It is 99designs’ mission to provide designers and clients with a secure, professional platform to collaborate.
In exchange for our services (including client matching, fast payout processing, secure payments and dedicated designer support), we charge fees on contest prizes and direct work invoices to support the ongoing maintenance and improvement of our platform.
If a designer takes a client off-platform to bypass 99designs’ fees, it is considered circumvention and the designer will be suspended or permanently banned.
What is circumvention?
Some common examples of circumvention:
- Communicating and accepting payment off-site
- Accepting or soliciting invoice payments outside of a 1-to-1 Project
- A client canceling a design contest to work offsite with a designer they met onsite
What are the consequences for circumvention?
If a designer violates our Non-Circumvention Policy, they will be immediately suspended or have their account permanently closed. Higher level designers may also receive a demotion.
What should I do if a client asks me to work off-site?
By taking work off-site with a client, you waive all of the protections that 99designs provides—including secure payment and client mediation. We will no longer be able to guarantee that you will be paid on time (or at all) and won’t be able to resolve client disputes without access to your platform communications.
If a client asks you to take work or payment off of 99designs, they may not know that they are violating our site policy. We recommend that you suggest a 1-to-1 Project and refer them to this help page or Section 4 of our Terms of Use.
If the client persists, you should contact a 99designs support representative. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to maintain your integrity and professionalism while conducting business on 99designs.