DesignCrowd buys Brandstack and launches BrandCrowd.com
The Australian crowdsourcing, design-based website DesignCrowd has bought US competitor Brandstack.com and today launched BrandCrowd.com
The announcement:
Press Release BrandCrowd // DesignCrowd
DesignCrowd Acquires US Rival and Launches BrandCrowd.com21 Dec 2011 – Australian crowdsourcing website DesignCrowd has acquired US-based Brandstack.com and is today launching BrandCrowd.com
DesignCrowd, an online „crowdsourcing‟ marketplace that recently received $3M of investment from Starfish Ventures, today announced the acquisition of Brandstack.com, a leading online US marketplace of premium ready-made logos and brands, for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, DesignCrowd has launched BrandCrowd.com, which will combine the Brandstack service with the existing DesignCrowd community.
The acquisition of Brandstack and the launch of BrandCrowd will further reinforce DesignCrowd‟s leadership in crowdsourced graphic design services. BrandCrowd.com will provide premium agency-quality ready-made brands and logos created by over 50,000 designers from around the world.
The Brandstack acquisition combined with the DesignCrowd site will provide BrandCrowd with immediate market leadership. Alec Lynch, DesignCrowd‟s founder and Chief Executive Officer, said “Acquiring Brandstack will help DesignCrowd do three things: achieve immediate, global market leadership in the ready-made logo design space; grow our existing business in the US, UK and Canada; and help unlock the value of our 500,000 unused designs submitted on DesignCrowd. That’s why we bought it. Brandstack was the best ready-made logo marketplace. Now, BrandCrowd will be both the best and the biggest.”
BrandCrowd will combine agency quality design, with the immediacy of the Internet. “In 30 seconds, an entrepreneur in Australia can browse 300 premium pre-made logos from New York to New Delhi and in 30 minutes they can have a unique and world-class brand”, said Lynch.
Explaining Brandstack’s strategic value to DesignCrowd, Lynch said, “Creative ideas are rare assets – they should not go to waste – and Brandstack’s model ensures they don’t. It will allow us to unlock the value of our 500,000 unused designs submitted on DesignCrowd. This means every creative idea or design uploaded to DesignCrowd can lead to cash in the bank for its creator.”
Wes Wilson, Brandstack founder, said “Alec, Adam and the rest of the DesignCrowd team have incredible passion for the design community and I’m glad Brandstack can play a part in their plans to build on it. I’m looking forward to seeing Brandstack thrive under their vision, ambition, and resources. It’s a definite win for graphic designers around the world.”
DesignCrowd will integrate the Brandstack service with DesignCrowd via the new website BrandCrowd.com. In the short term, the company has combined the communities and now has 100,000 users across the two sites. Designers can work across both websites and in the New Year, the company will look at integrating the sites more closely and rolling out new innovations.
Source: DesignCrowd press release
