Crowdsourcing a new Logo... more or less creativity?

Recently, I put my own rudimentary Photoshop skills to the test and created a quick and dirty logo to get my new consulting business up and running. I always had the intention, however, of getting a 'real' logo to replace my prototype. I started asking around for designer recommendations, and repeatedly heard the same thing... "why don't you crowdsource it?"

After checking out the industry leader 99designs.com (and a Canadian-founded company to boot), I thought I'd give it a go. I wrote a creative brief, uploaded some of my own favorite logos and sat back to wait for designs to flow in.

The great thing about crowdsourcing is you get access to many different designers - but it's a bit of a social political game because the designers are competing for your payment. I've quickly learned that if I rate a design higher than the rest, the designers will take it as a sign to gravitate towards that concept and may feel reluctant to step outside the box. On the other hand, if you work with just one designer, you might miss out on the opportunity to explore your brand from different perspectives.

I'm still learning the crowdsourcing ropes, but hope it will prove fruitful for a snazzy new logo for Strategic Rain. If you want to take a look at the contest entries and weigh in with your thoughts, check it out below! Stay tuned for a poll for the winner once we get to the final design round.

'Strategic Rain' Consulting needs a new logo!

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