Talented designers are increasingly in demand because they can help a brand or product finds its unique identity. But for people that complain about how to find these designers, there are existing online networks which makes the search actually very easy.
One such network is Singaporean based The Creative Finder, which launched back in 2003. Created by Design TAXI, the network aims to inspire, promote and empower creative professionals around the world. ‘Creative professionals’ sounds broad and it is. But it includes people such as graphic designers, painters, interior designers, 3D graphic artists, cinematography and the list goes on!
The newly revamped site offers a platform for creative professionals to showcase their design, illustration and photography work as well as connect with others in the international community. Like any other social network, you can like, comment, share and message other people on the network. One cool feature is its real-time user activity, which allows users to see live-updates on what’s going on and see the latest design trends.
For creative professionals that want to showcase their work, they can set up a free ‘Basic’ account which permits up to ten published images. For people or businesses that want to track the work of creative professionals and communicate with them, they can set up a ‘Finders’ account.
Realizing the power of social media sharing, The Creative Finder has integrated the ability to share work across Evernote and Pinterest. Of course, if picked up across something like Pinterest or Tumblr, creative people could find their work going viral.
Of course, this isn’t the first creative professional network to exist. Probably the most prominent, is Behance.net, which sees some of its artists such as being picked up by big brands for high-end corporate work. Another is Australia’s The Loop, which focuses on helping creative’s expose their work and find projects and jobs.
I believe China has a groundswell of creative talent that needs its own online network to show how good they are. Start-ups like Nuandao.net, a flash sale site for designers is a good start to supporting them.