Frustrated by Crowdsourcing? Get Used to It.
Recently, I came across a LinkedIn post that railed against crowdsourcing and its negative impact on freelance design, in particular. The author’s point was simple enough: Crowdsourcing sites (like DesignCrowd, Crowdspring, 99designs, and countless others) run contests in which graphic designers compete by submitting what they believe is the best design solution to a challenge brought by a client. The winner gets paid; the losers usually get nothing. This exploits those who participate and are not chosen and drives down the market price of design projects for all designers.
He’s right, but shortsighted.