How to run a great 99Designs contest
A cool concept by the designer Yairko
For the design of Keeples.com, we used 99designs. We learned a lot about how to run an effective contest, and we’d like to share some of those insights with you here, so you can run a great contest too.
Before Launch
- Espionage
Look at others’ successful contests, and try to see what makes them successful. See the price range, the brief, and the feedback quality. - Pick an appropriate price
We went with $600 for the designer (which meant a cost of $699 for us). We were told to expect somewhere between 10-30 ideas, but we got an awesome 207 entries, which gave us the chance to look at a lot of great ideas. I’d suggest picking something in that range for websites since it seems to be a decent amount of money to get great designs, but not too ridiculous so you won’t go broke (especially if you have a budget like Keeples’ budget). - Know thy product
It’s important to have a good idea of what components to have in the final work. You don’t need to know what it’ll look like (if you did, you wouldn’t need a designer!), but you do need to know what things it should have. I would suggest making three lists – things you definitely want, things you want but can compromise on, and things you definitely don’t want. - Be concise and detailed at the same time
The idea is to be stingy with your words so the designers don’t have to spend hours going through the brief. But at the same time, you need to include as much as you can about what you want the design to look like. Tell them those things you want, maybe want, and definitely don’t want, and only include relevant information for those parts. Verbiage is the enemy.
Stated another way, clarity is everything. Designers will find a million different creative ways to misinterpret what you’re saying, so you want to be clear the first time. Also, keep in mind that most designers are not native English speakers when writing the brief. - Examples
In the design brief, include examples of sites you like and those you don’t. Make sure there’s some sort of consistency there, otherwise it’ll just be confusing. - Include relevant files
Logos, rough sketches (VERY useful), any sort of pictures that demonstrate your ideas. You can make it very clear the final product shouldn’t look like that (or should, if that’s the case), but if you have an image that demonstrates functionality, definitely include it since it gives a clear idea of what you need. - Hidden Contests?
We didn’t go for a hidden contest, and honestly, I couldn’t give you a fair opinion on that. I really don’t know whether it works, but an un-hidden contest worked great for us. - No Fries, Please
Forgo the extras! They cost too much and yield too little. Totally not worth it.
After Launch
- Continue the espionage
Look at other contests and see the designers whose work you like. Take note of a) The entry number in the contest you like and b) What aspects of the designs you like. - Appreciate people
Message those designers and tell them you liked their entry #x in the contest for “that dog floss website.” This is the BEST way to get designers you like to participate. Since you’ve already liked their work before, there’s a good chance you’ll like their work on your contest. And they like to be appreciated – who doesn’t? I would suggest messaging 20-40 people in this way. It’s time consuming, but SO worth it. You get great value. - Don’t Sleep
You need to give tons of feedback, and the quicker the better. Here’s the pattern I followed: a) Give a star rating. b) Write feedback – first what you liked about the design c) Then what you want improved. And d) Specific instructions on how to get the next higher star rating. Part d is very important, don’t skip. This is really best when it’s done immediately after a design is submitted – luckily for us I was halfway around the world from Utsab when we ran the contest so one of us was awake at all times. That may not be the case for you, but I’d suggest checking your contest the last thing you do at night and the first thing in the morning, and at regular intervals during the day. - Don’t be discouraged
The first versions of the design will look terrible. You can’t do anything about that. The first versions of Keeples were not at all what we wanted. But don’t lose faith – the designers are awesome and they’ll get it right if you keep giving them feedback. Tell them what you like and what you don’t like, and have faith. - Talk to the designers
Some designers like to chat with you on gchat or skype – and that’s awesome. You should encourage this – you can get a lot done by talking to them while they’re on photoshop since they’ll do exactly what you ask and show you many iterations. - Deal with problems quickly
It seems like allegations of copying are pretty common, and you should address them as soon as possible. If you’re unsure whether the allegation is true or not, you should ask 99designs. If not, then tell them that’s what you think. Some designers go as far as to give fake threats about reporting you – those are just ridiculous pressure tactics and you should ignore them. Once again, ask the 99designs staff if unsure. They’re pretty helpful. - Extend only as much as needed
We extended ours by 5 days, which was a bit of a mistake. Giving so much feedback became extremely exhausting after a while, and we had a lot of trouble keeping up. Also, the flow of new ideas kind of slowed down. Extending was definitely appropriate to do, but 5 days was overkill. - Connect with talent
One of the best things we got out of our contest is the contact info for three spectacular designers. We’ve gotten more work from them since, and we know they can be relied upon to produce awesome stuff.
In addition to this, we suggest reading the suggestions 99designs gives as well, there’s definitely useful stuff there.
Are there any other suggestions you’d give? What’s your experience running 99designs (or any other crowdsourcing site) contests? Tell us in the comments!
Tags: 99designs, crowdsourcing
Uncategorized | Sidharth | 
February 18, 2010 10:41 pm | 
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