99designs: Why don't I recommend this design competition website?

99designs is a digital graphic design platform. It helps companies find the high-quality designs they need by connecting them with freelance graphic designers. With access to over 250 000 talented artists with excellent design skills in over 90 design fields, you&#8217ll find the best designers to complete almost any area of graphic design work. Over 444,000 people and businesses have used 99designs to develop logos, websites, t-shirts and billboards. Despite this, we don’t recommend this design competition site for many reasons.

What is 99designs and how does it work?

99designs is an online platform where customers can launch design competitions for various graphic projects. For example, logos, websites, brochures, and more. The way 99designs works is based on a competition model where customers define their requirements, set a price and interested designers submit their creations. Customers can then review the proposals received, provide feedback to the designers and ultimately choose the winning design.

This model is designed to offer a wide range of creative options. It allows customers to select the design that best matches their expectations, while providing designers with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and earn rewards based on their performance in the competition.

This model is designed to offer a wide range of creative options.

Why choosing 99designs can be problematic?

Choosing 99designs can present several significant problems for customers and designers alike. Firstly, the design competition model encourages speculation, where many designers invest time and effort with no guarantee of compensation. This can lead to a devaluation of creative work and uneven quality of the proposals submitted. This is because some designers may be less motivated or invest less time in a competition with no certainty of success. What’s more, the competition format often limits direct communication between client and designers. This can lead to misunderstandings or frustration when attempting to translate the customer’s precise needs into the final designs.

In addition, customers may not achieve the expected level of quality or face limitations due to the strict rules of the competition. The diversity of designs may be limited by the constraints imposed by the platform. This can restrict creativity and prevent the exploration of innovative solutions. As a result, some customers may end up with designs that do not fully meet their expectations, or that require costly and time-consuming revisions to achieve the desired result.

What are the risks for customers?

For customers, the main risks associated with using 99designs lie in the possibility of not achieving the desired result despite investing time and money in a design competition. Designs submitted may vary considerably in terms of quality and suitability for the customer&#8217s specific needs. This is due to the competitive and sometimes rushed nature of competitions. In addition, there&#8217s an increased risk of not receiving a design that accurately reflects the project&#8217s brand image or functional requirements. This can lead to costly revisions or compromises on final product quality.

In addition, customers may encounter difficulties associated with managing the competition process, including communicating with designers and managing expectations in relation to deadlines and results. Dependence on the competition model can also limit options for design customization and iteration, as designers may be less inclined to invest in detailed revisions with no guarantee of additional compensation. These factors combined increase the risk of frustration and unexpected expenses for customers who choose 99designs for their design needs.