This post was written by Joey Ambrose, DesignCrowd customer, crowdsourcing pro and web design company founder. We asked him to share his top six tips to help designers maximise their chance of winning contests. Clients and project owners who are about to start a design crowdsourcing project will also find Joey's tips helpful.

Introduction

Owning a web design company has it challenges, one of which is delivering great design work for our customers. Design contests are a great way to get quality work from designers all over the world, and quickly. I’ve done around 140 contests, given thousands of pieces of feedback to hundreds of designers, and still get excited when I post a new contest. Working with so many designers, I can definitely tell you some stand out over others, so I’m going to share what grabs my attention as a contest holder, and hopefully win your next contest.

1. Read the brief. Read the brief. Read the brief

Read that contest brief at least twice. Ever hear the term "The Devil is in the details"? Not reading the design brief closely enough has cost many designers a winning design, simply because they didn't follow the directions. My last contest for a podcast graphic specifically stated to NOT use the logos of social media sites in the design, yet several designs came in with them. Unfortunately they were eliminated right away.

Logo Design Submission for Burgeronomy by Jacqui

2. Brainstorm Ideas and Refine Your Concept

Take your time; quality matters much more than being the first to submit. It also gives you time to let you ideas come to life. When you rush to submit a design, you sacrifice quality. A contest holder can tell when you've rushed, so take the time to really think about your concept and create a quality design that will stand out from the others.

3. Submit Variations on the Design Theme

Submit more than just one design, and offer color, style, and layout options if appropriate. Some designers go the extra mile and submit variations, and often I will like one of the variations instead of the original concept. It gives me more options, increases your chances of winning, and shows you’re working hard to win.

Logo Design Submission for Studio 19 by DSTOF79

4. Provide Clarity and Feedback

Communicate often, but keep it productive. When you submit your design, feel free to explain your concept and any other details. It can set your design apart. Something you don't need to do is ask for feedback. Running a contest takes a lot of time when you have to give feedback for all the designers and designs, so those "Please give me feedback" are unnecessary.

5. Be Responsive

Watch for feedback and change requests, and try to get to them as quickly as you can. Remember if a lot of times we are communicating with both you and our clients, so there is a lot of back and forth communication going on. I have awarded contests to designers that were more responsive, even if I liked another design better.

6. Presentation Matters

Go the extra mile. Instead of just uploading the logo, how about showing how it will look on a shirt or business card? It shows the possibilities and really helps me connect with your design. Maestral, dirty.EMM and BuckTornado are examples of designers that do a great job with this.

Check out Maestral's brand identity work for Flex Cue

Conclusion

Doing all of these things will help you stand out, and standing out will help you WIN. At the end of a contest, it's often a toss-up as to which design to choose. That's when it comes down to who communicated best, was quick to make changes, and tried the hardest. It's not just about winning the contest you are participating in. Great service and high quality work will keep contest holders coming back to the site. It will also increase your chances of getting invited to that contest holders next contest, and possibly even get invited to work with them directly.

Related reading:

For designers: How to Win More Design Contests

6 Tips to Turbocharge Your Design Project - written by a top 20 ranked designer on DesignCrowd for project owners.

What Do You Think?

Do you agree with Joey's tips for designers? Which was your favorite tip? Let us know in the comments below.

Joey is President of Go Web Solutions Inc and creator of Social Media Quickies (the logo for this business was created by the DesignCrowd designer community). Joey is an entrepreneur with extensive experience managing crowdsourcing design projects.

Edited by Josephine Sabin, DesignCrowd Community Manager

Written by Jo Sabin on Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.