What crowdSPRING does

crowdSPRING is a Chicago-based private company founded in 2008 that operates an online crowdsourcing marketplace connecting businesses with a global community of 220,000+ vetted designers, illustrators, namers, and product designers from nearly 200 countries. Clients select from two engagement models: Design Contests, in which multiple creatives submit competing concepts against a posted brief and award (packages priced from $299 to over $1,249), and 1-to-1 Projects, in which a client negotiates directly with a single designer starting at $200. The platform spans 33 design and naming categories, including logos, websites, packaging, product design, book covers, t-shirts, and business naming.

The platform's underlying technology includes project management and interactive Q&A briefs, reputation and scoring systems with Platinum (80-90) and Elite (90-100) tiers, escrow-style payment handling, automated generation of customized IP-transfer legal contracts, focus-group polling tools, and white-label presentation sites for agency clients. crowdSPRING monetizes via a platform fee on top of the designer award, generating revenue on every contest, 1-to-1 project, and Crowdspring Pro agency engagement. Go-to-market is primarily product-led through self-serve web onboarding, supplemented by an agency channel program, an affiliate/partner program, and content marketing via the Stand Out Blog.

The company has accumulated 101,000+ customers since inception and counts Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon, LG, Barilla, P&G, and AliExpress among its named users. With 11-50 employees and only $3M of disclosed seed funding from 2008, crowdSPRING has scaled largely organically and remains privately held with no disclosed institutional backing, M&A activity, or recent capital events in the input data.

Name

crowdSPRING

Legal name

crowdspring

Website

https://crowdspring.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

crowdSPRING operates a crowdsourcing marketplace connecting 101,000+ businesses with 220,000+ vetted designers across 33 categories including logos, websites, packaging, and naming, monetizing via platform fees on contests and 1-to-1 projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Services Marketplace

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Influencer Marketing & Creator Marketplaces (BPAMALAG)

Keywords

• Creative services marketplace
• Design crowdsourcing platform
• Logo design services
• Branding and naming
• Freelance design contests

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Design Contest Projects: Clients post design projects with customizable packages (Silver, Gold, Elite, Platinum) at various price points. Each package includes the designer award amount plus crowdspring's platform fee. Designers receive 100% of the posted award; crowdspring earns separately from client fees. Package prices range from $299 to over $1,000 depending on category and tier.
2. 1-to-1 Projects: Private projects where clients work directly with a single designer. Minimum project value starts at $200 including all fees. Clients negotiate directly with designers and crowdspring takes a platform fee on top of the agreed price.
3. Agency Pro Program: Agencies receive exclusive discounts on project fees and access to premium tools including team collaboration, white-label sites, and advanced privacy features for client projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

crowdSPRING runs an online crowdsourcing marketplace where businesses post creative projects (logo, website, packaging, naming, product design, etc.) and receive dozens of original submissions from a global community of 220,000+ vetted designers, with clients selecting a winner and receiving full IP ownership. The platform also offers 1-to-1 private engagements with individual designers and a Crowdspring Pro tier for agencies with white-label and team collaboration tools.

Product overview

crowdSPRING operates a crowdsourcing marketplace for custom design and naming services, connecting businesses with over 220,000 creatives from nearly 200 countries. The platform's core offering is Design Contests, where clients post projects and receive multiple original design submissions from competing designers. The portfolio includes Logo & Branding, Website Design, Business Naming, Product Design, Packaging Design, and various graphic design categories (business cards, book covers, t-shirts, brochures, illustrations, and more). The platform offers two engagement models: Design Contests for crowdsourced creativity and 1-to-1 Projects for direct private collaboration with a single designer. Crowdspring Pro for Agencies provides dedicated tools including team collaboration features, private galleries, white-label presentation sites, and agency-specific support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Contests Self-serve crowdsourcing workflow where clients choose from 33 design categories, complete an interactive brief, and receive dozens of original design concepts from the 220,000+ designer community; the client picks a winner and receives ready-to-use files with full IP ownership.
• 1-to-1 Projects Private, direct collaboration with a single designer for clients who prefer working 1-on-1; minimum project value $200 includes all fees, full privacy, and a customized legal contract transferring IP.
• Crowdspring Pro for Agencies Dedicated service tier for creative, advertising, and PR agencies that bundles team collaboration, private galleries, white-label sites, NDA protection, and discounted project fees across Elite and Platinum tiers.
• Logo Design Custom logo design delivered through the crowdsourcing contest model with multiple designer concepts; packages start at $299 standalone, $449 bundled with a business card.
• Business Naming Business and product naming service where creatives submit name ideas with matching domain availability; packages start at $299 and include a 100-name guarantee.
• Website Design Custom website, landing page, blog theme, and mobile app design services delivered as original, editable PSD files; website projects start at $899.
• Product Design Industrial design services for physical products, delivering CAD and CAM models; projects start at $1,249.
• Packaging Design Product packaging and container design services delivered through crowdsourced contests; projects start at $799.
• Business Card Design Custom business card design delivered as print-ready files via the crowdsourcing contest model; standalone projects start at $299.
• Book Cover Design Custom book cover design services for authors delivered through crowdsourced contests; projects start at $299.
• T-Shirt Design Custom t-shirt and apparel graphic design services delivered via crowdsourced contests; projects start at $299.
• Package Graphics Label, graphics, color, font, and imagery design for product packaging delivered through crowdsourced contests; projects start at $399.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.9/5 average customer rating from 7,095+ reviews
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Crispin Porter + BoguskyminorOthersMajor advertising agency that has leveraged crowdspring for creative work. Used the platform to access crowdsourced design options for client projects.
• BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty)minorOthersGlobal advertising agency that has used crowdspring for creative services. Leverages the platform as a creative resource for agency projects.
• FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding)minorOthersInternational advertising agency network that has worked with crowdspring for creative design services.
• Element79minorOthersAgency that has utilized crowdspring's creative marketplace for design projects.
• Shift CommunicationsminorOthersPR and communications agency that has leveraged crowdspring for design creative needs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crowdSPRING
• Facebookfacebook.com/crowdspring
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crowdspring

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about crowdSPRING