Time and again, crowdsourcing has proven to be useful for big and small businesses alike. While new IT companies or startups are no strangers to crowdsourcing, big brands such as Google, Microsoft and Coca-Cola have also been using the ‘crowd’ to grow their business. An article stated that 85% of the 2014 ‘Best Global Brands’ have used crowd sourcing in the last ten years.
In creative fields, prints and designs eventually acquire a stale look, or you find a lot of sameness, as they are created by the same set of people/designers. It is important to look outwards for fresh and new ideas.
These days, there are plenty of design crowdsourcing platforms available online. Such platforms provide many opportunities for freelancers or designers who want to work independently on the one hand and on the other hand prove to be really helpful for those seeking designs at affordable prices.
One such India-based design crowdsourcing platform that has managed to break through the noise and clutter is Designhill. Let’s know deeper about this platform – how, when, and why it was formed.
Rahul and Varun Aggarwal are the co-founders of Designhill, a one-stop solution for designers and those who are seeking designs. Though design was their common interest, they never thought they would own a startup. While the elder one, Rahul, was already running a real estate business, Varun used to be a freelance designer himself and had worked with a number of platforms to find good freelancing opportunities. With only a little financial support from their family, the duo pursued their dream.
The two brothers have developed gradually from being solo entrepreneurs to a having a team. Let’s know how these two brothers turned a 6-member company (four developers and two designers) into a full-fledged graphic design business company.
Though both of them had an inclination towards designing, they planned to launch their startup Designhill post their experience of getting a logo designed for their real estate business. They realised that the process of getting a quality logo was pretty daunting. While on one side, hiring a professional designer was too expensive for them, on the other, there was a dearth of talented designers who were available. This urged them to turn their passion/hobby into a business.
“We were not sure if we would get the same designs that we had in our mind as we used to receive limited designs to choose from the professional designer. But since both of us had an interest in design, we decided to go ahead with the idea of starting this company,” said Rahul Aggarwal.
Designhill was launched in April 2014. Taking off for the first time is always tough for everyone. However, this platform gives design seekers an option of “unlimited revisions” of the designs they like till the time they are satisfied with it, he added. All one needs to do is launch a contest and designers from all across the globe will participate in it. You then start receiving designs as per your design brief and choose the one that you like best. In their first year of operation, Designhill disrupted the $54 billion graphic design industry.
Eventually, with more funds available, they grew their team. They hired marketing, content and development professionals. Currently, Designhill employs more than 50 people.
According to Varun, “It is teamwork in the end that pays off. If a person considers the company’s growth as their growth, then you are bound to be successful.” The brothers believe in celebrating all the milestones of their company together with their staff, as a group. Their motto is: Work hard, party harder!
One thing that both Varun and Rahul are committed to, is providing quality work at affordable prices and secondly, customer satisfaction. They embrace feedback from customers, designers, employees as well as family.
Only two years old, Designhill’s name is already doing rounds in the business community across the globe. The duo is full of ideas and concepts for the future. They recently launched their ‘One to One Design Projects’. This service allows businesses to choose designers and work with them directly on a one-to-one basis.
Together, these two brothers, who devote all their time in developing the startup, have achieved their dream of turning their passion into a growing business opportunity. What they have achieved shows how right timing and taking a little risk can pay off big time. They are full of hope and aspire to put the company right at the top in the marketplace.