Many entrepreneurs forget to include an important part of their product’s production in initial budgeting estimates: the packaging design. If you’ve found yourself in that position, or just want to make your product look it’s best—think about what’s more appealing when you’re grocery shopping: the name-brand packages or the generic versions?), crowdsourced design can give you a top-of-the-line look for a startup budget, which will keep the revenue rolling in once the campaign is over and the real work begins. zendock packaging Packaging design by Callaway for ZenboxxZenDock ZenDock had a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $(and 267% of their goal) for their docking station for Mac users. Once their campaign was complete, they used some of their extra funds to design sleek, professional boxes for their product. Their packaging takes it from idea to reality: they always knew they had a great product, but the box adds that final professional touch, making it store-ready.
Bree Whitworth album cover by shooting photos for breewhitworthBree Whitworth It’s not just Kickstarter entrepreneurs who to special leads think about their packaging: after running a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch her solo musical career, Bree Whitworth found herself in need of an album cover that captured her quirky pop style to help her music sell. As an artist with very limited funds, crowdsourced design is a great option: not only does it offer high-quality design at a low cost, but album covers (and other creative endeavors) are always popular among designers, as they give them opportunities to be creative and help out a fellow artist. — If you’re thinking of launching a Kickstarter campaign, it’s because you’ve got a great idea, but money is tight. This is one of those situations where a little investment can go a long way.
That’s because the image is important when you’re asking strangers to hand over their money. The more professional your brand looks, the better your chances of success. How have you used design in your crowdfunding endeavors? Let us know in the comments! Kelly was the head of the content strategy at 99designs from 2015 to 2020. In addition to researching, writing, and editing awesome articles on design, Kelly likes cuddling cats, climbing through canyons, and over-explaining figure skating to people. You can reach her on Twitter @KelMo.