Design is inherently subjective but there are certain industry standards that Clients rely on us to enforce.
We pride ourselves on nourishing a community of Designers that provide Clients with the best experience. In order to do so, we have strict quality standards that we require all Designers to uphold.
Showcasing work that fulfills the requirements of these standards is mandatory for all Designers in our community. We are constantly reviewing Designer profiles to ensure they meet our quality standards, and we reserve the right to suspend, demote or terminate Designers’ accounts if they do not meet them.
You can review our penalty guidelines here.
1 - Execution of design principles
We expect our Designers to apply certain design principles, namely foundational guidelines that allow them to create visually appealing and effective designs. This includes typography selection and editing, visual hierarchy and composition, and construction of color palettes, among others. You can review the following articles for further information:
- Elements of design
- Principles of design
- Color theory
- Composition and layout
- Typography
- Visual hierarchy
Effective use of these principles ensures that a design is not only visually appealing but also functional to the client’s purposes.
2 - Conceptual thought and ideation
Conceptual development and ideation refer to the process that brings a design to existence, impulsed by a brief, sentence, or any other prompter. For example, when a Client requests a logo for their company, a Designer is expected to read through the given information and develop concepts that best match the intention, brand, and proposition of the business. This process is crucial to offer tailored, high-quality work and to effectively solve the Client's business needs.
Although generic work per se does not violate our platform rules, we strongly advise Designers to avoid it. Some common concepts (i.e. tooth shapes for dentist offices) may be explored by you and even requested by a Client, but you always need to ensure that these concepts still result in a bespoke and original execution.
You can find more information about generic design here.
3 - Technical skills and deliverables
At 99designs by Vista, we request all our Designers to have sufficient technical skills to provide artwork of great quality. This includes, for example, having the capability to use design software appropriately (i.e. brush selection in vector-graphics software like Adobe Illustrator, use of layers and transparencies, etc.), and ensuring that the Clients’ requirements in terms of formatting, editing, and saving files, and/or the platform's rules (i.e. understanding bleed, CMYK color setup, etc.), are complied with.
As a professional, you must also have the capacity to advise Clients on what is best for their requests (e.g. specific files for specific use, font outlining, dielines, etc.) and provide solutions accordingly. Showing a lack of knowledge of these areas of the work will be considered insufficient technical skill.
4 - Communication skills
Effective communication is essential for positive exchanges with Clients. At 99designs by Vista, we require all Designers of the community to competently engage with and provide feedback to Clients regularly. In particular, Designers shall accurately discuss the conditions and norms of their work, as well as provide guidance to each Client through the process, and share all necessary information for the collaboration to be successful.