crowdSPRING is one of the right alternative for 99designs.com. crowdSPRING is a new online marketplace for creative services. Buyers can post creative projects, watch the world contribute ideas and choose the one they like. For creatives, the website is a global stage for creativity where title and experience don’t matter. Prize money is not higher than 99designs.com. But crowdSPRING is one of the best alternative for 99designs.com.

How it Works?

It's easy. Just post your project, watch the world submit ideas and choose the one you like. crowdSpring has good benefits like 99designs.com.

• Launch your project on your own budget.
• See entries within hours and be done in just days.
• The average project getsa whopping 77 entries.
• 25 entries or your money back
• Your virtual creative teamin over 140 countries.
• Never sacrifice quality for budget or deadline.
• So you know you have full ownership of your final design.

DesignContestScript is a PHP script to create a logo and design contest website where designers can meet clients who need logos and designs created. It's 99designs.com clone with some twists.

It allowes you to create a site that provides the best environment where contest holders and designers can meet together to accomplish the design needs.

DesignContestScript has some good features for Site Owner, Contest Holders, Designers & viewers. And it has most of the features which are available at 99designs.com .

Lets look at some of the features below:

For Site Owner:

• Set the fee for Private Contest
• Set the fee for Listing Enhancements (Bold Title, Highlighted Listing)
• Can have different fees for each contest category
• Generate Paypal Mass Payment file for prize payment
• Using Smarty Template Engine for easy template modification
• Set default currency - New
• Custom Pages for creating FAQ, Help etc - New

For Contest Holders:

• Launch a Contest with Multiple Prizes
• Set a Private Contest (hidden from Search Engine, accessible only for registered members)
• Make a Guaranteed Contest (Prepay the Contest Prizes)
• Create contest attachments - New
• Preview the Contest's Entries in easy way
• Sort contest's entries - New
• Report designer - New

For Designers:

• Set minimum prize for their designs
• Add contests to their Watchlist
• Report contest - New
• Email notification when there are new contests launched
• Email notification when they win the contest
• Account Management to view their activities

For Viewers:

• Give ratings to contest entries - New
• Report contest (in case there is brand/ownership infraction) - New
• Report designer (in case there is copyright infringement) - New

DesignContestScript is a PHP script to create a logo and design contest website where designers can meet clients who need logos and designs created. It's 99designs.com clone with some twists.

It allowes you to create a site that provides the best environment where contest holders and designers can meet together to accomplish the design needs.

DesignContestScript has some good features for Site Owner, Contest Holders, Designers & viewers. And it has most of the features which are available at 99designs.com .

Here is an interesting article from Christopher Nelson.

Recently I've been doing some work through a website called 99designs, a website that connects clients needing design work such as logo design, business cards or websites to a thriving community of more than 30,000 designers. Personally, I've been working with several different businesses that need their branding either redesigned or designed for the very first time.

I find it extremely beneficial to not only participate and - with any luck - win the job, but also to see how other designers think. Seeing how other designers interpret looks, feels and ideas can be extremely beneficial. Not only can it be amazingly inspiring, it's also great to see work that isn't really up to par with your own standards... which is always good for a designer's ego.
Read more...

Here is one of my best article which i read on Sitepoint regarding Design Contest. Very interesting as well as its boosting new designers to get more confident. Design Contests made Matthew Magain a better Designer. Lets see how.

"The topic of design contests is a polarizing one. Those who are against them are really against them, maintaining that they exploit designers and devalue the design industry. The NO!SPEC mantra has been adopted as a code of conduct by graphic design associations like AGDA and AIGA, and those who agree with this philosophy consider entering a design contest to be entirely unprofessional and just plain wrong."

How Matthew Magain got into design?
What was his motivation for entering your first contest?
Click here to know more...

Here lets see whats there on reviewsteam about 99designs.com

If you think you are good to draw and you want to earn from it, you can try your hand at 99Designs. Its, basically is a site where various firms and companies fulfill their need of designing their logos, banners, websites, products etc. They just give you the information about the background of their company, its ideas and goals. The designers use these facts and design logos or whatever is required by the company. If the contest holding company likes the job, it awards the designer with the pre specified prize money.

The best part is that anyone can submit their designs in any number.

You have to submit the design as a photoshop layered file or a png format file or as specified by the contest holder.

The site always has a wide variety of contests from different companies on different topics with different prize moneys.

Once I saw a contest with the prize money as high as $2000! If you are considering redesigning your company’s or just want a logo designed for your new website or blog, you should try 99desings.

Each contest has a comment field at the bottom so that people can comment on the various designs. These comments are very helpful for designers. Then there are guaranteed contests which are everybody’s favourites wherein the contest holder specifies that he/she has already transferred the money to 99designs.com and the winner will get it for sure. Read more

Kevin Potts has wrote an article on Xemion directory. He thinks that the 99designs.com site, which uses less than ideal techniques to get designers to connect with businesses, requires spec work and encourages horribly low prices. Lets look his (few) points below:

"You’re doing the work whether you like it or not. Payment is irrelevant. You only get that if you actually “win” the “contest”. "

"Even if you do win, you don’t win much. (They seem to encourage low prices, as stated on their how it works page.) "

"You lose your copyright privileges and you apparently can’t even take a public stand if your designs are stolen. Read their copyright page for more on that. "

"You’re also asking for a royal slap in the face from folks like me and other real designers. "

But, there are many comments about Kevin Potts above article in the Xemion designers directory. I almost gone through most of them and many of the designers thinking that The 99designs.com is good for designers. Read more