Companies are in constant battle for the hearts and minds of consumers. To win, a company needs a strong brand. Brand strength isn’t just about the customer choosing one brand over the competition. It’s mostly about customer perception—how even non-patrons identify the brand as the only solution that can meet their needs.
Sydney-based communications expert Chrissy Flanagan understood this and decided to visually refresh her own brand, Catch Communications (catchcommunications.com.au). Catch Communications is a public relations company that caters to the needs of government, NGO, arts and lifestyle clients.
In this interview, Chrissy reveals how the world’s most popular crowdsourcing site Freelancer.com helped her recharge her brand.
How was your experience on Freelancer.com?
I had an exceptional experience on Freelancer.com. It has helped me achieve my career goals by making affordable, specialized services accessible. I spent about AUD 600 on my branding via Freelancer.com.
Before you became a member of the site, how did you find professionals to help you with your projects?
Prior to using Freelancer.com, I instinctively knew the suitably qualified and available professionals I needed were “out there”, but I had no idea where to find them! As a result, I either consulted by network or tried to learn a skill myself for a one-off project, which certainly wasn’t efficient or effective. I read about the site in a newspaper article about a lawyer who had a digital assistant. I didn’t need one of those but twigged it could help in other areas.
What convinced you that Freelancer.com was the solution you were looking for?
It was the design competition that really convinced me I wanted to go with Freelancer.com. I could trust the process. That’s when I knew that I’d have hundreds of creative concepts to choose from, and I would be picking and paying on the basis of completed work, rather than gambling on a randomly chosen designer who would be able to give me the design I didn’t even know I wanted yet. When I first went to Freelancer.com I wasn’t sure whether I would hire a graphic designer there for the same reasons I hadn’t hired a local graphic designer—just because I liked somebody’s body of work doesn’t mean I was confident they would come up with the right creative idea for my company and be able to execute it.
You could have chosen to list the project directly…
If I had had a firm view in my mind of exactly what I wanted my logo to look like and I merely needed a technical expert to execute it then I would have hired a designer directly rather than hold the competition. It’s the creative element that sold me on the design competition.
Gokceoglu’s entry snagged your attention. What about it made him the winner?
Gokceoglu nailed the brief and added a whole other layer of inspiration. He had taken in all the elements I’d asked to be included and had added his own bright spark of creativity. He thought laterally. He’d thought originally. The entry was both professional and playful. I was sold. We tinkered with a few different colors for the execution and very quickly it was picture perfect.
Will you hire him again?
After Gokceoglu won the design competition I engaged him directly to produce my letterhead, business cards and website banner. He will be my first stop next time I or one of my clients need a graphic designer. I’m so pleased with his work that I have posted his Freelancer.com profile on my Facebook page so that my friends and associates, many of whom are also small business people in the commu+nications industry, will be able to access his high quality services as well.
