crowdSPRING is a resource for people who want to connect to designers. Its a resource for designers to get paid for design work, and to add work to their portfolio. To learn more about this website, keep reading.
For people who need design work:
Create an account with the site. Create a project, set a price, set a deadline. Sit back and watch. Entries come in and can be rated throughout the entire project. At the end, you'll choose a winner, and walk away with full rights to the project. crowdSPRING gives project owners a free contract to make sure the rights are properly given to clients. There is a 15% fee, added in the beginning when setting price charged by the company to cover their costs. If for any reason the project does not get at least 25 entries, there is a full project refund, including the fee.
For designers and developers:
Create an account with the site. Browse projects. Create entries to match project specifications. Wait until project deadline. If a designer's entry is chosen, then he or she will be paid according to the site pay schedule. There are several different projects in various areas of expertise available, so designers can pick and choose which ones to enter at their will. If their entry is not chosen, they retain full rights. There is no bidding involved. There is no way other designers can steal ideas. There is no worrying about a client getting the files without payment because crowdSPRING takes care of that. People from several different countries are active members on the site, so it is a wonderful global market.
Some designers and developers may not like the idea of producing work before they know whether or not they got the contract. Truth be told, it is not something for everyone. There is a major benefit for those who are just getting started, though. If the work is not chosen by the client and the designer is able to retain all rights, he or she may add this to a personal portfolio of work to help increase the chances of being chosen for other projects upfront.
For those who don't mind creating a piece before they know if they are going to get paid for it, they can build up a library of graphics to sell through various outlets or material for items in an online store where the user's photos are placed on a variety of items and sold directly to the site visitors.
Project owners are able to work with several different designers at one time by indicating their wants and needs for the project in one place and letting the designers run with it. It is easier for them in the sense that they are saving themselves time by letting the designers come to them and not having to correspond back and forth with several designers before work begins such as in a bidding scenario.