"A new generation of online service marketplaces is giving small companies more opportunities than ever to find specialized expertise and affordable labor."
99designs is the #1 marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design. We connect passionate designers from around the globe with customers seeking quality, affordable design services.
120,035
contests hosted to date
144,353
designers in our community
$29,918,406
designer prize money awarded
In the beginning...
Founder Mark Harbottle locked Lachlan Donald and Paul Annesley in an office in Melbourne to pioneer a new kind of marketplace for graphic design.
Today, 99designs is the #1 online marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design, with a new design uploaded every 5 seconds and more than $30,000,000 paid out to our design community in just 4 years.
Now with a team of more than 50 passionate staff across San Francisco, Melbourne and London, our original goal hasn't changed - to provide opportunity for designers and the best possible experience for customers seeking quality design services.
Our Mantra
It’s definitely a cliche but there’s no other way to describe it - 99designs was started by designers for designers. Our role is to provide a friendly, professional and secure environment where designers from all walks of life can find opportunity and compete on a level playing field - where they can show off their work, improve their skills, communicate with peers and win new clients.
Award Winning
In 2010, 99designs was awarded a prestigious Webby People's Voice Award for Best Web Service & Application of the year.
How did we do it? By promising our entire community that if they voted for us and we won, we would sing "We are the Champions" by Queen in a main street. Well - showing true community spirit, 99designs voters flooded the system, we won and we sang.
Investors
Founding investors in 99designs include the founders of the successful online media and publishing company SitePoint, namely Mark Harbottle and Matt Mickiewicz, along with internet pioneer and entrepreneur Leni Mayo, and MelbourneIT Non-Executive Director and previous CEO of Hitwise, Andrew Walsh.
In April 2011, 99designs announced a $35 million first round investment to assist with global expansion. This investment round was led by Accel Partners with participation from angel investors Michael Dearing (eBay, Harrision Metal), Dave Goldberg (Survey Monkey), Stewart Butterfield (Flickr, Tiny Speck), and Anthony Casalena (Squarespace).
The Buzz
“More than 90% of 99designs’ customers come through word of mouth. Imagine if the company actually invested in sales and marketing.”
"99designs - thousands of designers compete for clients who need logos, websites or anything else designed for their small business."
“Accel Partners, an early investor in Facebook Inc., Groupon Inc. and other white-hot companies, has led a $35 million Series A investment in graphic design marketplace 99designs”
“This huge market makes it simple and cheap for business owners and individuals to get custom sites and logos quickly and on the cheap.”
