99designs

Description

99designs is a global creative platform connecting businesses with professional freelance graphic designers. It offers two primary ways to get designs: design contests.

99designs by Vista is a leading online platform designed to simplify the process of obtaining custom graphic design work. It serves businesses of all sizes, from startups needing a logo to established companies requiring comprehensive branding or website designs. Users post a detailed brief, and designers from around the world submit their creative solutions. This model allows businesses to review multiple options and select the design that best fits their vision. Alternatively, clients can hire a specific designer directly for more tailored, iterative projects.

Key Applications

Logo & Brand Identity: Creating distinctive logos, brand guidelines, and visual identity systems for businesses.
Web & App Design: Developing user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) designs for websites, landing pages, and mobile applications.
Print & Packaging Design: Crafting designs for brochures, business cards, flyers, product packaging, labels, and merchandise.
Illustration & Art: Generating custom illustrations, icons, and graphic elements for various digital and print needs.

Who It’s For

99designs is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, startups, entrepreneurs, and marketers seeking high-quality, custom graphic design without the overhead of traditional agencies. It's particularly well-suited for those who appreciate seeing multiple design concepts before making a final decision or who need a wide range of design services from a diverse talent pool.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
✔️ Access to a vast global pool of diverse freelance designers.	✖️ Quality can vary among designers, requiring careful vetting or contest tier selection.
✔️ Contest model provides multiple design options for selection, minimizing risk.	✖️ The contest model can be seen as less ethical by some designers (unpaid work for non-winners).
✔️ Streamlined process for obtaining professional design work quickly and efficiently.	✖️ Less direct, real-time collaboration compared to working with a dedicated agency or local designer.

Pros	Cons
✔ Very beginner-friendly	✖ Limited backlink data compared to Ahrefs
✔ Clean interface	✖ Less feature depth than Semrush
✔ Helpful community and resources	✖ Can feel slower at scale

How It Compares

Versus Fiverr/Upwork: While both are freelance marketplaces, 99designs specializes exclusively in graphic design, offering a more curated experience for design-specific projects. Its contest model provides multiple options, which differs from the direct hiring/gig model prevalent on Fiverr/Upwork.
Versus Traditional Design Agencies: 99designs offers a more cost-effective and faster alternative to traditional agencies. It provides access to a global talent pool and diverse styles, often at a lower price point and with quicker turnaround times, though with less direct, in-person consultation.
Versus DesignCrowd: Both platforms operate on a contest model. 99designs generally has a larger and more established community of designers and a slightly more refined user interface, often perceived as having a higher average quality of submissions.

Bullet Point Features

Design Contests: Businesses receive multiple design concepts from various designers based on their brief. 1-to-1 Projects: Direct collaboration with a chosen designer for more personalized and iterative work.
Hundreds of Design Categories: Services span logo, web, print, apparel, packaging, and more.
Curated Designer Pool: Access to a global community of professional freelance designers.
Project Management Tools: Built-in tools for communication, feedback, and file exchange.
Copyright Transfer: Full legal ownership of the final design files upon project completion. Money-Back Guarantee: For contests, if no design is chosen, a refund is often available.

Try It Now

Disclosure

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Reviews from Our Users

8.07.2021

"Overall, I like the core features, but the mobile UI still feels a bit clunky. Hope they fix this in future updates."

Tom W.

Marketing Manager

06/10/2025

"Their support team actually listens to feedback! I’ve seen new features added within weeks. That’s impressive.''

Alex Carter

Freelancer

03/09/2025

"Some advanced options take a bit of time to understand, but once you get the hang of it, it’s incredibly powerful."

Ryan Blake

SaaS Consultant

12/08/2025

"I’ve tried several similar tools, but this one stands out for its clean interface and automation features. Totally worth the subscription."

Sarah Mitchell

GrowthWave Agency