How does it look if you combine crowdsourcing and crowdvoting with an ecommerce-shop? Like Threadless, an e-commerce shop for T-shirts. Instead of the designers connecting to businesses to promote their work, the designs are chosen by a public vote.
Threadless started in 2000, is based in Chicago, and has proved to be wildly popular across the globe. The company now has about 1.8 million users, which as a result has created a strong community for designers, allowing them to exchange ideas and critique each other’s work.
Threadless is unique in the way that designers send their ideas to a global audience. Each ‘challenge’ is categorized with a theme. For example you could design a t-shirt “inspired by the music of Arcade Fire” or make a design for wall-art or an iphone case. After a design is submitted, there is 7 days of review and the public can comment and give feedback on your design during that period. The winner receives a cash prize and if the design is reprinted the designer receives another 500 dollars.
CrowdSPRING offers 43 categories to choose from on their website. The client will name their price and in the spirit of design contests, there is also a set a deadline. Once designers submit their work, you have the option of giving feedback and watching the revision process. Once you have chosen, you do not have to pay until you feel that the work has met all of your expectations. There are a variety of design projects that include everything from mobile, to industrial to graphic, but crowdSPRING also offers writing projects.
As a client, where you are creating your project, you can choose from ‘pro’ ‘standard’ and ‘economy’. Each category comes with a fixed starting price and like the other portals, a chance for you to narrow down what you are looking for in a design. This particular site pays in US dollar and also give the client the chance to name their own price and deadline.
If you are an independent filmmaker looking for work, Poptent may be the perfect platform for you. Based in Orange County, CA, the company’s specialty is working to promote advertisements for companies and video work. Poptent started with a small base of videographers and offered a 1,000 cash prize to the winner of the video contest. The company prides itself on having produced everything from “polished national TV spots to quirky viral videos”.
Tongal is another platform, which caters to creative individuals and Tongal for companies, which are both within the context of a social media platform. The process that Tongal follows in regards to its projects typically follows multiple steps. “Ideation, production and distribution. That means writers, directors, actors and animators can all focus on what they do best”.
A unique aspect of the Tongal platform, is that there is also room for actors and actresses. When you start a project with Tongal, the site offers help with design and advice on how to meet your goals. After you’ve organized you ideas, then you enter the “Ideation” phase, which lasts for about 2 weeks. Existing members submit their ideas and then there is the opportunity to discuss and give feedback before you pick the idea that fits your project best.
Then you get to work on production, and distribution. Tongal focuses on generating online video content, and giving the opportunity for you to build a portfolio, or be the one to discover the next superstar.
Found in the crowd:
Even if you find success on one or more of these crowdsourcing networks, you still always have the option to try the other portals available to you. You may find yourself involved in a project that is totally new to you, and come out with a new skill and something impressive to add to your portfolio. Of course it can be somewhat alienating to only make connections via online portals, but that’s why we have coworking spaces.
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