6 Reasons Crowdsourcing And Spec Work Sucks

It’s a revolution, or at least it seems to be if you listen to just about every hype-filled business blog out there. While crowdsourcing has resulted in some cool promotions and occasionally even a worthwhile end result for both parties involved, it’s rarely the best solution for any business (or any service provider, for that matter).

Hailed as a masterful way to get things done cheaply and easily for businesses, crowdsourcing is effectively digital outsourcing on steroids – a sure-fire method for getting work done on the cheap, while still maintaining control over the end product and project quality. Projects are issued, typically on one of several online marketplaces, and rather than competing for the project with applications and pitches, designers compete for the project with the finished project.

If you can’t already see how this equation doesn’t quite work as a long-term business strategy, these six reasons will no doubt make it a little clearer. Crowdsourcing, while worthwhile for some, just isn’t good for most online business, whether they’re on the project posting side or the service side. If you’re a new designer looking to gain some experience, check out these six reasons crowdsourcing sucks before you spend your time on a crowdsourced design competition.