Why is 99designs awesome enough to make it on our ChicMompreneurs Favorite Biz Tool of the Month?
Well, to be honest, up until early June, I had never heard of 99designs. Don't ask me why, because it should have been on one of our many lists of must have tools for the new and established Entrepreneurs.
What is 99designs?
For freelancers, 99designs is a platform that allows you to compete with other talented designers, in order to help clients build amazing brands. According to their website, 99designs exists to challenge the status quo of the traditional design process and promote a powerful relationship between designers and small businesses. 99designs allows you to build a great relationship with your potential client, simplifying communication throughout the 'contests' that create incredible options to the business owner, while challenging the designer to put their best foot forward through every step.
By 2016, we will have helped over one million people grow their businesses through access to high-quality, affordable design. In the end, we believe that self-expression has no borders and that everyone across the world deserves great design.
99designs
For the business, 99designs, allows business owners to grow their businesses and brands by providing access to high-quality, and affordable designs. I have had the opportunity to try the 99designs platform first hand and the experience has been fun and exciting, to say the least. Through every step of the journey, a new business owner, will be able to see their vision coming to life, what could be more exhilarating?!?
The Design Process
The Brief allows you to answer questions that will allow the designers to understand your visions. You will answer simple questions including
- Name of the business
- Name to be incorporated into your logo
- Slogan
- Description of your organization and its target audience
You then have the ability to choose your preferences as it applies to logo types, and color preferences.
Communicate your values and choose from a list of designs that you like in order to give the designers an idea of your style preference.
After adding a few notes about yourself and anything that you want your designers to know, you can upload any relevant images, and you are done with the LOGO portion of your brief.
The Package is the next step. What makes 99designs a new addition to our Affordable tools for Fempreneur on a Budget List, are the many options they have for business owners. As new business owners, you will need options that provide you the flexibility to build a great brand on a budget. The ability to spend $499 on a LOGO and Website package, that comes with many options, thanks to the interpretations of multiple designers is a great way to launch a business.
For $499 you will receive:
A Logo Design
Jimdo Website, Including Hosting and Domain
Jimdo Template, styled by a designer (Up to 5 Pages)
No Coding Required
Prefer to work with WordPress? Choose the WordPress Design Contest that starts From $599
There are multiple packages available, each one more exciting than the next, guaranteeing that every business owner can find a package that is a great financial and brand fit.
The Launch refers to the contest launch. Once you launch the contest, you will receive many designs from multiple designers. The key to finding a design that you love, is to collaborate with the designers to refine concepts. Doing so will help you to build great relationships, with talented designers, that you can continue to work with after the end of your contest.
The Afro-Chic Mompreneur Experience
Within hours of the contest launch, we received multiple submissions from some great designers!
In order to remain organized, we began eliminating logos that were not a great fit for our brand.
We had the option of communicating privately with the designers, offering tips, and answering any questions that they had. Even pinning comments on the design.
The winning design is one that the entire team is over the moon about.
We are looking forward to seeing the design as a part of the website that we are currently working on with the winning designer. He has been such a great help, and obviously a talented and creative Rock Star!
One of the web design concepts we are currently exploring with our 99Designs Designer. Talk about AWESOME!
Starting a business is exciting, but challenging, Nancy Laws, is passionate about helping women launch, manage, and grow their businesses. To learn more about Nancy and the Chic Mompreneur team, visit them NOW!
Follow her on Twitter @Chicmompreneur