Clients of 99designs will now be able to sort through listings of freelance designers by style and skill to find those who are currently available, within their budget, and who have the specific skills for their project. 99designs clients can also search for designers in a specific category and/or industry specialization.
Design contests are useful as they provide prospective clients some insights into the style of designers but there is a lot more that must go on behind the scenes to get a project from concept to finished product. That means that having some data/information on designers, along with the ability to easily identify them (via sorting/filtering), is going to be useful. But how do those hiring know that designers are actually qualified?
All designers on the new platform will be vetted by an in-house designer quality team at 99designs and rated by actual customers. The site's availability feature and responsiveness score also alert customers to the designer's status, so they don't have to wonder how long it'll take for their designer to get back to them.
"99designs - like most of our customers over the years - has evolved with the times, and while we are best known for our popular design contests, an increasing number of our customers are seeking a more direct method of connecting with just the right design talent they need," explained 99designs CEO Patrick Llewellyn.
"With more than 90 categories of design offered and a growing number of customers - including corporate marketers and agencies - seeking more than just logos, the ability to offer new ways of working on our platform was critical. With 10 years of experience in vetting design and gathering data, we have been able to develop functionality that quickly and effectively matches people with the perfect designer for their project."