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DesignCrowd [SMART 100, 2015]

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This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.

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1. THE BEGINNING

This innovation initially came to life when…

The logo for the London Olympics cost £400,000, took one year to make and was absolutely panned by the media, public and design community.

Alec thought there had to be a better way for businesses to source design from around the world that was faster, cheaper, more creative and less risky. The idea for DesignCrowd was born.

Alec started the business in his mum’s garage after working for Booz & Co as a strategy consultant. After bootstrapping the company, Alec raised $3 million from Starfish Ventures and brought Adam on as co-founder and CTO.

2. WHAT & HOW

The purpose of this innovation is to…

…make sourcing creative and customised design products faster and more creative. It’s faster than traditional agencies, cheaper, risk-free, provides access to over 400,000 designers from around the world and delivers a larger number of creative options.

It does this by…

…offering an online platform where customers from around the world can provide a brief of the type of design they need — logo, web, graphic and business card designs, to name a few — and how much they’re willing to pay for it. Designers can then view that job and submit designs for selection.

3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS

This innovation improves on what came before because…

Prior to DesignCrowd, people would have to spend large sums of time and money with traditional design agencies who would generally offer a small selection of design concepts to choose from.

On DesignCrowd, the average project is generally 50 per cent less than an agency, receives first designs within hours and on average, over 50 different designs.

Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…

Firstly, we’ve found that customers are receiving high quality designs at 50 per cent less the traditional cost of an agency, are receiving designs within hours and have, on average, 50 different designs to choose from.

4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

In the past, this problem was solved by…

In the past, people and businesses would generally have to approach traditional design agencies, most likely those local to them or which have been recommended to them.

Traditional agencies generally charge 50 per cent more than DesignCrowd, offer a small number of design concepts and customers are locked in for extended periods without knowing what the final product looks like.

Its predecessors/competitors include…

…traditional design agencies and online outsourcing websites like 99Designs and CrowdSPRING. Other predecessors include Elance.

5. TARGET MARKET

It is made for…

DesignCrowd is a marketplace that provides logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to a ‘virtual team’ of over 400,000 freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world – helping you to tap into the very best international design talent available, at a low cost. Designers get access to a global client base of businesses who need their design skills.

It is available for sale through…

Businesses and organisations that require quality designs at a low cost and designers looking to earn income through completing design projects can register at DesignCrowd.com.au.

Our marketing strategy is to…

We want to help businesses get designs made and designers to find work and clients. We want to spread the graphic design revolution that we believe crowdsourcing, and DesignCrowd specifically is leading.

FINE PRINT: This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.