The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (July 2025) |
 | |
Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Design |
| Founded | May 2007 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Custom Logo Design, Website Design, Illustration, Marketing Materials, Industrial Design, Copywriting |
Number of employees | 70[1] |
| Website | www.crowdspring.com |
Crowdspring (written "crowdSPRING", legally crowdSPRING, LLC) is an online marketplace for crowdsourced creative services.[2]
Overview
editCrowdspring was co-founded in May 2007 by Ross Kimbarovsky and Michael Samson.[3] Crowdspring launched its online marketplace publicly in May 2008. Crowdspring is based in Chicago.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
More than 200,000 graphic designers and writers from 200 countries work on Crowdspring.[10]
Blog
editCrowdspring maintains a blog which was launched in mid-2008.[11]
Crowdspring has faced ongoing criticism regarding its speculative business model, which involves asking designers and writers to submit completed work with no guarantee of payment unless their submission is selected.[12] Critics argue that this practice can result in many contributors effectively working without compensation, despite Crowdspring collecting fees from clients.[13]
In some cases, participants have expressed frustration with delayed or missing payments, further fueling criticism about fairness and transparency on the platform.[14] Crowdspring has responded to such feedback by stating that they provide a global platform to connect creatives with businesses and offer opportunities to grow their portfolios.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Business Profile CrowdSpring, LLC". Better Business Bureau.
- ^ [1] Crowdspring homepage
- ^ Steiner, Christopher (2009). "The Creativity of Crowds". Forbes.
- ^ "Creative designs, ideas get chance to stand out at CrowdSpring". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Company snapshot Businessweek
- ^ Crowdsourced Design: Is Crowdspring the next iStockPhoto?
- ^ review Information Week
- ^ Christopher Steiner The Creativity of Crowds February 16, 2009 Forbes
- ^ Rafe Needleman CrowdSpring leverages weasel economics June 12, 2008 CNet
- ^ LeFlore, Ann (2018-06-16). "Crowdspring Review – Legit or Scam". 9 to 5 Work Online. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ "Crowdspring Blog". Crowdspring.
- ^ Walker, Rob (May 31, 2011). "The Crowd Is Wise—but Can It Draw?". Slate.
- ^ "The NO!SPEC campaign vs. Crowdspring". Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Crowdspring Reviews on Trustpilot". Trustpilot. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Official Crowdspring Blog".
Further reading
edit- Social Media Marketing: The Next Generation of Business Engagement. John Wiley & Sons. pp. pt232–233.
- Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods. Penguin. pp. pt.110–111
- Information Week
- Chicago Tribune
- Information Week
