What: Online platform connecting graphic designers and clients
Expected pay: Speculative
Commissions & fees: 10% – 40%
Where: Nationwide
Requirements: Design skills and specialized software
Review:
PROS:
- Could possibly get a one-on-one design deal
CONS:
- A lot of competition
- Not paid well
- Poor odds of getting work
- Paid in “credits” if you “win” a job – “credits” turn into cash through PayPal or Payoneer
- High commission fees
Still, opportunities for designers appear to be better at Belay and Remote.
What Users Say: (From SiteJabber)
As an interior designer with over 20 years of professional experience in the design industry, I would like to commend you on an amazing experience that I just participated in. Fantastic concept! I felt like I was a participant in a live reality show – Battle of the Designers.
I was on this site some years ago as a designer and I immediately noticed that the “best” (or highest voted) designs by the person running the contest would IMMEDIATELY start getting copied to the point that it looked like it was just one designer creating most the designs.
Also, if you are not seen as “good enough” which on 99designs seems to mean if you refuse to simply work off of the designs that are being highly votes, then you are not a good designer and you get booted off the site, which is what happened to me.
That’s not the worst of it. If you are booted of, you can NEVER get back on. I guess people don’t improve! Mind you, I am a graphic designer. I do this for a living. I sell my designs on many items everyday. I think this policy is idiotic and they really need to change their contest process so you just don’t end up with hundreds of copycat designs. Where’s the creativity in that?
If you are a serious designer with creativity and your own mind/personality, I would avoid this site. You will end up wasting many hours entering contests. And when you refuse to go along with the crowd long enough, you will get booted… PERMANENTLY!
(PS: please don’t get the wrong impression that I didn’t follow the design briefs. I always worked within what the customer was asking for.)
