If you've just joined DesignCrowd or actively participate in design contests, you'll be helping thousands of clients crowdsource a range of design services. From company logos to t-shirt design, to brochure design, our designers specialise in over 40 different types of graphic design services, availble 24/7, all year round.
DesignCrowd designers have earned nearly $10M in contest wins. For new designers on the platform you're probably thinking, 'what do I need to do to win?' This blog post will outline five tips to increase your chance of winning contests on DesignCrowd.
#1. Submit Original Design Work
Once you've read the client's brief on DesignCrowd's jobs board , start brainstorming ideas based on keywords in the brief. Find visual metaphors that express a feeling or sentiment the client wants the design to communicate. Think about typography, animal motifs, characters or avatars. Create them!
Simple designs can be effective as indicated throughout the examples with the right use of design techniques such as negative space and visual puns. The names and the typefaces also blend well with the logo designs. See the examples below.
Simple Design Examples
Take-away: Avoid designing logos that look too similar to stock images. Or you might be accused of plagarizing by the community and find yourself kicked off the site.
Read: Check out this BrandCrowd post on the value of pen and paper in the creative design process.
When you signed up to DesignCrowd you agreed to submit designs that met our minimum design standards. Check them out here!
#2. Sell the Design: Share the Brand Story
When you upload your design, don't ignore the description field! At the time of submission you'll be prompted to complete the description. This is your opportunity to sell the design and provide an insightful summary about the development of the logo design and the story behind the brand concept.
You should suggest to the client that revisions or feedback are welcome and can help improve the design. Many clients are not aware of the power of feedback in the design process.
To give you a better sense of how powerful sharing the design development story can be, check out these examples by DesignCrowd designers.
Development & Rationale
#3. Typography
When selecting or designing a font type, it is important that the font blends in and complements the design. Sometimes we see designers submit high quality logo designs, icon or graphic solutions, only to see they've made a poor typeface choice. Two things happen. The poor typeface choice distracts from the design. Worse still, it may result in the client not purchasing the design. Submit multiple designs and varying typefaces if you want to give the client options, that way you increase your chance of being selected.
Take-away: It is also not just about placing a typeface but also uniquely styling it so that it fits in with the logo design. Integrate typography into your design. Don't make it an after-thought!
Read: 48 Creative Example of Typography in Design and for some in-depth theory, The Grammar of Typography - Letterform.
Typography Examples
#4. Presenting Your Design: Background Colors
We suggest displaying your original submission on a white background where possible. However, we understand the importance of displaying the design's versatility.
Showing a client a realistic representation, real-life application, or color variations to demonstrate branding capabilities is an effective way to "sell" your design.
For Great Presentation Techniques, See These Designer's Portfolios:
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Philippine designer Art Tank mixes it up, with
designs presented on both colored and
white backgrounds. |
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USA designer Robert Marks displays designs in
relevant client contexts. |
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UK designer DSTOF79 uses bright colored
backgrounds to make design ideas pop. |
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UK designer Hiccup prefers to present
design concepts on white backgrounds. |
#5. Participate, Participate, Participate!
Sorry designers, there is no super-secret to winning contests. Read the design brief carefully, then committ to entering as many design contests as you can. Be responsive when clients ask for revisions. These are the two golden rules our top two designers live by. We've interviewed PB - DesignCrowd's #1 designer and #2 ranked designer Art Samurai and this is what they had to say... Straight from the horses mouth (figuratively speaking!)
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UK web designer PB says:
- Read the client's brief in detail. Follow the
brief closely in every design submission.
- Show considered use of colours and
font-type as per the client's business.
- Prioritise client feedback. Focus on client
requests, then work on new projects
and designs.
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Philippine graphic designer Art Samurai says:
"DesignCrowd made participation worthy by
introducing participation payments - which makes
about 18% of my total earnings [$89,000 to date]
and that is a big deal."
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To increase your chance of winning contests, submit original designs, include a description in your submission, design awesome typography and present your designs on colors that make them pop from the screen!
Did we forget any other tips? Let us know in the comments!
Written by Jo Sabin on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.
