While it may not be the earliest known example of crowdsourcing, individuals or companies have been asking the public to submit designs for over 100 years. From logos to architectural drawings, some of the best submissions have come from unexpected sources. Engaging the crowd for such projects can help you find creativity outside of your organization and create brand loyalty. Customers love feeling like they can contribute to or have an influence on your organization’s decisions.
Here are just a few examples of how companies and governments have utilized the power of the crowd for design:
- 1916 Planters’ Mr. Peanut contest won by a 14 year old. 1
- 1930’s Toyota’s first logo was the result of a design contest and received an estimated 27,00 entries. 2
- 1957 the Premier of New South Wales launched a design competition for what is now the Sydney Opera House. 233 entries were received and it was ultimately won by Danish architect, Jørn Utzon. 3
HeroX has also hosted a variety of design competitions. Here are a few of our favorite examples:
- Design a Deep-Sea Treasure - XPRIZE turned to students aged 12 to 18 years old to design the object that would be used in their high-tech treasure hunt for the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE.
- Send Your Logo to Space - Base 11 also sought out designs from students to create a logo for their Space Challenge.
- Design a HeroX T-Shirt - Before our company retreat in 2018, we turned to our community of creative innovators to design a team t-shirt. We loved seeing everyone’s submissions!
- Bottle Opener Challenge: Invent the closure of the future! - ABInBev turned to the crowd for a new, easy and ergonomic design for their glass bottles.
These days you can find governments that are launching crowdsourcing campaigns for a new city logo, or furniture companies seeking new products! If you’re interested in using HeroX for your design challenge, you can get started here. We even offer a ready-to-use template so you can get it launched quickly. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
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