By modifying scoring, feedback and views, the site for creative business needs is more intuitive and user-friendly

Chicago, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/06/2013 -- Crowdsourcing your business' creative needs is now easier than ever, thanks to new buyer tools created by crowdSPRING, the world's No.1 marketplace for custom logo design, web design, business naming and other writing and design services. With improvements to scoring, feedback and views, the site allows for improved workflow, simpler communication and easier, more expansive exposure to projects and creative talent.

Mike Samson and Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founders of crowdSPRING, say that the changes to crowdSPRING are inspired by suggestions from buyers and creatives. "As a crowdsourcing site, we encourage input from the community at large. We are, after all, our own best customer," said Samson and Kimbarovsky. "Our users know our interface intimately, and they're very vocal about ways to make the experience the best it can be. We've taken those suggestions to heart, and are thrilled to present an even better crowdSPRING than before."

Updates to crowdSPRING include the following:

Scoring and feedback on multiple entries. crowdSPRING encourages buyers to give feedback when they receive new submissions from the community. It's easily the most important part of the process and these new 'batch' tools allow buyers to score and leave feedback on multiple entries at the same time. In doing so, they help to shape the design in a way that both parties will love.

Scoring on single entries. When a buyer receives new entries in their project, he or she will see them immediately, along with a form that allows commenting and scoring. The changes make the workflow smoother and more efficient by allowing the buyer to move forward or back among the new entries. In addition, if a buyer isn't sure of exactly what to say, there is a list of "quick comments" from which to choose. The buyer can also easily see a thumbnail images of other submissions by the creative, for more insight into style and history.

Updated user profile view. It's now quick and straightforward to get additional information about any creative in the community. When browsing, a user can simply click on a creative's name to see expanded information about that person, along with portfolio items, community status, and more. Buyers can use this feature to invite a creative to their project, send a private message, or add the creative their on-site contact list. Location, specialization and reputation scores are also included, allowing for an instantaneous overview.

Improved views in naming projects. Need a business name? The updated crowdSPRING helps to facilitate naming projects with a new drop-down gallery that allows users to quickly scan, sort, and compare along with other project entries.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design , graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, more than 146,300 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 136 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com/. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Mike Samson and Ross Kimbarovsky talk about why they love to promote entrepreneurship and the challenges they encountered as their business

Chicago, IL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/19/2012 -- Today the Trep Life Original Video Series on Inc.com (http://www.Inc.com/TrepLife) releases the sixth episode in its Season 1 featuring the co-founders of crowdSPRING (http://www.crowdspring.com), a company helping people around the world access creative talent and those creatives find new customers.

"What I loved about working with and filming Mike and Ross is their ability to truly compliment each other as co-founders, each bringing their own value to the venture that makes it what it is," states Malachi Leopold co-creator of Trep Life. "Their ability to be fully engaged and committed to their company's growth and success, while also having boundaries that allow them to be committed to their families. It's inspiring to see what they did with overcoming the challenges they faced when their growth almost killed the company. That kind of grit and determination - and success - gives viewers the ability to confront and overcome the challenges they face growing their ventures."

By helping Buyers reach countless creatives across the globe, crowdSPRING is changing the game for the little guy. Now small businesses, one-man shops and individuals anywhere can tap into a global pool of creatives for logo design, web design, company name, product name, packaging design, and many other graphic design, industrial design and writing projects. crowdSPRING opens new markets for creativity all the world over.

Here are the themes Mike and Ross describe in the episode:

A Vision Goes a Long Way: Articulate a clear idea and set clear goals for where you are going and what you want to accomplish.

Power to the Team: Empower your team, and don't micromanage. Entrepreneurs don't have all of the answers so listen to your team and learn from them just as you hope they will learn from you.

Need Courage: Be a risk-taker and say what needs to be said. Just do it nicely and don't forget to say please and thank you.

"We love to promote entrepreneurship, which is one of the reasons we are so pleased to share our start-up story, some thoughts about success, and some of the challenges we have experienced, with other entrepreneurs," said Mike Samson and Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founders of crowdSPRING. "We try hard to focus on building a culture of innovation but it is really the talent of our creative community and commitment of our team that has transformed his business into an industry leader in just a few years."

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is the world's #1 marketplace for custom logo design, web design, a new company name or other writing and design services. Entrepreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits and agencies simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, over 113,000 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. To learn more on why crowdSPRING is trusted by more than 28,000 happy clients worldwide, visit http://www.crowdspring.com.

About Trep Life
Trep Life is an original series video designed to give audiences a unique, transparent, and 360-degree view of what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur ("trep"). Each episode is approximately 6 to 10 minutes featuring "behind-the-scenes" interviews and footage focused on three key aspects of any trep: The Grind, The Hustle and Payoff. Join Trep Life to impact 1 billion lives worldwide by creating positive change through "entrepreneurship."

About Inc.com
Inc.com is the website for entrepreneurs and small business owners to find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for starting and growing businesses.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Bus Wrap Designs Hit Grand Slam to Strike Out 22q

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/24/2012 -- Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher, together with the Dempster Family Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of 22q11.2 deletion (DiGeorge Syndrome/VCFS), launched a bus wrap design project on crowdSPRING, the world's #1 marketplace for buyers and sellers of creative services who need custom logo design, web design, company names or other writing and design services, as part of a nationwide campaign to educate the public about 22q.

"The 22q deletion syndrome is a disorder caused by a missing section of chromosome 22," said Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher, whose daughter Riley was born with the disorder in April 2009. "Present in one out of every 4,000 live births, symptoms range from mild to life-threatening. 22q deletion often goes undiagnosed but it is almost as common as Down syndrome, a widely recognized chromosomal disorder."

Graphics designers worldwide are invited to review project details at www.crowdspring.com and to submit bus wrap designs through Wednesday, April 23. Foundation members will review the entries through April 30th. Dempster will select a winner the morning of May 9 and unveil the design later that evening at the 2012 Dempster Family Foundation Casino Night at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago.

The winning designer will win a $1,000 USD award and the bus wrap will be seen nationwide on the 22q Awareness Tour, a traveling campaign that will cover more than thousands of miles in 2012 to educate the general public about 22q. Beginning on June 29, the 22q Awareness Tour will make appearances in metropolitan cities and rural towns at community festivals, local organizations and retail locations.

Fans are encouraged to visit the project at http://www.crowdSPRING.com regularly to see the design entries as they are submitted. As of April 11, nearly 45 designs have already been posted from designers worldwide. Dempster has interacted with designers on crowdSPRING, in-between pitching and taking care of his family.

"The importance of the campaign is heightened by the fact that 22q disorder is associated with approximately 180 different health and developmental issues," said crowdSPRING co-founders Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson. "crowdSPRING is committed to raising 22q awareness, and by partnering with the Dempster Foundation, we are able to help amplify the importance of 22q education."

crowdSPRING regularly supports worthy non-profit organizations and charitable causes across the world through it's Give Back program. As a result of its commitment to giving back, crowdSPRING has reached millions of people through its global marketplace.

About the Dempster Family Foundation
The Dempster Family Foundation provides financial support to charities in the Chicago area that assist and comfort critically ill children. The Foundation also supports youth baseball programs, military families and animal shelters; and promotes awareness of, and offers hope for families of children diagnosed with a 22q11.2 deletion. On the 22q side, the Foundation empowers organizations to help children with this disorder overcome difficult situations through: providing funding to continue research for early detection of this disorder in children; supporting programs about 22q that provide education, physical therapy and activity to promote long-term well being; creating initiatives that build and instill confidence in these children; and developing a 22q network for families affected by this disorder to share stories and help navigate healthcare options and treatment. For more information about the Foundation, please visit our website at http://www.dempsterfoundation.org.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is the world's #1 marketplace for custom logo design, web design, a new company name or other writing and design services. Entrepreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits and agencies simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, over 113,000 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. To learn more on why crowdSPRING is trusted by more than 28,000 happy clients worldwide, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To hear more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Presentation Feature Offers Unique Ability to Share and Reposition Creative as their Own

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/30/2012 -- A new feature from crowdSPRING, the award-winning online marketplace for buyers and sellers of creative services such as logo design, web design and other types of graphic design, industrial design and writing services, allows art directors, agencies, project managers and consultants to tap into the website's talent pool without tipping off clients that the creative team doesn't work in-house.

Presentation, launched in March 2012, offers agencies an easy and discreet method of presenting to clients work they've commissioned from crowdSPRING's community of more than 112,000 freelance designers and writers, located around the world. It allows a user to share with their clients the best submissions in an online gallery complete with their own branding.

"Nothing, nothing will give away that the work is crowdsourced," said company co-founder Ross Kimbarovsky. "CrowdSPRING's name and logo won't appear anywhere in the Presentation gallery."

Even the domain name is blind. When clients visit the gallery, their web browser will display a URL with the agency's name, followed by "pickfavorite.com." For example, if the agency's name is "The Marketing Spot," gallery visitors will look through design selections or writing samples at "themarketingspot.pickfavorite.com."

In addition to the absence of any crowdSPRING branding, Presentation offers several features to help users navigate it easily and securely. Multiple pages allow agencies to group submissions in multiple groups. Agencies can have a page for the "Top 10" favorite entries and a separate one for the "Top Five." The gallery is also password-protected, preventing both competitors and anyone else from sneaking an unauthorized peek.

"This is the next step in ensuring crowdSPRING is useful to professionals in every role and at every point in the creative process," said Mike Samson, Kimbarovsky's partner and the other co-founder of crowdSPRING.

Since its launch in 2008, crowdSPRING has overseen nearly 28,000 projects from small businesses and mass brands, generated more than 2.8 million creative entries and averages more than 110 entries per project. For more information on Presentation, log on to http://www.crowdspring.com/help/faq/presentation. To post a project or join the crowdSPRING creative community of nearly 112,000 designers and writers from more than 200 countries, visit http://www.crowdSPRING.com.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, nearly 112,000 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

12 episodes feature a 360-degree view of what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur

Chicago, IL-- (SBWIRE) -- 12/07/2011 -- When Scotty Cadenhead and Malachi Leopold originally thought up the concept of creating positive change through "entrepreneurship", they knew and believed in the power of video and social media.

The result of this vision is the launch of Trep Life, an original series giving viewers a unique, 360-degree view of what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. Leveraging the social power of new word-of-mouth platforms and technology, the original 12 episodes (each around 8-10 minutes) are available online at www.treppingout.com and YouTube.

"We believe that featuring the grind, hustle and payoff of successful entrepreneurs will help inspire others throughout the world to help face any number of social challenges such as conflict, education and poverty," said Malachi Leopold, producer and director of Trep Life. "Ultimately, we want to inspire social action with 1 billion people worldwide."

The most recent episode reveals the passion and drive that led entrepreneurs, Mike Samson and Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founders of crowdSPRING, to become the world's largest online marketplace for buyers and sellers of creative services. In just three short years, crowdSPRING has attracted nearly 106,000 creative professionals from more than 200 countries.

"The Trep Life episode really captured the behind-the-scenes look at how Mike and I work and what we experience on a daily basis. The episode's transparent portrayal and insights of our growing business were inspiring," added Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSPRING.

Season One episodes feature GrubHub, Lara Miller, Howard Tullman, Network After Work, redbox, crowdSPRING, Eboo Patel, SitterCity, MINIMAL, BeBrightPink, Vesta Preferred Real Estate and Be Legendary Project. Season Two will begin filming on the East Coast in New York, Boston and D.C. in early 2012.

Click here to learn more about the Trep Life Mentoring Network and how you can join this social change campaign.

About Trep Life
Trep Life is an original series designed to give audiences a unique, transparent, and 360-degree view of what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur ("trep"). Each episode is approximately 6-10 minutes featuring "behind-the-scenes" interviews and footage focused on three key aspects of any trep: The Grind, The Hustle and The Payoff. Join us to impact 1 billion lives worldwide through creating positive change through "entrepreneurship."

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, nearly 106,000 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Milestone Reinforces crowdSPRING as the Creative Capital of the World for Mass Brands and Small Businesses Looking for Innovation

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/21/2011 -- crowdSPRING is proud to announce today that its creative community of designers and writers has reached 100,000.

crowdSPRING, which is known globally as the world's number one online marketplace for buyers and sellers of creative services, has experienced tremendous growth in the past three years with its logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services.

"We are proud that our amazing community has helped tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, businesses, nonprofits, agencies and governments from around the world with their creative needs," said Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSPRING. "The exploding growth of our creative community guarantees that crowdSPRING will continue to innovate and provide opportunities for all businesses around the world to access talented creatives at an affordable price."

crowdSPRING, which has led the worldwide creative crowdsourcing market since its launch in 2008, has attracted designers and writers from more than 200 countries. Many of crowdSPRING's creatives are classically trained and highly regarded professionals, while others work in a different profession and moonlight as designers or writers to fulfill a passion. Working side-by-side with highly experienced professionals, you'll find stay-at-home moms who need some adult time while the kids nap, recent college graduates looking to build a book of business or journalists who were laid off during the recession and need the money.

"The numbers don't lie. Buyers of creative services clearly turn to crowdSPRING as their trusted creative community not only because it is the "best of the best" but because it's the most trusted crowdsourcing marketplace on the planet. Through our strong commitment to our creatives and buyers, crowdSPRING has secured its place as the creative capital of the world for delivering on innovation and quality," said Mike Samson, co-founder of crowdSPRING.

crowdSPRING offers many key benefits for buyers including fast turnaround, a smarter process, massive creative choice, ongoing feedback, revisions and messages with the creative community and protection of all intellectual property rights. Platforms like crowdSPRING specifically take the risk out of buying creative services by offering buyers choices up-front – actual designs to choose from instead of bids or proposals.

To join the exuberant crowdSPRING crowd as a buyer or creative, log onto www.crowdSPRING.com. For more information on crowdsourcing, visit crowdSPRING's blog at http://blog.crowdspring.com.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, nearly 100,000 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Best Practices for Startups and Answers to Often-Asked Questions

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/02/2011 -- Business owners of emerging and startup companies often struggle with whether they should crowdsource or outsource creative tasks and which one would be better for their growing business. crowdSPRING, the award-winning online marketplace for buyers and sellers of creative services such as logo design, web design and other types of graphic design, industrial design and writing services highlights the differences between outsourcing and crowdsourcing creative services to help business owners make informed decisions.

"Business owners should understand the differences between creative crowdsourcing and outsourcing," said Mike Samson, co-founder of crowdSPRING. "Creative crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks through an open call to a large group or community of designers, writers, musicians, filmmakers, etc., a la a crowd. Outsourcing is contracting out a business function such as design and writing, commonly performed in-house, to a specific third party."

On creative crowdsourcing platforms like crowdSPRING, buyers post their creative projects and name their own price. In turn, creatives submit their ideas and the buyer chooses the one they like best. For example, on an average crowdSPRING project, a buyer will receive more than 110 concepts. With outsourcing, buyers work through one service provider and will typically receive a small number of initial concepts. The time spent to find the right outsourcing partner, screen their qualifications, set up the terms of the agreement and brief the provider takes time and can be a frustrating process.

The benefits of crowdsourcing, however, are vast including:

• Fast turnaround and a smarter process
• Massive creative choice
• Quality creative work at an affordable price
• Buyer determines a set-price so there is no going over budget
• Payment is only awarded once a project is completed and deliverables approved
• Ongoing feedback, revisions and messages with the creative community
• All intellectual property rights are transferred to the buyer and a custom contract included

Platforms like crowdSPRING specifically take the risk out of buying creative services by offering buyers choices up-front – actual designs to choose from instead of bids or proposals. Outsourcing shares many of the same advantages that address small business issues including cost, quality, turnaround time and capacity. However, there are many differences to consider:

• With outsourcing, there are no promises a buyer will like the work they ultimately receive, spending unallocated time and money making revisions for a product they may not be happy with in the end but subsequently need to pay for. With crowdsourcing, projects are usually one-time and buyers receive many entries to select from, often exceeding their expectations in creativity and quality.

• One of the biggest challenges with outsourcing is misrepresented professional qualifications by service providers. Crowdsourcing eliminates that concern because a buyer only selects the designs they like best from the plethora of entries. And, because a crowdsourcing community has such a wide range of global talent, buyers receive more innovative thinking and creative contributions.

• Crowdsourcing and outsourcing both encourage collaboration, but with crowdsourcing, companies often collaborate directly with their target consumer, offering first-hand knowledge on everything from designs to product features. This customer-knows-best-approach helps businesses develop a stronger connection with their client base, building customer loyalty, brand awareness and driving future innovations. With outsourcing, business owners work with a set team, providing little diversity and the possibility of stagnated ideas.

• With outsourcing, a buyer must sign a permanent or temporary agreement that could be costly, one-sided and impact the bottom line. The advantage of crowdsourcing is that buyers can post a project starting for as little as $200, work with a designer or writer on an ongoing basis or post a private project protecting a buyers identity. crowdSPRING also offers NDA's, Pro projects and a 100 percent money-back guarantee, providing small businesses fewer restrictions and more features and tools than outsourcing.

• A major problem with outsourcing is a language barrier. This goes beyond understanding and speaking the required language, as it involves the understanding of business terms and adopting cultural -general and specific skills. Crowdsourcing eliminates the language barrier. In fact, a buyer may never know where a contributor is located unless the user chooses to reveal their country of residence in their site profile.

"The open innovation and collaboration of creative crowdsourcing is a more viable option for small business owners looking for efficiencies, brighter and better ideas, and savings to the bottom line," said Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSPRING. "Outsourcing costs more and comes with more risks than crowdsourcing creative. Businesses should look at crowdsourcing for design and writing and outsourcing for tasks such like payroll, accounting, manufacturing, employee training and computer services."

Kimbarovsky and Samson recommend that, if a business owner decides to outsource, they should do their homework, select a reputable company, establish the standards upfront, plan to provide ongoing feedback and communications and protect intellectual properties.

For more information on crowdsourcing, log onto crowdSPRING's blog at http://blog.crowdspring.com. To post a project or join the crowdSPRING creative community of nearly 100,000 designers and writers from more than 190 countries, visit http://www.crowdSPRING.com.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, nearly 100,000 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

crowdSPRING Reveals Trend that Redefines Personalization

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/25/2011 -- Taking personalization to a whole new level, crowdSPRING (http://www.crowdSPRING), the world's number one marketplace for crowdsourced creative services, has identified consumers as an emerging trend of new buyers. Known for being an innovative solution for small business and mass brands looking for high-quality creative at an affordable price, crowdSPRING has seen a surge of projects from consumers looking for unique, one-of-a-kind designs of invitations, greeting cards, personal websites, logos and themed party favors. Projects have ranged from Sweet 16 invitations to hoodies for a Bar Mitzvah giveaway.

"Crowdsourcing creative has been indispensable to businesses but consumers have just recently begun to experience its many benefits. Gone are the days when people spend money to purchase pre-designed invitations customized with their information or utilize fill-in-the-blank design templates. Consumers are now tapping into crowdSPRING's creative community of nearly 100,000 designers from around the world to create their own never-been-seen before design from scratch. Designs and writing are based on an easy-to-write creative brief that covers personal preferences ranging from favorite color schemes to message," said Mike Samson, co-founder of crowdSPRING.

Crowdsourcing creative is easy especially for consumers with busy lifestyles. Consumers post their creative project on www.crowdSPRING.com and name their own price. In turn, creatives submit their ideas and the consumer chooses the one they like best. Consumers not only receive massive choices to choose from, but receive what they want, when they want it and keeping total control over the look of the design they are purchasing. On crowdSPRING, a buyer receives an average of 110 options to select from.

"For years, businesses worldwide have successfully used crowdSPRING for innovative websites, logos, product graphics, stationary, industrial design, writing among others categories to generate quality creative at a more affordable cost than a traditional agency. Creative crowdsourcing by consumers offers all the same benefits including a faster turnaround, a set price so there is no going over budget and all intellectual property rights are transferred to the buyer," said Ross Kimbarovsky, co-founder of crowdSPRING.

Crowdsourcing provides consumers with a unique way to generate memorable creative for a special occasion, announcement or celebration. For sample creative crowdsourcing projects, statistics or additional information about this trend, please visit www.crowdSPRING.com or contact Lauren Russ at lauren@connectcomsinc.com.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, nearly 100,000 creatives from 200+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

UNFPA’s creative crowdsourcing project on crowdSPRING draws more than 1,250 entries

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/09/2011 -- crowdSPRING (http://www.crowdspring.com), the award-winning marketplace for crowd-sourced creative services, in partnership with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, announced that Maria Mandagaran of Argentina is the winner of UNFPA's logo design competition for the campaign 7 Billion Actions.

7 Billion Actions is a global movement to engage millions of people around what it means to live in a world of 7 billion, a population milestone that will be reached at the end of October. It started with a soft launch in July and will continue with a world-wide a viral campaign in September.

The campaign will combine online, mobile and offline activities to collect stories and count actions by governments, NGOs, the private sector, media, academia and ordinary people that showcase the opportunities and challenges people face as they improve their lives and the lives of those around them.

The contest organizers asked designers to submit a visionary logo containing the words "7 Billion Actions" for a chance to receive $1,000 and a certificate signed by UNFPA's Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. Creative designers from around the world submitted more than 1,250 entries. Millions of people will see the winning logo because it will be on all global campaign communication materials, ranging from websites to marketing brochures.

"It's been really valuable for us to work with the crowdSPRING creative community. The logos were innovative, high-quality and exceeded our expectations," said Alvaro Serrano, director of 7 Billion Actions. "There were so many amazing, intriguing and professional quality logos that it was incredibly challenging to choose just one."

Ms. Mandagaran, a designer and a teacher in industrial design at Mar del Plata National University (Argentina), designed the winning logo using colors, fonts and design elements that effectively depicted the key elements of the 7 Billion Actions movement. The campaign, which builds bridges and promotes understanding between cultures, includes a speech bubble and a globe. These elements can be modified by campaign partners to show their region of the world or their slogan, while the parent logo includes the entire globe.

"The quantity and quality of the entries were remarkable, with large numbers of designers from hundreds of countries submitting entries," said Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson, co-founders of crowdSPRING. "It was obvious that the designers put a lot of work into their creative submissions and we couldn't be more pleased to see the wide range on innovation, which is both inspiring and commendable."

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is the world's #1 marketplace for custom logo design, web design, and industrial design as well as writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, nearly 100,000 creatives from 200 countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

About UNFPA
UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV and every girl and woman is treated with dignity

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Expansion Creates All-Star crowdSPRING Team

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/11/2011 -- crowdSPRING (http://www.crowdSPRING), the world's number one marketplace for crowdsourced creative services, announced today two new key additions to their team, Adriano Monteiro Marques and Jonas Galvez, as software engineers. Marques and Galvez will handle the design, implementation, and modification of technology solutions for crowdSPRING.

"Marques and Galvez's background in information systems, open source software, script writing and peer-to-peer networks make them perfect for the job," said Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson, co-founders of crowdSPRING. "These two new hires underscore crowdSPRING's continued success despite a tough economy."

Marques, who resides in Goiania, Goias, Brazil, has six years of broad based technology experience. In his last assignment as a sponsored student of Google's Summer Code Project, he authored the Umit Network Scanner. He also founded the Umit Project Open Source Organization. Prior to working with Google, Marques worked as a consultant developing Data and Network monitoring tools for the 8th biggest telecom in the world, helping them overcome huge monitoring and QoS challenges they were facing during call peaks.

After a long career as a Flash and ActionScript programmer, Galvez, who lives in Barretos, Brazil, provided strategic and tactical advisory services to startups, helping to improve the effectiveness of their IT organizations.

"We are thrilled to round out our team with Marques and Galvez, and to leverage their expensive experience in technology," said Kimbarovsky and Samson. "We see a tremendous opportunity, lots of innovation to be done in the creative crowdsourcing industry. In order for crowdSPRING to continue leading in these opportunities, we need to hire employees with stellar technology skills who will be an asset to our team."

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, over 72,000 creatives from 170+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Milestone demonstrates crowdSPRING’s expertise in creative crowdsourcing

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/06/2011 -- crowdSPRING, the global marketplace for crowdsourced creative services, announced today that it has surpassed more than two million creative entries. This significant milestone follows another highly successful year for crowdSPRING.

Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson, co-founders of crowdSPRING said: "crowdSPRING continues to experience phenomenal growth from mass bands and small businesses looking for innovative creative at an affordable price. This accomplishment reflects the success of our strategy to challenge the current thinking on where great ideas come from because we have proven that innovative creative could come from anywhere… regardless of title, location and salary."

Through crowdSPRING, buyers post their creative project and name their own price. Creatives submit their ideas and buyers choose the one they like best. Buyers can choose from 43 categories including custom logo, web, graphic and industrial designs as well as writing services. On average, projects receive more than 110 entries from a creative community of more than 95,000 designers and writers from 190 countries. Projects start at $200 and all offer a money back guarantee.

"This is another historic occasion for crowdSPRING and we couldn't be prouder of our talented creative community who has helped us reach this landmark," said Kimbarovsky and Samson. "Reaching two million creative entries in three years further reinforces our dominancy in the creative crowdsourcing industry."

Other crowdSPRING accomplishments include:
• Handling more than 25,000 projects since May 2008

• Hosted a competition in partnership with the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) to design the global logo for its world-changing 7 Billion Actions Campaign

• Among all of the creative crowdsourcing sites, big brands such as Phillips Electronics, LG, Hammacher Schlemmer, BBC, Amazon, Air New Zealand and Carmen Townsend tapped crowdSPRING for projects. Even the U.S. Department of Interior, entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki and AdAge columnist and NPR reporter Bob Garfield have used crowdSPRING

• Recipient of multiple prestigious industry awards including the Chicago Innovation Award 2010, a Stevie Award for New Product or Service of the Year in the 2009 American Business Award, Wired (magazine) Small Biz of 2008. crowdSPRING was also nominated as a finalist in the category of Internet Services and E-Commerce for TechAmerica Foundation's American technology Award and one of five companies in the world nominated for a 2009 Webby Awards for Community

For more information about crowdSPRING, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, Twitter stream and Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

The crowdSPRING - UNFPA Partnership Brings Together the International Creative Community Through a Design Competition and Creates Momentum for the 7 Billion Actions Campaign

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) --06/07/2011 -- crowdSPRING, the world's #1 marketplace for crowd-sourced graphic design and writing, and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, today announced the launch of a global competition to design the logo for UNFPA's world-changing 7 Billion Actions Campaign.

The world's population will reach seven billion by the end of October. UNFPA, an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and opportunity, has started an innovative campaign to engage millions of people about what it means to live in such a world and what they can do to ensure that everyone achieves their potential now and in the future. The campaign is already supported by global organizations such as National Geographic, IBM and SAP, among many others.

"The 7 Billion Actions Campaign will illustrate the inter-connected world that 7 billion people share with each other, the issues and challenges they face, and the actions they are taking to improve their own lives and the lives of people around them," said Alvaro Serrano, director of the 7 Billion Actions Campaign. "We are confident that crowdSPRING's international design community will bring the campaign to life by designing a visionary logo that emphasizes the need for all of us to act now by making a difference in other people's lives."

Participants in the UNFPA competition are asked to submit full-color and black & white versions of the logo containing the words "7 Billion Actions" in English, Spanish and French. UNFPA judges will select a winner based on originality and effectiveness in communicating the campaign's objectives.

The winning designer will receive a $1,000 award, a certificate signed by the UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, acknowledging the designer's work, and a chance for the winning logo to be seen and recognized by millions around the world on all global campaign communications, ranging from websites to marketing materials.

"With nearly 100,000 creative designers in more than 200 countries, we can't wait to tap the power of our global community on this truly global project," said Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson, co-founders of crowdSPRING. "We've been fortunate to work with brands from Amazon to United Way, but working with the United Nations is a special honor."

From today through June 19, 2011, entries can be submitted at http://www.crowdSPRING.com. Official rules for the competition can be found on crowdSPRING. For additional information about the UNFPA 7 Billion Actions Campaign logo project, visit http://www.crowdSPRING.com.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is the world's #1 marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, over 93,000 creatives from 200 countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

About UNFPA
UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. UNFPA works in partnership with governments, as well as with other agencies and civil society broadly, to advance its mission. Two frameworks serve to focus its efforts: The Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development and the Millennium Development Goals. To learn more about UNFPA, visit: http://www.unfpa.org.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Award Nomination Comes on the Heels of crowdSPRING’s 3rd Anniversary of Building a Creative Community of 91,000 Plus to Provide Innovative Creative Crowdsourcing Services to Buyers Worldwide

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) --06/07/2011 -- crowdSPRING, the world's largest online marketplace for crowdsourced creative services, today announced that it has been selected as a finalist in the Internet Services and E-Commerce category for TechAmerica Foundation's American Technology Awards, "The Termans", which bestows the only national "Best Of" awards that recognize all technology products and services across the technology industry. Nominations for The American Technology Awards, "The Termans", were vetted by industry experts and TechAmerica Foundation leadership. These awards were named after Frederick Terman, who is widely credited as being the father of Silicon Valley.

"crowdSPRING is deeply humbled to be nominated for the TechAmerican Foundation's American Technology Award," said Ross Kimbarovsky and Michael Samson, co-founders of crowdSPRING. "crowdSPRING is a visionary company, and we are confident that as we further cement our position as a leader in the creative crowdsourcing category, the technology community will continue to see us take our services to new heights."

crowdSPRING, which offers logo design, web design, other types of graphic design, industrial design and writing services (such as book names), has build a global community of more than 91,000 designers and writers. Buyers post their project on www.crowdSPRING.com, name their own price and, in turn, creatives submit their ideas and the buyer chooses the one they like best. On an average crowdSPRING project, buyers can expect to receive more than 110 concepts. It is also standard for crowdSPRING to host more than 200 open projects at a time and since launching in 2008, has handled more than 22,000 projects. To date, the crowdSPRING community has submitted nearly 2 million creative entries.

"This year we saw a number of nominations from many companies new to the competition" said Dallas Advisory Partners Founder, and TechAmerica Foundation Chairman, David Sanders. "We congratulate all of this year's finalists, and look forward to celebrating their achievements with them at the Technology and Government Dinner."

Nominations for The Termans are vetted by industry experts and TechAmerica Foundation leadership. Individual Terman Awards will be presented for products and services in the following categories:

• Aerospace & Defense
• Clean Tech/Green Tech
• Cloud Computing/Software as a Service
• Consumer Electronics/Computers and Peripherals
• Cyber Security & Authentication
• Health & Medical Technologies
• Internet Services & E-Commerce
• IT Services & Consulting
• Semiconductors & Electronic Components
• Server & Storage Technology
• Smart Grid & Smart Instruments
• Software
• Technology Manufacturing
• Telecommunications

The winners will be presented on June 15 at TechAmerica Foundation's ninth annual Technology and Government Dinner, which has been a premier Washington, DC networking event bringing hundreds of industry, congressional and government leaders together at one venue to celebrate the partnership between industry and government. For more information about crowdSPRING, visit www.crowdSPRING.com. For more information, please visit http://www.techamericafoundation.org/technology-government.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, over 72,000 creatives from 170+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Innovative Crowdsourcing Site Stands Out from the Crowded Competition

chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/11/2010 -- crowdSPRING, the world's largest online marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design and writing services, won the prestigious Chicago Innovation Award at the ninth annual Awards ceremony held at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago on Monday, November 1.

The Chicago Innovation Awards honors ten of the most innovative new products and services brought to market in the Chicago region. Nominees can be high-tech, low-tech or no-tech; for-profit or not-for-profit; big products from large companies or small products from small companies. This year's winners were chosen from a pool of more than 300 nominees judged on the success of new products, services, business models or processes that uniquely satisfied unmet needs in the marketplace.

Accepting the award at the event, sponsored by Wrigley and Allstate among others, crowdSPRING co-founders Mike Samson and Ross Kimbarovsky, said, "We couldn't be more proud for our little upstart startup to be recognized in the company of such Golliaths. Everyone who starts a company likes to think that they're doing something innovative. It's just nice to know that apparently we really are."

Samson and Kimbarovsky went on to note that this award comes at a particularly promising time for crowdSPRING. "Almost exactly two and a half years ago, crowdSPRING launched as a tiny company in a big city with high hopes and almost no following. But within the past year we've reached the tipping point, having topped 75,000 designers and writers in our community who have submitted over 1.3 million entries to more than 15,000 small businesses. To top this by being recognized as one of the City's most innovative companies is truly amazing."

crowdSPRING, along with nine other winners, were profiled in the Chicago Sun-Times, and will be featured in an ad campaign on CTA trains and buses, recognized in other major Chicago media, invited to a private lunch with Mayor Richard M. Daley to discuss their innovation, given a free one-year membership to the Illinois Technology Association and invited to ring the opening NASDAQ bell in New York City on November 15 by TechAmerica.
For more information about crowdSPRING, visit http://www.crowdSPRING.com. For more information about the Chicago Innovative Awards and the other winners, log on to http://www.chicagoinnovationawards.com.

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, over 72,000 creatives from 170+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

About the Chicago Innovation Awards
Kuczmarski & Associates and prominent local journalist Dan Miller established the Chicago Innovation Awards in 2002 as an annual program to honor significant innovations introduced by Chicago-area companies. Each year, the Chicago Innovation Awards honor 10 winners who have introduced products or services that uniquely fill unmet needs, generate a competitive response in the marketplace, exceed market expectations and achieve financial success. For more information, visit http://www.chicagoinnovationawards.com.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Leading Crowdsourcing Site Earns Silver Award in “Shopping” and “Business Blog” Categories

Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/05/2010 -- crowdSPRING, the world's largest online marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design and writing services, announced today that it has won two Silver Awards from the International Academy of the Visual Arts. The W3 Awards honor creative excellence on the web and selected crowdSPRING as the website of choice in both the Shopping and Business Blog categories.

Receiving more than 3,000 entries, The W3 Awards recognizes outstanding websites, web marketing, web video and mobile apps created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers, and creators worldwide. The W3 awards is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts. It is an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a "Who's Who" of acclaimed media, interactive, advertising and marketing firms.

"We are pleased to be recognized as a top site that provides consumers with an excellent online shopping experience, solid business advice and one that excels at online support for our buyers and sellers, " said Ross Kimbarovsky and Michael Samson, co-founders of crowdSPRING. "In an industry that relies on the crowd, we are honored that we have stood out because of our innovation."

About crowdSPRING
crowdSPRING is an online marketplace for custom logo design, web design, graphic design, industrial design and writing services. Entrepreneurs and small businesses simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they want to pay. Once posted, over 72,000 creatives from 170+ countries around the world submit an average of 110 options for the buyer to choose from until they find "the one." crowdSPRING is a privately held company based in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.crowdspring.com. To learn more about the world of small business, startups, design, marketing and business strategy, follow crowdSPRING's blog, their Twitter stream or their Facebook page.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm