3 ms·

As a designer I hate 99designs and similar sites. They completely rip off designers. Instead, find a designer you like, or post a job offer, here even, and pay

As a designer I hate 99designs and similar sites. They completely rip off designers. Instead, find a designer you like, or post a job offer, here even, and pay them. If you can, stay away from 99designs.

arkitaip 16y ago
I guess that depends on where the designer lives. There are some incredibly talented and experienced designers in developing countries and they obviously don't request the same pay as, say, a designer in the USA.
turbinemonkey 16y ago
I'm well aware of the issues that some designers have with 99designs and such. I have sent briefs to recommended local designers, but they're either unwilling to work within my budget, or ask for unworkable terms (e.g. no revisions). Given that, I don't see how I have any other recourse. So far, the traditional designer/client relationship certainly hasn't served me well.
damoncali 16y ago
How would you, as a designer, recommend people get low-budget work done? Is it that most of the designers don't get paid at all or the lowish price that the winner gets that offends? There is a huge appeal in having a designer "try out" - I've been burned by designers who couldn't get the work done to my satisfaction. It was a waste of my time and money. It would have been very easy to weed them out with a simple "audition". This seems entirely legitimate to me. I've ben asked to write code prior to getting a job, for example. As for price, I've been quoted $3k-5k for a logo and $15k for 4 pages of html. That is never going to happen. I might pay $2-300 for a very good logo, and maybe $1500-2000 for a very good set of HTML pages. That is simply the value I place on the services. I hate to be the guy who doesn't respect creative talent, but I can't ignore what the marketplace is telling me. Designers really seem to hate the crowdsourcing model, and I want to work on terms that they like, but how? Saying "pay me more and take the risk that I won't work out" is not good enough - as evidenced by the success of 99 designs, et al. If designers want people to abandon crowdsourcing, they need to come up with a better low-budget alternative.
- proexploit 16y ago
  I think there's a lot of range within design work so a smaller step up gets you exponentially better work. For example, $250 logo may be 10 times better than a $25 logo but a $2,500 logo might only be 1.5 or 2 times as good as the $250 one. $15,000 for 4 pages of HTML is ridiculous, as is $150 for 4 pages. $1,500 should get you amazing work. I do a lot of work coding design to HTML/CSS and without being over-confident, I'd classify my skill in HTML and CSS as expert level. I charge around $200-$250 a page if coding directly from a PSD or image to HTML/CSS. Charging 15 to 20 times as much? I struggle to understand it. If you want a designer on a mid-low budget, you can try Elance or oDesk, but set the hourly price you're looking for at $30-$50. There are good designers using those services but you need to get their attention.

arkitaip 16y ago

I guess that depends on where the designer lives. There are some incredibly talented and experienced designers in developing countries and they obviously don't request the same pay as, say, a designer in the USA.

turbinemonkey 16y ago

I'm well aware of the issues that some designers have with 99designs and such. I have sent briefs to recommended local designers, but they're either unwilling to work within my budget, or ask for unworkable terms (e.g. no revisions). Given that, I don't see how I have any other recourse. So far, the traditional designer/client relationship certainly hasn't served me well.

damoncali 16y ago

How would you, as a designer, recommend people get low-budget work done? Is it that most of the designers don't get paid at all or the lowish price that the winner gets that offends? There is a huge appeal in having a designer "try out" - I've been burned by designers who couldn't get the work done to my satisfaction. It was a waste of my time and money. It would have been very easy to weed them out with a simple "audition". This seems entirely legitimate to me. I've ben asked to write code prior to getting a job, for example. As for price, I've been quoted $3k-5k for a logo and $15k for 4 pages of html. That is never going to happen. I might pay $2-300 for a very good logo, and maybe $1500-2000 for a very good set of HTML pages. That is simply the value I place on the services. I hate to be the guy who doesn't respect creative talent, but I can't ignore what the marketplace is telling me. Designers really seem to hate the crowdsourcing model, and I want to work on terms that they like, but how? Saying "pay me more and take the risk that I won't work out" is not good enough - as evidenced by the success of 99 designs, et al. If designers want people to abandon crowdsourcing, they need to come up with a better low-budget alternative.

proexploit 16y ago
I think there's a lot of range within design work so a smaller step up gets you exponentially better work. For example, $250 logo may be 10 times better than a $25 logo but a $2,500 logo might only be 1.5 or 2 times as good as the $250 one. $15,000 for 4 pages of HTML is ridiculous, as is $150 for 4 pages. $1,500 should get you amazing work. I do a lot of work coding design to HTML/CSS and without being over-confident, I'd classify my skill in HTML and CSS as expert level. I charge around $200-$250 a page if coding directly from a PSD or image to HTML/CSS. Charging 15 to 20 times as much? I struggle to understand it. If you want a designer on a mid-low budget, you can try Elance or oDesk, but set the hourly price you're looking for at $30-$50. There are good designers using those services but you need to get their attention.