99designs is the only major freelance platform built entirely around design. No writers, no developers, no virtual assistants – just designers competing for clients who need visual work done. That focus is both its greatest strength and its main limitation.
If you’re a designer, here’s how to make the most of it.
How 99designs Works
99designs runs on two models that work very differently from each other:
Contests – a client posts a design brief with a prize, designers submit concepts competing for the work, and the client picks a winner. You only get paid if your design is chosen.
Direct projects – clients browse designer profiles and invite specific designers to work with them one-on-one. No competition, no spec work – just a straightforward freelance arrangement at your own rates.
Most designers start with contests to build their profile and win their first reviews. Direct projects come later as your reputation and portfolio grow on the platform.
What Contests Actually Pay
Contests come with clear budget tiers: Silver ($299), Gold ($599), and Platinum ($1,299). The client chooses their tier when posting – higher tiers attract more experienced designers and typically receive higher quality entries.
As a winning designer you receive the prize amount minus 99designs’ commission. The platform charges a 15% platform fee on contest winnings and a 20% client introduction fee on the first direct project with any client introduced through the platform. That 20% introduction fee drops to 5% for subsequent projects with the same client – rewarding repeat relationships.
The honest math on a Silver contest: you win $299, pay 15%, take home roughly $254. A Platinum win pays $1,104 after the same fee. For a single design deliverable, those numbers are solid – the question is how often you win.
The Contest Model – What Nobody Tells You
Here’s the part most guides skip: you can spend significant time on a contest entry and win nothing. That’s the fundamental trade-off of spec work.
There are guaranteed and non-guaranteed contests. In a guaranteed contest someone will always win – the client commits upfront to choosing a winner. In a non-guaranteed contest the client can walk away without selecting anyone, even after receiving dozens of entries
Strong recommendation for beginners: prioritise guaranteed contests, especially when starting out. Non-guaranteed contests are essentially a gamble – you could spend hours on a logo only to have the client walk away with nothing paid to anyone.
A typical contest timeline: Days 1-4 designers submit initial concepts, clients rate submissions and provide feedback, then narrow down to finalists on day 4-5 before selecting a winner. The feedback you get even when you don’t win is genuinely useful for improving your work.
Who Gets Direct Project Invitations
Direct projects are where the real money is on 99designs – higher rates, no competition, repeat clients. But they don’t come automatically.
After building your reputation on 99designs through contests, you gain access to direct client projects – private job invitations sent by clients who found you through contest entries or the designer search.
The path there: win contests consistently, build a strong profile with positive reviews, and make sure your portfolio showcases your best and most varied work. Clients browsing for direct hires are looking for proven track records – your contest history is that proof.
Setting Up Your Profile
Create a designer account, upload 3-6 quality samples, and get your profile verified – approval typically takes 2-5 days and requires passing a basic quality review. Not everyone gets accepted. 99designs maintains quality standards, which is part of what makes the platform credible to clients.
Portfolio samples: Show range within your specialty. If you do logo design, include logos for different industries and styles. If you do packaging design, show different product types. Clients browsing for direct projects want to see they can trust you with their specific brief.
Specialisation over generalism: 99designs organises designers by specialty – logos, web design, packaging, illustration, brand identity, and more. Pick your primary specialty and go deep. Clients often prefer specialists in the field and a designer known for excellent logo work will consistently beat a generalist who does logos among ten other things.
Designer level: 99designs assigns levels (Top Level, Mid Level, Entry Level) based on your win rate and earnings history. Starting at Entry Level is normal – your level rises as you build a track record. Higher levels get better contest visibility and more direct project invitations.
Contest Strategy – How to Improve Your Win Rate
Winning on 99designs isn’t just about raw talent – strategy matters.
Start with Silver tier contests. As a beginner, lower-tier contests attract less competition – focus here first, increase your win rate, then move up to Gold and Platinum as your profile strengthens.
Focus on blind contests. Blind contests hide entries from other designers, which means you’re designing for the brief rather than reacting to what competitors submitted. This levels the playing field and tends to produce more original work.
Read the brief carefully before starting. The most common reason good designs don’t win is they don’t match what the client actually asked for. Spend ten minutes understanding the brief before opening your design software.
Submit early and iterate. Submitting early gives you maximum time to receive client feedback and revise. A design that evolves through multiple rounds of feedback almost always outperforms a late single submission.
Don’t over-invest in non-guaranteed contests. If the contest isn’t guaranteed, spend less time than you would on a guaranteed one. Submit something solid but don’t lose a full day to a brief with no guaranteed payout.
Building Toward Direct Projects
The long-term play on 99designs is transitioning your income from contests to direct projects. Here’s how to accelerate that:
Win consistently at Silver and Gold level, then enter Platinum contests to demonstrate your range. Build up 10+ positive reviews on your profile. Make sure your portfolio is updated after every strong contest entry.
Direct projects eliminate competition and offer better control over timelines and pricing – designers can charge hourly or fixed rates. Once you have direct project clients who return for repeat work, your income on 99designs becomes significantly more predictable.
Is 99designs Worth It?
For designers, yes – with realistic expectations about the contest model.
The spec work nature of contests means beginners will enter more than they win at first. That’s not failure – it’s how every successful 99designs designer built their track record. The platform’s client quality is high, the prize amounts are real, and the path from contests to direct projects is clear.
For non-designers: 99designs is simply not the right platform. There’s no meaningful work here for writers, developers, or virtual assistants. One of the other platforms in this guide will serve you better.
Ready to apply? Create your designer profile at 99designs.
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