What if there was a social network just for Graphic Design & Illustrators O.O;

[B.K. Conn]

Look at this poor attempt at a new social network for graphic designers & illustrators XD

http://www.digicrits.com

[Marverick]

so you finally have your idea up and running huh ?
i admire your passion, i thought you would be pretty down after this, but appearently not so.
can you give us a demo on what feature your site have ? Or will have ?
i think that you can learn a few thing or two from the other thread that comparing artwork wont help very much

[B.K. Conn]

can you give us a demo on what feature your site have ? Or will have ?

Even better than a Demo, you can access the real thing here http://www.digicrits.com/auth

As far as what it will have, that's up to feedback of users

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins."

-Benjamin Franklin

[sone_one]

Look at this poor attempt at a new social network for graphic designers & illustrators XD

you might want to rethink your marketing strategy...

still this just comes second to rethinking your product. a ton of people actually beeing your target group, told you it would be a flawed concept.
to me, and ill be honest there, still doing it that way, ignoring constructive and justified critique, is no sign of passion, but of stubbornness.

anyway good luck with your effort...

[Saurabhinator]

Do I have to register to see any part of the site?

[Dusty]

Do I have to register to see any part of the site?

Yeah, this was my biggest issue.
I clicked the link, saw I had to register, immediately clicked "back".

If I can't browse the site to see what's up first, I will not participate.
That's just a general principle of mine, not saying I would participate anyway.

But if it was a neat site, that would be a surefire way to make me not interested. I'd definitely consider changing that aspect.

[B.K. Conn]

still this just comes second to rethinking your product. a ton of people actually beeing your target group, told you it would be a flawed concept.
to me, and ill be honest there, still doing it that way, ignoring constructive and justified critique, is no sign of passion, but of stubbornness.

anyway good luck with your effort...

We want to know what you (designers) the target market would want in this type of social network.

Our hypothesis is that designers would like to spread their art and also have their friends and customers 'rate' their artwork so they can know which design works and which ones don't in the marketplace. All while still maintaining a fun place to come browse, rate & hang.

Other than that we want to know exactly how all artists feel how this should be executed and we will build it

Sorry if I & my team appear stubborn, but In the world I believe a certain bit of, "get it done" then make it better as we go, goes along way.

P.S.

@Dusty:
Your avatar pic is awesome! Lol, we would love to have your art displayed on Digicrits. ;P

[Tim Murphy]

Sorry if I & my team appear stubborn, but In the world I believe a certain bit of, "get it done" then make it better as we go, goes along way.

However, if a client's first use of a product is negative, it will be that much harder to get them to return in the future regardless of how much better you make it along the way.

[B.K. Conn]

However, if a client's first use of a product is negative, it will be that much harder to get them to return in the future regardless of how much better you make it along the way.

It's true, I agree completely. I felt the same way. But this is what we found, we found we needed to start somewhere. However, it would be ideal to start with the perfect product. We would love to release a perfect product , but that is rarely the case with software so we needed a starting point. We needed to release a minimum viable product so we can get feedback & have a starting point to build from our users' feedback. How cool would it be if we were able to build whatever you(designers) wanted into a social network just for designers, and design consumers & friends. The fact is we are at a position, with funding and developers to do that for the design community.

Thank you for this feedback!
-Dev team

[Tim Murphy]

It's true, I agree completely. I felt the same way. But this is what we found, we found we needed to start somewhere. However, it would be ideal to start with the perfect product. We would love to release a perfect product , but that is rarely the case with software so we needed a starting point. We needed to release a minimum viable product so we can get feedback & have a starting point to build from our users' feedback. How cool would it be if we were able to build whatever you(designers) wanted into a social network just for designers, and design consumers & friends. The fact is we are at a position, with funding and developers to do that for the design community.

Thank you for this feedback!
-Dev team

Not saying this to beat up on you. You might want to pursue a closed beta then so you release a relatively polished product instead of minimally viable... Alternatively, some way to tour the site without needing to register. At the moment one can see absolutely nothing except the main page, a picture of the creators (can't even see their bios without logging in), contact info, and terms of use. Speaking of terms of use...

you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Digicrits (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.

Don't know how I feel about that.

[erinc]

Our hypothesis is that designers would like to spread their art and also have their friends and customers 'rate' their artwork so they can know which design works and which ones don't in the marketplace. All while still maintaining a fun place to come browse, rate & hang.

I think your target audience might be telling you that your hypothesis is incorrect. Time to come up with a new hypothesis or a different target audience.

[Arshes Nei]

Design wise. I have no intent on registering for a site that looks like I have to register to see a wordpress blog.

[B.K. Conn]

Be bold and register? lol.

Poster from another forum who registered:
"Well I admit to being somewhat impressed, your site has come along nicely in my opinion. I like the look and feel once you're logged in.

Notice I said once you're logged in, the landing page isn't great. The form needs some real styling, it just looks cheesy with the standard OS buttons, in fact the entire site needs the forms styled. I know sometimes that can be a pain in the ass but you only have to do it once for the elements and it is important, particularly on a site that caters to artists. That type is absolutely horrid and difficult to read. Once registered and logged in though it gets much better.

One thing I find strange is the pages seem to have a minimum height meaning there is always a vertical scroll bar whether it's needed or not. Not a fan of that, it makes me think there is something to see below which often there isn't.

When you go to the find page it defaults to users, when you switch to images the pictures of the users stays until you do a search, personally I would have an onchange on the radio button that brings up random images the same way random users shows on page load.

The site needs some direction. On my profile what is expected of styles? On image upload what are tags (yeah I know what tags are, not everyone will though)

Write your own feedback page, the tumblr page just looks really unprofessional. I assume this is a stop gap?

The explore is the weakest part in my opinion. No filtering other than the main categories, why am I comparing a photograph of a sniper and a steak? When I choose one it gives me no feedback at all, just loads two new images. I get that the owner of the work gets the feedback but there is no real incentive for the user to rate work other than to just look at art. That in itself may be enough for some people, but I imagine people will get bored eventually. I want to see what others thought, on top rated I want to see how many votes it got etc. I want to see who created it and their other work if I like it. Right now none of these options exist. The biggest problem is how do I follow someone I like if I don't know who they are? From what I can see the only way to see someone's work is to click them in users. That's not even user friendly with a couple of dozen users, with a couple of thousand... it's useless.

You've come a long way and I really think you've done a nice job. The critique above is exactly that a critique to help you make digicrits better and not to slam what you've done. Nice job!"

We will build in log in with Facebook / twitter very soon

Purpose of the app is to get instant crits from the community and the higher the rating, the higher you are on the "artist looking for work" list section which will be soon to be built in. For people looking to commission some work. Better to get in early and earn higher rankings for when the site goes commercial with job postings & artists looking for work. Just a thought :/

[JeffX99]

Our hypothesis is that designers would like to spread their art and also have their friends and customers 'rate' their artwork so they can know which design works and which ones don't in the marketplace.

What you're not understanding is this site, or format, just doesn't do that. A "vs." competition with a photo going up against an illustration for example doesn't tell you anything. At best this might evolve into some kind of amateur DA hangout but I can't imagine it being a professional venue.

Just mho.

[B.K. Conn]

a photo going up against an illustration for example doesn't tell you anything. At best this might evolve into some kind of amateur DA hangout but I can't imagine it being a professional venue.

Just mho.

I feel the same way. This is why we added categories to prevent photos pairing up with illustration, or say Graphic Design. That doesn't happen on the site, you should never see a photo with illustration unless a user purposely puts the wrong category on an image. In which case user's will report the abuse of categories.

I'm an artist myself, graphic designer, web designer, and illustrator. I was frustrated on how the freelance scene worked, so I'm asking you'alls help to mend the system, or at least grease the wheels. We feel exactly how you do, if not by using a 'vs. comparison', how would you the user(you) feel is a best version of this designer network?

[Arshes Nei]

I admire your perseverance, just wish it would go into something more productive. This project is not.

[B.K. Conn]

I admire your perseverance, just wish it would go into something more productive. This project is not.

I must ask. We want to help freelancers and designers who work for commissions. WHAT IS a more productive product we can build for you guys?

[JeffX99]

I appreciate you asking and being open about it, as well as not becoming defensive, especially considering the amount of work that has gone into the site.

Ideas that come to mind:
If it is to be a professional level tool for marketing I would do away with ANY gimicky stuff like the "vs." ratings.
Small portfolio pages that may allow reviews, testimonials and comments possibly.
A way for the designer/illustrator/artist to easily share their resume, contact info.

Plenty of social or sharing sites exist that have the right tools but they aren't focused on design and illustration of course (and actually plenty are, they just aren't professional enough). Things like Flickr or even DA are close in format. I would think a streamlined Flickr crossed with something like Carbon Made(?) or Coppermine(?) would have potential. You may want to expand your research into architecture and interior design network/marketing sites for ideas as well.

[B.K. Conn]

I appreciate you asking and being open about it, as well as not becoming defensive, especially considering the amount of work that has gone into the site.

Ideas that come to mind:
If it is to be a professional level tool for marketing I would do away with ANY gimicky stuff like the "vs." ratings.

Yes, the most important thing is not what we think but what you all want and need.

Would up/down votes, similar to a reddit integrated into our current format be better than a 'vs. comparison'?

We would like to go above & beyond just being a portfolio site for you. Which as you say, begins with streamlining a product like a carbonmade/flickr mixture for designers.

[Shorinji_Knight]

No professional is going to post their work to be voted on. If they're a pro they have nothing to gain and everything to lose. If the pros don't sign up only the worst of the wannabes will.

[Arshes Nei]

Honestly? Voting system isn't going to work.

[B.K. Conn]

No professional is going to post their work to be voted on. If they're a pro they have nothing to gain and everything to lose. If the pros don't sign up only the worst of the wannabes will.

" everything to lose. " That's very true. What is missing today in sharing your work and connecting to jobs (social networking)?

[B.K. Conn]

Would it be more preferable to have people browsing your art/design to have the option to collect it, and share it on their collecting profiles? & the most collected designers would appear in Top Rated/ popular.

[Dusty]

Be bold and register? lol.

Sorry, but no.

I'm the user, you are the website. You need to make it enticing for ME and give ME a reason to look at your site. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm trying to offer you some constructive criticism. Many people operate this way and by pointing it out, I've done all I can. Now you know.

You can feel free to ignore it or you can make it more accessible to the passerby so you actually get people using your site. With millions of websites in the world, people need to have a REASON to go to your site.
And giving them a browse-able version that doesn't require a login is fairly basic for this type of site.

As I mentioned before, this seems like a "Hot or Not" of art.
The website, Hot or Not, did not require any form on login. Anyone could go to it, vote immediately, and then leave if they wanted. That created a fairly viral scenario where people would tell their friends to look at it. The easier something is to use, the more people will use it (if it interests them). Of course, it's worth noting "Hot or Not" was popular about 12 years ago.....so I have no idea if such a site would be popular today.

[sone_one]

to me c g h u b . c o m (god its redicilous this gets filtered!) is a close to perfect example of an artist social network. you might want to take a look if you havent already.

[B.K. Conn]

Sorry, but no.

I'm the user, you are the website. You need to make it enticing for ME and give ME a reason to look at your site. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm trying to offer you some constructive criticism. Many people operate this way and by pointing it out, I've done all I can. Now you know.

You can feel free to ignore it or you can make it more accessible to the passerby so you actually get people using your site. With millions of websites in the world, people need to have a REASON to go to your site.
And giving them a browse-able version that doesn't require a login is fairly basic for this type of site.

This is good advice, thank you. & we won't ignore it. We will open it up to free browse.

We are wondering if you the user would use a site that is similar to this pair comparison, but allows only employers to go through the art in pairs and it suggests the top picks of their preferences for them to place in the job? You would receive the private info of which pieces the employers were and were not picking without anyone else seeing the results.

[TinyBird]

We are wondering if you the user would use a site that is similar to this pair comparison, but allows only employers to go through the art in pairs.

And by "employers" do you mean people who go "hay could you plz draw me a tattoo/logo/graphic novel 4 free plz?" or how do you actually choose who are employers and based on what? (I mean technically anyone can be a potential employer if you count people who want private work) Not to mention I'd think most (corporate/studio/etc) employers have an idea of what they are looking and are not likely to spend time voting pairs, but rather look at a person's full gallery and see if the artist draws what they want.

[Dusty]

to me c g h u b . c o m (god its redicilous this gets filtered!) is a close to perfect example of an artist social network. you might want to take a look if you havent already.

I agree. That is really petty.
Come on, guys.

[Arshes Nei]

"Guys" FYI the rest of the staff have nothing to do with it, bringing up what is censored on the site means you need to take it up with the person in charge. Bringing it up on random threads is not changing the outcome and is frustrating the other admins.

[B.K. Conn]

And by "employers" do you mean people who go "hay could you plz draw me a tattoo/logo/graphic novel 4 free plz?" or how do you actually choose who are employers and based on what? (I mean technically anyone can be a potential employer if you count people who want private work) Not to mention I'd think most (corporate/studio/etc) employers have an idea of what they are looking and are not likely to spend time voting pairs, but rather look at a person's full gallery and see if the artist draws what they want.

If they had to pay to post a job posting to go through pairs that should limit the amount of "Hey I need a graphic novel/game/comic artist free now!" users using that part of the system. This would promote more professional jobs rather than that mentioned above, "free art/collaborations/lowpay". More firms and serious employers would opt in rather than "free art/collaborations/lowpay".

**notice membership is free, only people posting a job and using the pairs would pay to use.

Not to mention I'd think most (corporate/studio/etc) employers have an idea of what they are looking and are not likely to spend time voting pairs, but rather look at a person's full gallery and see if the artist draws what they want.

Well that's very true I think. If we build it correctly they would still be able to browse the artists pieces, just the same. The quick pairing system at the beginning of their search would narrow "the look" they are wanting to achieve(BUY) before they are given suggested profiles to browse. And at any time they can go back out of the suggestions and try again, or opt not to go for suggestions. It's kind of a way of taking the sea of artists and giving them a narrowing method via pairs to find their way to your profile, to hire you.