99designs by Vista’s vision is to be the world’s most trusted platform to find and do creative work online. To fulfill this, we must ensure all freelancers on our platform are delivering quality work and a great experience to our clients. We must also protect our community from copycats, bullying, and other unprofessional behavior.
This is why all designers must agree to the Designer Code of Conduct prior to participating. It sets expectations and provides links to all important designer policies.
Protecting the quality and safety of our designer community is a top priority and we reserve the right to demote, suspend, and/or ban any designer account that violates any of our rules.
How does 99designs by Vista’s penalty system work?
We understand that mistakes happen and that some rules may be violated unintentionally.
99designs by Vista aims to work with creators who wish to learn from their mistakes. Our penalty system is designed not only to suspend accounts that break the rules but also to provide education to our community of creators. This approach encourages designers' growth on the platform and creates the best possible environment for finding work online.
There are three types of penalties:
1. Suspension: A period during which a designer cannot start new work on the platform. A suspended designer's portfolio will be hidden and instead, an alert will appear on the profile that states the account is not accepting new projects. The length of the suspension can vary based on the severity of the offense.
During a suspension, a designer can:
- request payouts
- respond to reports
- access their account
- complete Contest handovers and final rounds
- complete active Projects
However, they cannot:
- send or receive new private messages
- report designs
- edit their profile
- enter new Contests
- start new Projects
- complete qualifying rounds
2. Level demotions: A downgrade of the designer's level. If a creator fails to comply with the standards expected for their level, they may be demoted. The demotion will depend on the quality of work, behavior, and infraction history.
3. Account ban: A permanent account suspension. In cases of severe or repeated violations, we may permanently suspend a designer’s account. A banned account may not log into 99d, and their public profile will be hidden. Banned designers are not allowed to create a new account.
How to avoid being penalized
Understanding all the rules and policies before working on 99designs by Vista is critical for success. We expect all designers on our platform to respect each other as professionals and compete fairly. We want our designers to develop their skills, gain experience, and enjoy working with clients on our platform for years to come.
Some common infractions that can lead to a penalty are:
- Copying other designers' work, whether that is within a Contest, the platform, or outside of 99designs by Vista. We highly recommend reading "A Graphic Designer's Guide to Copyright" published by AIGA. You can also read 99designs' Originality policy here.
- Misusing the report system.
- Reselling previously-sold designs to a new client
- Not declaring third-party material used in your design or declaring third-party material improperly.
- Using unmodified fonts in wordmark logos.
- Attempting to circumvent the platform's payment system
- Breaching an NDA agreement or not respecting the privacy settings of a project
- Fraudulent behavior
- Unprofessional behavior: Any behavior that is not representative of the 99designs’ brand or in violation of our Code of Conduct can be considered unprofessional. This includes, but is not limited to:
- rude, abusive, or harassing behavior toward clients, designers or staff
- spamming clients with messages or entries to a contest
- offering free work or other bribes to clients in order to win a contest
- report another designers' misconduct or breach of rules directly to the client
- bullying a client into leaving a positive review
- bullying other designers to withdraw from a contest
- abusing the report system
- taking payment outside of 99designs
- misrepresenting your skills and experience on your profile
- entering contests in which you are unable to deliver final files that meet the client’s requirements and/or 99designs’ quality standards. This is also considered misrepresentation.
The list above covers the most common mistakes we see designers make, but is not all-inclusive. We reserve the right to make decisions regarding penalties on a case-by-case basis. Repeated offenses can prompt further suspensions and ultimately a ban from the platform. You can search our help center to find more detailed information about each of the topics listed above.
Remember, understanding our policies and upholding our standards will set you up for long-term success. We’re here to support you every step of the way and are excited to see the incredible work you will create. Keep pushing your creative boundaries, stay true to your unique style, and let’s continue building the best platform for creative work together!