each other where only one reaches the goal of their design getting chosen and getting paid. Open source software development is almost the opposite since software developers contribute and collaberate with each other together, for free with a shared goal of making the product better for the wider community.

Totally different things!

[Paul Murray]

Exactly! Open source is a licence, and as you mentioned, anything distributed under the licence is created and redistributed freely for the community. It doesn't rely on people creating work for free who are competing for the possibility of being paid (which isn't even guaranteed).

Do you think that crowdsourcing sites will eventually be seen as the budget option for start-ups and consumers (and even some established brands who will surely attract attention from more experienced freelancers due to their popularity)?

Since many business owners tend to dismiss graphic design and branding as an afterthought, these sites will surely continue to grown in popularity. The way they're marketed is hard to combat too as they appeal to people's wallets.

[richimgd]

I think most clients don't know what they want and are worried about agreeing to pay a lot of money for something which they cant see, or imagine which is what happens traditionally when a client commissions a designer to design something for them.

I guess its a huge issue as a lot of people don't know what good design is and couldn't tell the difference between a logo costing £100 or £10,000... Its getting to know your client and what they like which is something you'll never get with a crowdsourcing site. Theres a level of service missing with crowdsourcing. I think a client should recognise a good designer and pay them for their services, but often a client wont know any designers so which might make crowdsourcing appealing. I try to educate clients about how much work goes into the design I do and if they cant see the value in it then they're not worth being one of my clients. Crowdsourcing is like pitching for free but not as bad. At least when your pitching for free you normally know roughly how many people your pitching against which is normally no more than about 10 companies. Crowdsourcing is literally creating a concept and delivering it in a fully produced state in competition with hundreds of other designers doing the same thing. I'm sure I saw a case on 99designs where over 1000 designers entered into a project. A totally mental waste of time.

Any high end company wont use a crowdsourcing service since as mentioned the type of designers that crowdsourcing attracts are less experienced and the level of work that can be expected tends to be of lower quality imo.

[Paul Murray]

Any high end company wont use a crowdsourcing service since as mentioned the type of designers that crowdsourcing attracts are less experienced and the level of work that can be expected tends to be of lower quality imo.

What about sites like Talenthouse?

Talenthouse - Creative Collaboration - music, film, fashion, art / design, photography, and dance

Sites like this feature musicians that appeal to younger designers, particularly students/graduates. The concept of designing something for your favourite band/artist is very appealing to the younger generation. In fact, if I'm honest I'd probably work for free with several musicians I idolise just to have it as something to look back on in life.

Since many of these artists are likely to have short-term success, it's probably a better financial solution (from the record company's perspective) to crowdsource the branding of a musician. As you mentioned though, the huge amount of entrants effectively makes these sorts of competitions a waste of time for 99% of the people who enter in the hopes of getting a foot in the door and 'recognition and compensation'.

[squeezee]

There are two ways of doing this, one is where all crowdsourcers contribute to an ever narrowing group of designs, working as a team, this is like open source. The other is where 1000 designs are submitted and the client chooses one. This is just abuse of designers.
The fact is that design is global and there are loads of talented people for whom $5 an hour is really good pay!

[Paul Murray]

The fact is that design is global and there are loads of talented people for whom $5 an hour is really good pay!

Yeah, it seems many of the designers on freelancer/crowdsourcing sites are based in India, where $5 an hour is a very respectable wage. Fair play to them, everyone deserves a better wage and standard of living, but it would be nice if there was some form of regulation in effect to protect designers in other countries from having to attempt compete with low budgets, particularly on sites for specifically for freelancers.

We can but hope...

[Site Engine]

Yeah, it seems many of the designers on freelancer/crowdsourcing sites are based in India, where $5 an hour is a very respectable wage. Fair play to them, everyone deserves a better wage and standard of living, but it would be nice if there was some form of regulation in effect to protect designers in other countries from having to attempt compete with low budgets, particularly on sites for specifically for freelancers.

We can but hope...

Ultimately it'll all come out in the wash. There are always going to be clients who want the designer to come in and sit round the table with them. These are the clients we will pick up. 75% of my customers are within driving distance. Once you've done enough of these word of mouth will spread and you'll find a steady stream of work.

Its worth noting that I get a fair few clients who've gone down the low cost route first, and then get fed up with the difficulty of managing it.

Sure it's worth kicking up a fuss where we can, but certainly not worth beating yourself up about it.

Cheerio
Stephen Chown
www.siteengine.co.uk / www.uk-logo.com
tel. 0117 9594439 mob. 07703059661