Some online platforms provide a reliable, efficient, and easy way to find and hire freelance graphic designers.
They can help reduce the costs of your projects while maintaining high quality and saving you time.
To help you find a suitable freelancer, we’ll go over the 7 best freelance websites. We’ll also explain the best practices for hiring freelance graphic designers and answer some commonly asked questions.
Table of Contents
Types of Websites for Hiring Freelance Graphic Designers
Crowdsourced Websites
Crowdsourced websites tend to have a large pool of freelance graphic designers. They are usually contest-based platforms that offer all kinds of design services.
Some examples would include 99designs and DesignCrowd.
Order-based Websites
Order-based freelance websites are online freelancing platforms that allow freelancers to earn money selling their services. These types of sites are a great option for small one-time projects.
Examples of order-based websites would be Upwork and Fiverr.
Flat-rate Graphic Design Websites
These types of websites offer unlimited graphic design for a flat fee. This is a great alternative to hiring a freelance designer. In fact, you get a whole team of graphic designers working on your tasks. It’s an excellent option for those who need consistent graphic design.
Website examples that provide this service are Design Pickle, ManyPixels, and Kimp.
7 Best Freelance Websites to Find Graphic Designers
1. 99designs
99designs is an established player in the freelance graphic designers’ market. With a huge pool of designers, this platform makes it to the top of our list.
99designs offers 2 different options for hiring freelance graphic designers:
- You can launch a design contest on 99designs and receive dozens of different designs
- You can start a project and work 1-on-1 with any freelance design talent available on the platform
Pricing
If you invite graphic designers to work with you, you have the option to offer a custom price. For these projects, 99designs charges clients with introduction fee and a platform fee.
When starting a contest, their most popular service – logo design starts from $299.
Pros
- Over 1 million registered graphic designers on the platform
- Offers contests as well as 1-on-1 projects
- Ease of use
- Revisions available
- High-quality designs
Cons
- Can be expensive
- Takes time to find a quality designer if you have particular needs
2. DesignCrowd
DesignCrowd is one more crowdsourced graphic design platform that offers almost any design services you could need. DesignCrowd is a cheaper alternative to 99designs (if you don’t add many upgrades when launching a contest).
Pricing
Different pricing depending on the design you need. DesignCrowd might be less expensive than 99designs, however, the more expensive packages don’t guarantee higher quality graphic designers.
Pros
- Over 1 million designers
- Many pricing packages to choose from
Cons
- The platform is more contest-oriented instead of 1-on-1 projects
- No way of picking designer level unless you’ve already worked with someone on the platform
3. Upwork
Upwork is a great freelancing marketplace that works great when you want to work with freelancers on more demanding projects or when you are looking to establish long-term relationships with graphic designers.
Think if you’ll have other projects in the future. It will be an easy task to keep consistency and the same style design as before.
Hiring graphic design freelancers on Upwork is pretty straightforward, mainly thanks to its streamlined, easy-to-follow hiring procedure. You can publish your first job posting in less than an hour. You can then review proposals and invite candidates for an interview via chat or video call.
Pricing
Upwork focuses on volume and affordability, rates can range anywhere from $5/hour to over $100/hour.
Pros
- Great for one-time projects
- Relatively low prices
- Useful filters to help you filter out unwanted freelancers
Cons
- Interviewing freelancers can get time-consuming
- Can often lack quality
4. Fiverr
Fiverr is another online marketplace for freelance services. It’s very similar to Upwork and is considered one of its biggest competitors.
You’ll find many freelance graphic designers available for quick hire on Fiverr. You can find someone who will design logos, websites, social media ads, and even prints for your business.
To find graphic designers for hire on Fiverr, dive into the “Graphics & Design” category and check packages freelancers have put together that fit your desired specifications.
Pricing
Prices on Fiverr start at $5/order and can go up to $1,000/order for complex designs.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Effective filtering tools
- Usually fast turnaround time
Cons
- Effective only for very small tasks, but might be risky for large projects
- Might lack quality
5. Design Pickle
Design Pickle provides unlimited graphic design services for a fixed fee. It works perfectly for those who need consistent graphic design each month.
The platform is widely recommended for its experience in the field, easy communication, high-quality designs, and positive customer reviews.
- Read our Design Pickle review
Pricing
Starting at $499/month, the price is similar to other unlimited graphic design services out there.
Pros
- No contract
- Unlimited graphic design
- Fast turnaround
- Assign requests to a specific designer if needed
- Great support
Cons
- Lack of Slack integration on the Standard plan
6. Kimp
Kimp also allows customers to order as many designs as they want. The platform provides you with a dedicated team of graphic designers and a project manager. You can submit unlimited requests and ask for unlimited revisions.
- Read our Kimp review
Pricing
Starts at $599/month, but basically everything is included in the lowest-tier package except video design.
Pros
- Dedicated project manager
- Risk-free 7 day free trial period
- Fast turnaround
Cons
- Can be expensive for those who don’t need consistent graphic design
7. ManyPixels
Manypixels is one more popular on-demand graphic design service.
It offers flexibility to the users by offering an intuitive interface and simple features for managing tasks. Great alternative for Design Pickle and Kimp.
Pricing
From $439/month but there are limitations you might want to consider when choosing lower-tier plans.
Pros
- Intuitive interface
- Fast turnaround
- Discount when choosing yearly plans
Cons
- Expensive compared to other unlimited graphic design platforms
- Direct real time communication with designer only with the top-tier plan
Why Hire a Freelance Graphic Designer?
The typical and most common reason we hire freelancers is that we need specific skills and expertise. Or, we’re in a hurry and need extra help, that’s why freelance graphic designers are thriving in today’s economy – and that’s good.
Here are a few benefits of hiring freelance graphic designers:
Budget
Typically, most freelance graphic designers work remotely, allowing them to set lower rates. Hiring them is a more affordable option than expensive graphic design agencies or than hiring an in-house full-time person.
We recommend checking our guide on graphic design prices.
Experience
Graphic designers improve their skills with every completed milestone. They often have different kinds of experiences in their pocket.
Plus, you can find freelance designers whose past experiences directly align with your specific industry.
Speed
It’s much faster to hire a freelancer than to hire an employee or design agency. Freelance graphic designers are usually more open to accelerating the process on projects with tight deadlines. Designers also have the benefit of extra flexibility to work evenings and weekends to fasten job completion.
Wide range of choice
Some of the platforms have hundreds of thousands of registered graphic designers. With the sector booming, there’s a lot of talent to choose from. You can choose from a wide range of skill sets and expertise and find someone who will suit your needs.
More attention and effective communication
Freelance graphic designers are usually more insightful and attentive. Freelancers tend to value their clients more and spend more time on their tasks compared to agencies that have tons of clients.
Also, they are always looking to improve and grow with the market. They’ll usually keep in touch, keeping the line open for future collaborations. Working with just one person directly also makes it easier to communicate effectively.
Best Practices for Hiring a Freelance Graphic Designer
To hire graphic designers suitable for your project faster, consider the following best practices.
Define Your Requirements and Provide Briefs
You should always make clear what you expect from your freelance graphic designer. Providing them with your vision and a clear brief will ensure that you both are on the same page.
Otherwise, you may hire freelancers that don’t have the relevant skills or don’t suit your project requirements.
Also, don’t forget to discuss the budget and deadlines before starting to work on any tasks.
Consider Their Experience and Review Portfolio
Before hiring a graphic designer, carefully analyze their profile. Going through their portfolio will give you an idea of their style and quality of work.
Additionally, make sure to look for individuals who have experience in the specific area that you need help with. For example, if you need a designer to create a website, look for someone who has experience creating websites.
Communicate and Establish a Relationship
To achieve the most creative and desired result, establish a reliable relationship with your graphic designers.
Active communication lets you clearly explain your goal and understand technical limitations.
The biggest advantage of this practice is that your relationship can develop into a long-term one – you might not need to look for a suitable freelance graphic designer once you start a new project.
It’s always helpful to provide feedback for your graphic designer. It will help them to improve their skills and will benefit your next projects.
Finally, don’t be afraid to hire a motivated person that lacks certain skills – in time, they can become great graphic designers who will feel loyal to you.
The Bottom Line
Freelancer websites are always a good idea to look for help for your graphic design work. These sites can help you if you are on a tight budget or want to save time by outsourcing design tasks.
In this article, we have listed the 7 best websites to hire freelance graphic designers for any project. Here are our final recommendations:
- 99designs
- Upwork
- Design Pickle
In addition to using such platforms, you can ask other people for any recommendations. Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to hire top freelance graphic designers?
Once you’ve found a source of graphic designers based on style and availability, evaluate your candidates in terms of their level and type of experience, especially in the niche you need the designs for. Also, browse through their reviews and portfolio to see examples of their work.
How much do freelance graphic designers charge?
Every freelancer sets their own price based on the type of work they are offering and their level of expertise. You’ll find the price each freelancer displayed on their service listing, so you’ll know all the financial details in advance.
What are the benefits of freelance websites?
Freelance websites can benefit you by offering a wide range of talented freelancers while saving you time and budget.