Crowdspring Review – Legit or Scam

Crowdspring is a freelance website that opened in 2008. The two owners Ross Kimbarowsky and Mike Samson created the site to help people find the best creative talent around the globe. The company is located in Chicago, Illinois and has over 205,000 graphic design freelancers that find work through this company. If you are a graphic designer and are looking for a few extra dollars or trying to get established in this highly competitive field, this is the perfect opportunity for you. You are free to join the company and you’ll have the opportunity to pick and choose the contest that you’d like to join. Each designer on the site has an equal opportunity to display their work. It is up to the client the design they choose.

How Does it Work?

1. The website is free to join and is opened to anyone worldwide. All you need to do is visit their signup page and register as a “Creative” or as a “Client”.
2. Registration is simple and all you need to do is choose a username, enter your email address, and create a password.
3. Submit the information to the company and you’ll receive an email.
4. In order to be verified as a designer on Crowdspring, you’ll need to submit a few documents to the company.
5. The company asks you to send them your identity documents. Therefore, the name you register with on the site needs to match these documents.
6. You’ll need to supply your mobile phone number. The company will send the verification code to your phone.
7. Crowdspring requires you to send them a photocopy of your passport, driver’s license or any government-issued photo ID card.
8. You’ll be required to send the company a photo of you using a webcam on your computer or a camera on your phone or tablet. The photo must match the documents that are submitted to the company.
9. When submitting the information to the company, you’ll need to submit 3 of your designs or samples of your work.
10. Once the Crowdspring teams have verified your identity, you’ll receive a verification code on your mobile device. Just enter this code in your account.
11. Once the code has been entered successfully, you are now free to search the categories and pick a project you’d like to work on.

Why Should You Join Crowdspring?

1. According to the company they are one of the largest communities of illustrator, project designer, graphic designers, and web designers.
2. The company has a large crowdsourcing marketplace where you can find work as a graphic designer.
3. The company works hard to protect your intellectual property and will protect your designs.
4. Each design you sell on the site, the company pays you 100% of the rewards the client offers. They don’t take a commission out of your pay because the clients pay them separately.
5. The company is there to help the writer and the designers. If you have any questions or problems, all you need to do is content their customer support.

How To Work On Projects:

1. The clients will list different projects on the website. Each project is put into a category that best suits the work that needs to be done.
2. You’ll select a project to work on. Each project has a starting and ending date, plus a monetary payment value.
3. Select the project and submit your entries to the customer.
4. The customer has the final say-so when it comes to choosing the work.
5. If a customer likes your design but would like a few changes, they’ll contact you directly.
6. However, if a client is requesting more work from you than they have indicated on the job description, you can either accept the work or you can contact the site to report this problem. The site will work with you and the designer to rectify the problem.
7. If your project has been selected by the client, you’ll be paid for the work.
8. Afterward, the client is asked by the company to complete a survey about your work. The survey is simple and will only require the client to rate you. The rating system is a star rating of 1 to 5, where 5 is the highest score.
9. Your rating will be added to your reputation on the site. The higher your ratings, the higher your reputation will be.  The reputation rating on the site is very important to clients and will indicate what type of a designer you are if you follow instructions, and you’ve successfully completed the project.

What Type of Work Does Crowdspring Offer?

1. There are endless types of work you can find on Crowdspring. You’ll have access to jobs listed in the following categories:
   1. Business cards
   2. Logos
   3. Logos plus Business Card
   4. Logo plus Social Media Assets
   5. Letterhead & Stationary
   6. Work 1-on-1
   7. Company and Product Name
   8. Tagline
   9. Product Design
   10. Packaging Design
   11. Package Graphics
   12. Design Consultation
   13. Banner Ads
   14. Blog Themes
   15. Icon, Button, and Widgets
   16. Email Template Design
   17. Landing Page Design
   18. Mobile App design
   19. Social Media Assets
   20. Website Design
   21. Create a Brochure or Menus
   22. Vehicle Wrap
   23. Infographics
   24. Presentation
   25. Outdoor & Signage
   26. Postcards or Flyers
   27. Posters
   28. Illustration
   29. Tattoo design
   30. Wall or Mural Art
   31. Creating Merchandise
   32. T-Shirt design
   33. Clothing design
   34. Book Cover Design
   35. Magazine Cover Design

How Are You Paid?

1. Once you’ve been awarded the contract and the signed over the design, it normally takes 14-days to see the payment in your account.
2. The client must make the final approval before the funds are available to withdraw from the company
3. The company will process payments on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. However, if one of the payment processing days lands on a legal holiday in the United States, your payment will be processed the next time the company processes payment.
4. If this is you’re the first payment that you’ve received from a client or you have a new account, the company holds your payment for 30-days.
5. You have the option of being paid through PayPal or Payoneer.
6. Once the company sends your payment, you should see this in your PayPal or Payoneer account within hours. This will depend on which payment processor you’ve chosen.

Concerns About Crowdspring:

1. Each job is a competition and the client views all the designs submitted. If your design wasn’t chosen, then you’re not paid for your time and efforts.
2. Some clients seem to work with only a few designers which makes it hard to be selected for your work.
3. Many people spend hours working on designs and never are compensated for their time or efforts.
4. The company uses a star rating for your reputation on the site. If you’ve been working with this company for several years, you’ve established yourself. However, if you are new to the site, then it is hard to earn a rating on this site.
5. Some clients will select your design and afterward ask for tons of modifications. Some of the modifications they request weren’t in the original job description. Furthermore, some of the modifications are above and beyond the work indicated in the job description. If you don’t make these corrections the client won’t accept or pay you for your work.
6. This site is very difficult to be paid on. There is a lot of competition on the site and you’re competing with 205,000 other graphic designers for the same work. This can make it hard to be selected.
7. This is one way to get your foot in the door as a graphic designer. Maybe one client will like the work you do and have you design other things for their company. This doesn’t happen often, but a company can look at the designs on the site and maybe they will select you to work with them.

Conclusion:

This is a legitimate crowdsourcing site that pays you for your graphic design talents. The company processes payments three times a week and they pay on time. However, this site is very competitive and it is hard to win each contest. The owner or client that has created the contest will select the design that best suits their needs. This makes it difficult to enter the contest and earn money. Some clients will only select the designer who is well established on the site and has a high reputation rating. It is hard to get established and earn a rating. You could be working here for a month and never earn any money.