- By Karolis Kiniulis
- Updated August 23, 2023
99designs serves businesses and individuals by providing custom designs solution through design contests. It is a simple way to access a global community of skilled graphic designers.
If you are new to the platform, it’s essential to know how the platform works, the variety of design categories available, and what you can expect from the design process.
Table of Contents
- 99designs Contests In Short
- Is 99designs Safe & Legit?
- Who Are 99designs Contests for?
- Here’s What to Expect From 99designs Contests
- 99designs Contest Pricing
- Who Shouldn’t Use 99designs Services?
- How to Get Started?
- Ownership and Usage Rights
- Things to Avoid When Running a Contest
- 99designs Contests: the Bottom Line
99designs Contests In Short
99designs contests offer a convenient and efficient way to acquire a logo and other brand assets for your business. You can easily provide your vision through a brief and receive numerous design options to choose from without any long-term commitments or the need to hire someone.
Is 99designs Safe & Legit?
Yes, using 99designs to get a custom design is completely safe. It is a risk-free platform where all your payments are secure. In addition, it provides 100% money-back guarantee.
The company has over 37,000 customer ratings and testimonials on their website, with an average rating of 4.8. Also, 99designs has more than 1,000 reviews on Trustpilot.
Who Are 99designs Contests for?
99designs contests are a great way to get high-quality custom designs, making it a good choice for a wide range of businesses and individuals.
- Startups and entrepreneurs
- Businesses that don’t have an in-house design team
- Individuals with personal projects
99designs is mostly used to launch logo contests but is suitable to get all kinds of designs. Basically, you can get everything from branding and website design to packaging and other marketing stuff.
Here’s What to Expect From 99designs Contests
You’ll Get Many Different Designs
I mostly like that with 99designs contests you are getting plenty of ideas and different styles.
After submitting your design brief, you’ll start receiving different design concepts from designers all over the world. This means you can choose the best design that aligns (or sometimes not) with your vision. Make sure to pick out a few designs that you like the most and continue polishing them to perfection by providing feedback.
You‘ll Need to Provide Feedback (And Sometimes Ask For Revisions)
When you receive design concepts from designers, it’s important to provide detailed feedback to help them understand your needs and preferences. Your feedback will help graphic designers to improve their work and provide you with the best possible design.
You may need to request revisions to get the design exactly how you want it. So be specific and provide clear feedback on what you like and dislike about each design.
Successful designers on 99designs are open to feedback and revisions and may receive ongoing work from satisfied clients.
It Might Get Expensive
While 99designs contests can be an affordable way to get a custom design, the costs can add up quickly.
Customers can opt for add-ons such as expedited delivery or attracting top designers for extra fees.
Minor revisions are often free, but if you ask designers for many corrections, the costs could add up.
99designs Contest Pricing
Pricing for the most popular type of contest – logo design, ranges from $299 to $1,299. The contests come with four pricing options, so the price varies depending on the package chosen.
| Package | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 | $499 | $899 | $1,299 |
| What you get | Basic package, any designer can enter | Attracts more designers, extra designs to choose from | Higher quality graphic designers, lots of designs to choose from | Premium quality designs, priority support, extra help |
Basically, you can get a decent logo using the cheapest plan. However, if you want exclusive designs with the highest quality and a number to choose from, you can go for more expensive plans.
You can launch a banner design contest for as low as $49, while a web page design contest starts from $599. So it all depends on what kind of custom design you need.
There are many contest upgrades you can get. Here is how much they cost:
| Upgrade | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed contest | Free | Receive about 50% more designs but won’t be able to request refund |
| Private contest | $59 | Keeps your contest out of public |
| Blind contest | Free | Designers aren’t able to see each others entries: for this option you need to have already run at least one contest |
| Invitation-only contest | Free | Control who can enter the contest |
| Fast-tracked contest | $39–$79 | Option to speed up contest to 1, 2 or 3 days |
| Feature | $79 | Contest appears at the top position, attracting more attention |
| Highlight | $19 | Makes contest stand out |
| Blog | $19 | Includes in the blog |
| Power Pack | $99 | All three upgrades above (Feature + Highlight + Blog) |
Who Shouldn’t Use 99designs Services?
Logos on 99designs start from $299, so the decision about whether it’s worth your money is based on your overall budget. 99designs is a great option when you don’t want to hire an expensive graphic designer, but you need a logo.
However, a logo should not be the most expensive thing you pay for when starting a new business. If that’s the case, consider designing a logo yourself using, for example, Canva, or use an online logo maker.
How to Get Started?
You can launch a 99designs contest in a few easy steps:
1. Go to 99designs.com
Visit the official homepage of 99designs.com from your browser and click on the “Get Started” button located next to the search bar.
Search between different design categories including logos, websites, apps, merchandising, etc. Each design category has a subcategory with various packages to choose from.
2. Select a Package
99designs offers four different design packages including Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
The more expensive package, the more (and higher-quality) designs you are going to get. Consider which package is most suitable for you and continue to the next step.
3. Create a Brief
When you click “Start a contest“, 99designs will ask you about the details of your design request to turn it into a contest.
The platform will guide you through each step of the brief. It will include:
- Picking samples of designs you like
- Describing your brand style
- Picking preferred colors
- Completing other information about your brand and providing your details
You will also have the option to select the type and duration of the contest based on your requirements.
4. Finish up by Signing up and Starting the Contest
Once you are done with creating an account, enter your billing information and your contest will be posted to 99designs.
After a while (may take a few days), you’ll start getting your custom designs.
Ownership and Usage Rights
The question that is commonly asked by clients and even graphic designers is: who owns the designs?
On 99designs, the ownership belongs to graphic designers until the Design Handover stage when the designer transfers usage rights to the client. After the payment, the client who launched the contest or project officially becomes the owner of the winning design.
If you have any doubts or concerns about the ownership of a potential design, make sure to read the 99designs terms and conditions of the project or contest you are planning to start.
Things to Avoid When Running a Contest
Creating Multiple Accounts
Don’t try to create multiple accounts in an attempt to defraud the 99designs community or you’ll be permanently banned from the platform.
Use of Verbal Abuse on the Contest Page
You need to maintain a level of professionalism while dealing with the designers. Be polite and respectful while communicating with the designers. Any use of abusive or threatening language may get you in trouble.
Posting Contest with Controversial Subject
Don’t post a contest that contains objectionable or controversial subject matter like pornographic, obscene, violent, etc.
Not Respecting the Copyright
Don’t ask any designers to plagiarize the work of other designers. You are only allowed to use the designs you pay for.
99designs Contests: the Bottom Line
So, are 99designs contests worth it? In my opinion, yes, 99designs is definitely worth your attention option to save time and to have a wide selection of designs to choose from.
The more detailed and specific your brief is, the more likely you’ll get what you want.
Compared to similar services on the internet, 99designs is fairly expensive and there are more affordable alternatives available. However, the quality of designs might be different as well.
Hiring a freelance graphic designer can be even more expensive and could cost up to $150 per hour.
The best part about the platform is, if you don’t like the result, you can get a full refund.
Looking for another platform? Consider taking a look at these logo contest sites we have reviewed.
