In the course of my five years as a freelance graphic designer, I’ve heard countless designers weigh in on the value of crowdsourced design contests. They’re almost always frustrated naysayers or fervent fans. But the way I see it, the merit of graphic design contests isn’t a black and white issue. I realise they’re not for everyone, but I know they’re essential to legions of designers like me.
Being a freelance designer means I have to work hard – harder than I imagine I’d work at a typical 9-to-5 design job. That’s because the responsibility for whatever outcome I achieve (or fail to achieve) falls 100% on my shoulders. I’ve had to learn to expertly budget my finances, become a pro negotiator and bill collector, develop solid time and project management skills, and, last but not least, to deftly manage the unique set of challenges each client brings to the table.
The image this conjures up may seem a far cry from the stereotype outsiders often have of a freelancer living the easy life, making decent money while enjoying total freedom. Yet it’s not as grim as it might first appear. Far from it.
Freelancing on sites like 99designs has changed not only my outlook on my long-term viability as a designer, but the way I live my life. When I first joined 99designs, for example, I dabbled in design but was eking out a living selling cosmetics door-to-door. I taught myself Photoshop from scratch and within a month I won my first design contest. I began winning more and more often as I identified and cultivated the skills I mentioned above. I also started getting additional follow-on work directly from contest holders, which, it turns out, has happened in about a quarter of all contests I win.
Since going the crowdsourced design site route, I can honestly say I’ve never struggled financially.
How did I do this? It’s no secret, really. Yes, there’s the hard work and heaps of self-discipline – there’s no getting away from that. But by far the biggest driver of my success is the personal growth I’ve achieved by becoming part of an active online community. I’ve had to continually analyse myself in order to identify and work on my weaknesses, and play to my strengths. I’m not sure where else I would have found the tools to do this so effectively.
Working through an online platform means I don’t have to spend time struggling to land clients through my own network. I live in Romania and the truth is, the opportunities I have to develop thriving client relationships here are limited. The vast majority of the business owners who enable me to provide for my family while doing something I love live far from my doorstep.
Web design is my niche, and at any given time I can enter more than 100 contests on crowdsourced design websites, so there’s no lack of options. I only submit ideas to contests I find compelling, and that I think will help me improve in a specific way. I’ve designed sites for a vast range of companies from tech startups to retail shops.
There’s always something new to tackle and learn. If I wanted to focus on a specific industry to build a strong vertical portfolio, I could. I imagine that many designers starting out using sites like these to do just that, with the aim of landing a full-time job at a certain kind of company where they live.
One of the reasons crowdsourced sites work for me is that they employ an infrastructure with very clear rules: fair payment calculated according to the number of web pages (in my case) requested; standardised briefs that address everything I need to know to get working; a real-time rating and comment feedback system; and a firm deadline. Having this framework in place means I’m in complete control each step of the way. Sure, any given customer may not like a design that I think is fantastic – but many times they do.
And when it’s time to get paid, I know I’ll see the money in my bank account – customers pay up front, and at the end of the contest the payment is released to me via a local payment processor. I don’t need to keep track of invoices and pester clients who seem to have conveniently forgotten they owe me hundreds of dollars. When customers call on me to complete additional projects after I win their contests, I can set my own rate and use the site’s 1-to-1 platform, ensuring the same payment guarantees.
Crowdsourced design contests aren’t for designers who need a whip cracked on the desk in front of them. They may not be the best way to go for designers who live in cities with bustling high tech scenes or tons of new business activity, or where your next client is just one friendly door-knock away. But after spending so long knocking on doors myself, I know that for me, it’s the only way I could have developed the career I have today.
Take a look for yourself: 99designs.com.au
