We’ve become the world’s largest online design marketplace by making it easier for design to do the things it was born to do: Build businesses. Shift attitudes. Change lives. But 99designs is really not about us. It’s about you—our customers and our designers. You’re the Bonnie to our Clyde, the pencil to our sketchbook, the thread that knits us together. We want to tell your stories, because without you, there’s no we.
Thanks for inspiring us. Pat, Jolene & Brea Special thanks to Platinum designer goopanic for the beautiful design of this book.
by Anna K.
He came to 99designs with a clear vision for his logo - a simplistic design that embodied the skyline motif without being too restrictive - and designer gelaptakgulita didn’t disappoint. “Our winning designer executed it perfectly. We use the logo as our tagless label in all products as well as bumper stickers and mail-outs in every online order.” Palmer even had the design patented and painted on the wall of OutlineTheSky’s office in the heart of Dallas’ art district! Name
Palmer Dean
OutlineTheSky has grown immensely since the days of being run from Palmer’s iPad.
Company
Outline TheSky by gelaptakgulita
While enjoying an afternoon at a Dallas beer
He’s expanded into 60 cities, added other
garden, 26-year-old Palmer Dean uncovered a gap
products like hoodies and beanies to his skyline
in the t-shirt market. Looking around, he saw
repertoire, and won a huge wholesale account
people who looked like visitors, dressed in
with athletic retail mecca Dick’s. But the
mainstream brands and distracting logos. Being a
journey doesn’t stop there. “I still look at
Dallas-native, Palmer felt he should do something
OutlineTheSky like a rough diamond, one we
to bring back hometown pride and show Dallas in
continuously try to refine and polish. When I
a simple yet fashionable light. And so, with only
first started I would always tell myself, ‘If I can
an idea and an iPad, skyline apparel brand
just sell one shirt this has been successful.’
OutlineTheSky was born.
Obviously the stakes continuously raise, but you have to keep that chip on your shoulder,
Palmer knew in order to run a successful clothing
just adjust it according to your growth.” It’s
business, branding was especially important.
clear the sky’s the limit for Palmer.
Right away, I knew this was the winner. I have since copyrighted it with our patent attorney if that’s any indication of how important it is to us!
CMYK13
rembrandtjurin
Marta Custic
Dennis Eliezer Bueno
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
It’s worth stepping out of your comfort zone. It’s a fantastic way of expanding your skills.
The things I learn every day make me better than I was yesterday.
Marta, an Australian native, moved to
Dennis is a force to be reckoned with in
Croatia when she was a teenager and had
the world of packaging design. From his
to choose a type of high school. This
design studio in Davao City, he caters to a
meant making an important career
number of international clients, many of
decision sooner than she had planned, but
whom he found through 99designs.
2012
Croatia
2009
Philippines
Marta accepted the challenge and chose graphic arts and technology. Later, at
If you ask Dennis how he got his start in
university, she dove deeper into the
graphic design, he’s likely to tell you about
printing process, improving her under-
the crayoned stick figure he drew in first
standing of what happens to designs after
grade, but he didn’t stop there. As a
they’re handed over to the client. “That
teenager, he entered poster-making
greatly affects the way I design when
contests and won a few of them. While
creating print work,” Marta says. “I always
studying computers in college, he worked
bear in mind the final product and where
as a cartoonist for the campus magazine.
and how it will be used.”
We could say, from here, his course was set!
Now, she has come full circle, passing on what she has learned to other designers, creating blog posts and webinars to help them develop their skills.
Name
Ryan Horsnail Ever dream of quitting work to travel the world? Lucky for Ryan Horsnail, his work consists of precisely that. He and his wife Tasha founded Turf to Surf, an evolving group of “inspirational nomads” committed
Company
Turf to Surf
to exploring and teaching across the globe. The two also run Teaching House, the largest CELTA training school in the world! Ryan and Tasha use their business as a passport to the world. For their latest trip, they set out to sail the world on a boat called The Cheeky Monkey with the rest of the Turf to Surf crew. But before this ship could sail, they needed a fun-loving logo to let the world know The Cheeky Monkey is approaching. “We had so many great designs to choose from and have totally fallen in love with the winning design. We’re already thinking of extra places we can put it!” Now that’s jet-setting in style!
by Emanuela
jenhar
milkochua
Jen Harely
Milko Jayson Chua
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
You need to be creative enough to stand out from the others.
The variety of contests challenges me to push myself creatively like never before.
Jen took a circuitous path to graphic
Milko Jayson Chua discovered his love for
design, discovering her passion only after
drawing in elementary school and he stuck
earning degrees in Molecular Biology and
with it all the way through a degree in Fine
Biomedical Engineering. Just for fun, she
Arts from the University of Santo Tomas.
taught herself Photoshop and Illustrator.
He was working as a senior designer for an
One day, she designed a flyer for a friend’s
international garment manufacturer when
birthday party. After that, the requests
a college buddy told him about 99designs.
started rolling in. Musicians started
Milko gave it a try and it wasn’t long before
asking her for promotional materials for
he was earning as much as he did from his
their gigs, which is how Jen wound up
other job. That’s when he quit to concen-
specializing in concert posters. She
trate on freelancing full-time. Milko loves
describes her style as “constantly
99d both for the way it forces him to
evolving.” For somebody who stumbled
improve his skills and for the relationships
into graphic design almost by accident,
he forges with clients.
2009 USA
she’s got a heck of a success story.
2009
Philippines
When your search for the funkiest finds in flavortown take you all the way to Australia, you’ll undoubtedly end up at the White Guy Cooks Thai food truck in
Name
Max Porritt
Melbourne. Serving traditional Asian hawker food dishes like banh mi sliders and satay skewers, White Guy Cooks Thai has grown to be one of the most popular food trucks Down Under. Founder Simon Williams set the wheels in motion in 2012 after being inspired by the
Company
White Guy Cooks Thai
vibrancy of communal outdoor eating in Asia. Simon soon passed the baton (or should we say skewers?) to Max Porritt, who
With a mission to capture the fresh, clean
runs the truck today.
flavors of authentic Asian Street Food, it’s no wonder the White Guy Cooks Thai truck needed an equally authentic appearance. Simon enlisted the help of 99designs for a logo and truck wrap that would get White Guy’s wheels moving. “I wanted to capture the fun of the name and the truck’s concept. I had heaps of responses and worked with two of the designers to align their designs with my vision.” The result is a bright design that captures both the hot and sour and salty and sweet flavors of Thai cuisine. It’s almost good enough to eat!
by The gonz and Cancelluca Design
Name
Olivia Wildenstein by creativesoul31
Independent Author Writing and editing the book herself was a breeze, but designing the cover was not. Not knowing exactly what she wanted, Olivia turned to 99designs to help with some ideas. And ideas she got! Olivia loved all the Olivia has been writing her creative heart out for the past six years. Unfortunately, her books were remaining hidden in an electronic stash inside of her computer rather than prominently displayed on the bookshelf. Earlier this year, encouraged by her entrepreneurial husband’s fondness for the do-it-yourself approach, Olivia decided to self-publish her latest novel, The Masterpiecers.
designs so much, she had to resort to a Facebook poll to choose “the one.” In the end, Olivia’s experience with 99designs proved self-publishing wasn’t as scary as it seemed — she’s already released a second novel! “We live in the most propitious time to be entrepreneurs. With access to websites like Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, and 99designs, all of our dreams can be made possible.” And the 99designs Pulitzer goes to…
BIERMARK
Sava Stoic
Ben Capazo
Sava Stojsavljevic
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Deep down, I always wanted to be designing in some way.
The best way to create interesting work is this healthy competition.
Some people find their passions early on,
Unlike a lot of 99designs artists, Sava
while others discover them little by little.
Stojsavljevic doesn’t consider graphic
Ben Capazo is part of the latter group. It
design to be his primary profession. That’s
wasn’t until he found his way to graphic
reserved for painting. But you’d never know
design and 99designs at the age of 30,
that when checking out the quality of his
that he discovered his true calling--an
logos and designs.
2012
USA
2011
Serbia
affinity for designing beer labels. “Beers are just fun,” he says. “So much opportu-
Sava loves 99designs for its competition
nity to create something memorable and
and believes the talent of other designers
cool.” Ben’s story reminds us that it
forces him to do his best. For inspiration,
doesn’t matter when we discover our
he looks to the internet and other Platinum
passion, as long as we do.
designers. You can see the extent of his commitment in his relationships with clients, many of which have become friends and even business partners.
Name
Katie McLaughlin
Company
Hair & There
Arthean
Zehra Dervisevic
Designer since
2012
Location
Bosnia
Katie McLaughlin had a thing for hair for as long as she can remember – as a little girl, you could always find her playing beauty shop with her sisters. When she graduated high school though, she chose college over cosmetology school. But after taking on a full time job as a marketing manager, she was still feeling the pull of the beauty industry. She started doing
Before her biz could be (literally) on-the-go, Hair &
tons of research online and found that
There needed a clear brand identity. And so began the
Texas offers a mobile salon license.
99designs fairytale of Katy and Arthean. Because of
Without delay, Katie found the perfect
Arthean’s background in architecture, she understood
trailer, the perfect builder, and let her
how to infuse the uniqueness of Katy’s mobile salon
imagination go wild. One 40-page
into a functional design, and Katy immediately fell for
business plan and four months of
Arthean’s clean, vintage aesthetic. After Arthean won
renovation later, Hair and There Mobile
Katy’s contest for a retro logo-and-business card, the
Salon was born!
two went on to work on a 1:1 project to design Hair & There’s website in similar fashion.
by Arthean
Arthean was crucial in helping get Hair & There off the ground running: “Her designs really set the stage for the type of business I was trying to convey,” says Katy. And Arthean has nothing but love for Katy as well; “I really like when I can develop my identity concept further, which was in this case a website. I find it especially interesting because of the background story and such a unique concept of the business.” It goes to show that if you believe in what you’re working on and work with equally passionate people, great things will come.
by Arthean
by Arthean
99Spy
Giulio Rossi
Spyros Tsimouris
Giulio Rossi
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
It’s been a life-changer! I’m now working full-time (or maybe more) here.
I love the pressure because it pushes you to get better, while training your creativity.
There are many reasons why people
For most of his life, Giulio has felt
choose to freelance, but one of the most
compelled to draw everything around him,
common is the desire to attain Spyros
but he didn’t take his interest seriously
Tsimouris’ kind of lifestyle: working from
until he bought his first tablet computer.
his studio in sun-filled Greece, creating
He started off with commissioned portraits
designs for clients all around the globe.
and his work soon caught fire on social
But, Spyros didn’t get here by chance. He
media and blogs. At that point, he started
has been active in design since he was 19
to get so many requests, he felt he could
years old and decided to spend the first
legitimately call himself a graphic
sum of money he ever earned on an Apple
designer.
2012
Greece
2011
Italy
Macintosh IIx. Today, Giulio sells his artwork online and This investment opened up the world of
works with movie directors, writers,
“desktop publishing” systems and Spyros
publishers, and ad agencies. He found 99d
hasn’t looked back since. While his formal
when looking for illustration contests and
education is in Fine Arts, Architectural
was instantly hooked. His secret? Unlike
Design, and Marketing Communication,
most designers, he doesn’t look at other
he says that the best education comes
contestants’ work. He’s committed to
from “real mistakes you make for real
originality in everything he does and his
customers. Priceless!”
clients appreciate it.
Name
Bill Brooks by amsky
Company
Vecchi Velo Cycling Club
French term for “bicycle,” don’t let their age fool you - they love the big climbs, and they needed cycling gear to show it. In comes 99designs and designer amsky, who outfitted Vecchi Velo with signature cycling gear inspired by the team’s biggest The fun only starts when you retire, or at
climbs (think Pyrenees and Dolomites). But
least that’s the case for Bill Brooks and the
for Vecchi Velo, the global community of
rest of the Vecchi Velo Cycling Club! They’re
99designs is what got them most excited:
a group of 50 to 60 year-old road bike riders
“We are from Washington and ended up
that have been cycling together for years
with a designer from Israel - this never
throughout America and Europe. Although
would have happened without 99designs!”
they named themselves Vecchi Velo after
Looks like we have no excuse not to exercise
the Italian word for “old people” and the
today, huh?
XxnlKoxX
TwinkleBee
Nicola D’Alessandro
Elena Dodevska
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Everything that is art deserves respect.
I simply love what I do. It is the only place I feel fulfilled and inspired.
Nicola fell in love with the world of design
Elena love for design comes through loud
when he was very young. Eventually, he
and clear when she talks about her
discovered software programs like
profession: “For me, design is the search
Photoshop and Illustrator and his love for
for a magical balance between business
drawing morphed from pen and paper
and art…intuition and reason, concept and
into a successful career.
detail, playfulness and formality.”
Nicola’s first interaction with 99designs
Elena’s first “real” project was designing
was through a contest to redesign the
the logo for her father’s company. Today,
Miami Dolphins logo. He had discovered
she specializes in designing business
the site through internet research and the
cards. Elena says 99designs is the place
contest immediately appealed to his
where she “feels like home.” Isn’t that what
competitive nature. He didn’t achieve
we all want from our careers?
2010 Italy
success overnight, but he describes winning his first contest as an “indescribable emotion.”
2010
Macedonia
Name
Marc Rigsby & Bennett Rainey Company
Crayon Lacing Inspired by a need to stand out from the crowd in the conservative world of men’s fashion, Marc and Bennett wanted to create a brand that would make bold statements by adding touches of color. The idea dawned on them while attending law school, where they strove to add splashes of color to outfits (watches,
Name
Brian Park
Company
Nabee Socks
Brian Park’s primary inspiration for starting his own business was freedom and creative autonomy in his work. And his background in pre-med from Georgetown made Brian an expert on healthcare. But instead of donning scrubs, Brian went for socks—using his knowledge of blood flow and anatomy to
laces, socks, etc.) to set themselves apart from what they called a “monochromatic setting.” This is how Crayon was born. But a fashion forward brand needs a fashion forward logo. So they turned to 99designs to create the elegant brand statement they needed. Since their contest, Crayon has launched online (and in selected retail stores) with their line of vibrant shoe laces that add elegance and color to men’s dress shoes. And Marc and Bennett hope to soon expand their line socks and ties too. Looking fresh, you guys!
develop a line of medical compression socks to keep nurses comfortable while on their feet all day. In 2013, Brian knew it was time to take a big step and get a logo created for Nabee Socks. Unsure at first on how to get started, Brian learned of 99designs through the Tim Ferriss podcast and decided to give it a shot. The result was a stellar logo that helped get Nabee off the ground. “Once we had a logo, it felt like we were a real company. This motivated and pushed us forward.” Today Nabee is a full fledged online business making feet happy for nurses and athletes everywhere.
layout reflect her signature pink punk personality, the criteria for Foxie Bombs’ logo was no different. She asked 99d designers to brand Foxie Bombs with a logo that was funky yet professional, with the caveat that incorporating her bubblegum pink afro was a must. The results surpassed Kayla’s own expectations. “I chose two designers who delivered exactly what I had visioned, only they turned it up 10 notches and gave things I never would've Name
Kayla Phillips
thought of!” The next step was printing custom hang tags,
Company
Foxie Bombs With a pink afro, the nickname Foxie and a side
boxes, stickers and more to show customers
gig as the leader singer in a Nashville-based punk
their products are made with care by one of the
band, you can bet any company Kayla Phillips
coolest gals in Nashville. “Everything is
starts is going to be totally rad. Foxie Bombs,
completely professional now, and I’m able to
Kayla’s hand-made vegan bath bomb e-commerce
have a distinct look that stands out.” But
site, is no disappointment. Kayla sees her
success doesn’t stop here for Foxie, who plans
company as another form of artistic expression,
on expanding the Foxie brand and staying true
which might explain why the colorful bath bombs
to her own voice. “Don’t be surprised if you find
are worthy of Picasso’s praise.
yourself walking into a coffee-meets-skincare shop called Foxie’s Grindhouse in 5 years!” With
Since Kayla spends extra time making sure her
her level of moxie, we definitely don’t doubt
product photos, item descriptions and site
Foxie.
by *sabrina*
Now I can consistently go above and beyond for the customers, and they'll have a great logo to share.
Dizziness Design
adilu studio
François Terrien
Estefanía Sanz
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
99designs offers opportunities all over the world that I could never reach on my own.
99designs makes me better every day.
François’s passion for graphic design
As a child, Estefanía Sanz dreamed of
began with an obsession for fonts.
being a cartoonist for Disney and you can
Although his heart was in graphic design,
see that early influence in the fun
Francois studied industrial design in
character illustrations she incorporates
school, and now creates everything from
into almost all of her designs. Graphic
furniture to sound design. Francois owns
design lets her bring her creativity to life.
his own company, Dizziness Design, with
As Estefania explains, “Design makes me
international clients from a wide range of
reach interesting ideas, and I’m able to
locations, from Paris to Brussels.
continue my passion of drawing.”
François discovered 99designs in his
Estefania discovered 99designs through
quest for more international clients and is
her boyfriend and credits the platform with
now working on on things like wine labels
helping her improve her craft daily. She’s
from Australia and premium vodka in the
still working with logos and is expanding
U.K. He credits 99d with boosting his
her skill set to include web design.
2012
France
portfolio far beyond what most young designers are able to achieve.
2011
Spain
Name
Aylin Amore
Company
Mommelier
her Masters in French Cultural Studies while living in Paris, Aylin named her blog after the French word for winemaker, Sommelier. The “mom” part comes from her other job as ringleader to two toddlers. What started as a fun project for a stay-at-home mom soon grew into a fulltime by Cross the Lime
business. The next step was establishing a
Imagine lounging seaside by the French
more professional web presence, which is
Riviera while sipping a glass of Pinot.
where 99designs comes in. Aylin launched a
Sounds good, right? Although we can’t have
Logo and Business Card contest and was
that per se, Aylin Amore lets us pretend by
blown away by the results, so much so that
sharing fancy recipes, inspiring travel
she chose two winners! “My logo is both
photos, and parenting advice on her wine
elegant and whimsical yet quickly identifi-
and lifestyle blog, Mommelier.
able. It speaks fully to the brand I am trying
A self-proclaimed Francophile who received
to establish.” C'est magnifique!
by g3mrk
Name
Dan Ford
Just like Tim Tams, vegemite and kangaroos, beef jerky is popular Down Under. So much so that Australian-native Dan Ford has been perfecting his own recipe since the age of 13. But he never thought he would make a
Company
Bald Rock Beef Jerky
living out of it. Instead, Dan pursued a career as a lawyer and made jerky in his spare time for family and friends. Well, until his hungry fans encouraged him to take the jerky off the back-burner and into the retail environment. One Kickstarter campaign and 722 backers later, Bald Rock Beef Jerky was born! otherwise have been able to enter. One year With three to four different brands of beef
on we have nearly 100 retailers, a very
jerky competing side-by-side in any given
successful market tent set up every
Australian convenience store, Dan knew he
weekend at the very popular Eat Street
needed his product to stand out. He turned
Markets in Brisbane, several employees and
to 99designs for product packaging that
an office headquarters.” Not to mention Bald
would grab consumers of all demographics,
Rock won both the Tenterfield Agricultural
and our designers didn’t disappoint. “Having
Business of the Year award and the
quality professional packaging designed has
Innovation Business of the Year award —
opened up lots of markets that I would not
that’s some perky jerky!
Nicholas Sheriff
dasaideabox
Nicholas Sheriff
Dasa Mamula
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Starting a business would have been harder without the 99designs learning curve.
I like the challenge of summing up a client’s ideas into one simple logo.
Nicholas was already on 99designs when
Many people have that one teacher who
an illness left him unable to work.
changed the course of their lives forever.
Although he couldn’t actively design, he
For Dasa, it was a high school teacher who
could certainly think – and that’s just
encouraged her to study graphic design in
what he did. He came up with the idea for
college. It was a perfect fit. Dasa later
Quest, an app that works like a browser
specialized in logo design, having enjoyed
with souped-up search capabilities.
the challenge of summing up a client’s
2008 USA
2010
Croatia
ideas and representing a company in a That’s when Nicholas’s commitment to his
simple graphic. She sees the logo as the
99d clients really paid off. A former client
most important and most valuable element
became an investor and partner. Just a
of design, because it’s the starting point of
few weeks later, the app was available for
a company’s brand.
purchase and started racking up positive reviews.
She acknowledges that our fast-moving culture accentuates the need for fresh logos that will help companies stand out from the crowd. By keeping this in mind, Dasa helps companies take on the world.
Name
Dani NimoySchwartz
Company
ShopLLAP by Michael4682
Does Spock from Star Trek ring a bell? How
When Leonard passed away this year, Dani
about his ubiquitous salute, “Live long and
decided it was time to rebrand ShopLLAP,
prosper”? The actor behind it all, Leonard
and 99d designers were given the challenge
Nimoy, didn’t want the phrase to end with
of creating a logo as iconic as Leonard’s
the movie dynasty, so he launched an Etsy
character Spock was. Designer
shop with the help of his granddaughter
Michael4682 stepped up to the plate with a
Dani in 2010 selling branded t-shirts,
clean and sophisticated design that
keychains and souvenirs. Although the shop
memorializes Spock’s Vulcan salute. But
gained momentum on Etsy, Leonard and
Dani’s experience with 99designs didn’t end
Dani knew they would need to start their
there. A few months, later she paid a visit to
own site in order for it to really feel like their
our Oakland office to personally thank
own business. They launched ShopLLAP in
Calvin for all the one-on-one time he spent
2012 with a mission to embody the passion,
helping with her contest! It couldn’t have
compassion and intelligence of Spock’s
been a more fitting way to rebrand a
character. Fittingly, more than half the
company focused on compassion and
proceeds are donated to nonprofits.
human connection.
Name
David Urbansky Company
Spoonacular Lots of people have a passion for food. But David Urbansky wanted to combine his love of food with his passions for semantic search technology and linked data… Are you scratching your head now? Well keep reading…
Name
Ashley Jones Company
Love Not Lost They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, though a picture from Love Not Lost is priceless. The nonprofit founded by Ashley Jones photographs those with terminal illnesses to capture and preserve their memory for their loved ones.
David’s dream was to create Spoonacular, an online food management system that tracks your dining-out experience with your home cooking to help you organize favorite restaurants, foods, and recipes that fit your diet and nutrition goals. Spoonacular will analyze your searches to find ideal recipes, and can further track those recipes to help populate shopping lists and even calculate the nutritional information. Spoonacular is basically every foodie’s best, most organized and overly methodical friend. Since finding his logo on 99designs David has launched Spoonacular online. Now you can go eat, track and be healthy!
With the touching mission of preserving memories and building community, Love Not Lost was in need of an equally captivating logo that would help attract volunteers and donors. Designer Reyleigh took part in Love Not Lost’s story by creating a unique logo for the nonprofit.
by Reyleigh
Nadia and Luca came across 99designs during one of their daily Skype dates. Impressed by the professionality of the site, they decided to sign up under a shared account—which is when Lucadia was born! At first Nadia was nervous that working together would take up all their time. It turns out it does—but the two are actually grateful for it. “99designs is a way for us to stay connected,” explains Luca. “It’s something we love to do together and we are on 99designs almost daily. It’s great to share that feeling of excitement while waiting for that orange notification sign, or rushing to call the other the moment stars appear under our Lucadia
Luca & Nadia
design.”
Designer since:
2013 Location:
Italy & Amsterdam This is the ultimate love story of the modern age. Luca lived in southern Italy and ran his own ad agency but felt unsatisfied; Nadia was in Amsterdam trying to rediscover her passion for graphic design after being sidetracked by an illness. It was destiny when they virtually bumped into each other on social media thanks to a passion for racing. Luca absolutely felt love at first message, and it wasn’t long before he bought a ticket to visit Nadia. The rest, as they say, is history.
As they work together and continue to develop as graphic designers, their relationship grows stronger despite the distance. And the more they win, the more they get to see each other—and that never hurts!
for Airship
for jane d2
Be curious, experiment and find your own style. Don’t be afraid to fail because in the end you will be a better designer. -Luca
for ac.dizarny
Bence Balaton
miss_delaware
Bence Balaton
Carolina Torres
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
I had no experience, no portfolio, no equipment. In one year, I became Platinum.
A great way to meet potential clients and to push the limits of your ideas.
Not all of us are fortunate enough to turn
Carolina Torres harnessed her skills in web
a childhood love into a career, but Bence
design while working at a studio. At the
did just that. He turned his childhood love
time, illustration was just a hobby, but it
of drawing into a job as an animator and
quickly became another source of income.
graphic designer at a London-based film
Now, Carolina works in both fields. She
studio. He credits his start on 99designs
credits her unique illustrations to her love
with helping him get there.
of layers, filters, textures, and shapes. She
2012
United Kingdom
2011
Argentina
makes the color palette a top priority when Bence gets his design inspiration from
working on designs, improving it through
comic books, fractals, realistic images
trial and error and careful research. Fonts
and more. He’s even inspired by street art,
are another priority and Carolina works
with its raw visuals, color separations and
hard to find the perfect one for each
details. While Bence’s designs are rich
project. At the end of the day, for Carolina,
with intricacies, he never forgets that no
it all comes down to communicating a
matter how beautiful a design may be, it’s
message in a beautiful way.
about more than visual appeal. “The most important part is that it’s coherent,” Bence says. “I always play with it as much as I can.”
Name
Daniel Berkowitz
Up, up and away! Daniel Berkowitz formed Atlas Development Co. with the Herculean goal of revitalizing the greater Pittsburgh area. By redeveloping neighborhoods that
Company
Atlas Development Co.
have been plagued with crime, broken windows and misery, Atlas aims to transform the region into the vibrant entrepreneurial hub it once was. Like any superhero, Atlas needed a signature look to let the public know they were here to save the day. But they didn’t want a literal interpretation of their name; instead, they wanted the design to be iconic on its own. 99designs to the rescue! Platinum designer No. 6 delivered a superb art-deco brand identity that even Batman would be proud to sport. “We get comments all the time on our new brand identity. It’s innovative and really embodies the feel of who we are and what we do.” Shazam! by No. 6
Name
Alex Harris
I still use 99designs to make my work perfect. The great Jay-Z once said, “I’m not a
Company
Alex Designs LLC
businessman, I’m a business, man!” This definitely holds true for entrepreneur and marketer Alex Harris, whose multiple endeavors include being a top-ranked podcast host, running a web design agency, and, as of recently, writing the educational book Small Business Big Money Online. He may not be on tour with Kanye yet... but you never know what’ll happen. Alex had already published his book when he came to 99designs. But as the owner of a design agency himself, Alex knew his book could look better. So he asked the 99d designers to redesign the cover and make it pop. Well, pop it did! The new cover even earned a spot as #1 best-seller on Amazon. Better watch the throne... by Adjayceency
Name
Jennifer Fulwiler Author
Jennifer Fulwiler is a radio host and an author who wrote a best selling book in 2014. But when she wrote her second book she wanted to do things a little differently… She decided to take a leap and self-publish, an option that would allow her all the creative freedom that she didn’t have with her first book, which was
published through a San Francisco based publishing house. The book, Like Living Among Scorpions, was a humorous read and a departure from her original book, so she knew she needed a cover that would come across as light-hearted and funny while staying true to her personality. Luckily Jennifer found a designer that took the time to get to know her and her previous work, creating a cover that was befitting of her brand. The result was outstanding! “My new book reached the #1 spot in Amazon Kindle's Parenting and Family Humor section, as well as the #2 spot in Humor Essays. It was amazing to see my 99designs cover right there next to books by Tina Fey, Jim Gaffigan, and Amy Poehler.”
Name
Dharmesh Shah Company
OnStartups Dharmesh Shah could be called the startup whisperer. Having started three lucrative startups (HubSpot being one of them) and investing in nine others, he definitely knows a thing or two about the industry. Like any tech entrepreneur, Dharmesh has a repertoire of tools he uses to run his businesses. But, after a
falling out with Logoworks, he no longer had a trusty resource for design. In need of design work for his many endeavors —and wanting a variety of creative ideas to choose from — Dharmesh chose 99designs as his platform of choice. “Even if I hired a single individual at 20x the price, I would have no guarantee that the outcome would have been anywhere near the same.” Like us, Dharmesh wound up being a fan of the crowdsource model.
contest for Biscuit Life’s brand identity with the title “Calling all dog lovers,” Platinum designer and fellow dog-lover Creative HArt immediately jumped on the opportunity. It was a match from the start. “I felt really confident that I could trust Diana when after my exclamations about how much I loved the logo, she insisted I don’t make any quick decisions. She said that if I decided to pick her design, it should be done after seeing all the submissions with no regrets,” recalls Amanda. Name
Amanda Olafsson
Creative HArt
Diana Dumitru
Company
Biscuit Life Companion
Designer since
2013
Location
Romania In fact, Amanda was so impressed by Diana that they kept talking after the contest had long wrapped up.
The theme of the movie “Must Love Dogs” rings true for both Amanda Olafsson and designer Diana Dumitru, otherwise known as Creative HArt, who found friendship on the 99designs platform through their mutual love of canines.
The two bonded over their mutual appreciation for four-legged friends and, in June 2015, Amanda went so far as to visit Diana in Romania! “Meeting Diana at the airport was more like meeting an old friend than meeting for the first time,” says Amanda. The two spent eight days hiking through the mountains of Bucharest, visiting historical cities, and Diana even taught Amanda how to cook traditional Romanian dishes. “Amanda is now my best friend although we
Amanda started Biscuit Life Compan-
live on different continents,” says Diana. “We Skype
ion in April 2015, a blog that focuses on
often, we share every little detail of our lives, we get
life-planning and productivity for
along like we are sisters.” Seems like this friendship is
dog-owners. When Amanda launched a
more than just puppy love!
by Creative HArt
by Creative HArt
by Creative HArt
by Creative HArt
PixelsJen
igorlale
Jen Furlotte
Igor Lale
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
I enjoy meeting new designers and clients and the challenge of the contests.
I have gained a lot of experience and learned how to deal with clients.
While Jen’s path to design might have
Plenty of designers have used 99designs
been traditional, studying Marketing in
to launch their careers, but Igor used
college, her source of inspiration certainly
99designs to pay for college. He discov-
isn’t. When she needs an idea, she flips
ered 99d when he was searching for a way
through the pages of 50-year-old
to make extra money while still in school.
magazines. “I get inspiration from older
Not only did he accomplish this goal, but
styles and look at ways to make them
he also learned a lot about working with
modern in my own way,” says Jen.
clients. He was even able to transfer those
2008
Canada
2011
Bosnia
lessons to his academics, upping the Today, Jen’s design business, which
quality of his assignments.
specializes in small business identity packaging, is thriving and she enters
Now, at only 24 years old, Igor is already
99design contests as often as her other
making a name for himself in the world of
work allows. Her advice to other designers
graphic design. His track record of success
who’d like to achieve the same level of
at winning contests even earned him a
success? “Don’t take negative feedback
spot on local TV. That’s good news for his
personally. Use it to make your work
career ambitions, since he’d like to open a
better.” This approach certainly seems to
design studio in his hometown and expand
be working well for her.
his skill set to include things like animation and video montage.
Name
by puky
David Spaulding
Company
Liberation Bike Shop
Holding a strong belief in the community-building power of bicycling, David knew Liberation needed a logo that would convey its specialness. He sent some rough sketches to our designers and left it up to them to interpret his vision. The result is an iconic vintage logo incorporating bicycle A self-proclaimed outdoorsman, David
iconography and classic American colors.
Spaulding always dreamed of starting a
“My design captures the idea of biking and
business that embodied his passion for
the spirit of freedom and fun it represents.
nature and adventure. David made this
As I grow within the community, I look
dream reality when, in 2013, he opened
forward to the design gaining more
Liberation Bike Shop, a bike rental and
recognition.� Although David says Washing-
repair shop that encouraged eastern
ton is just beginning to embrace bicycles,
Washington residents and tourists to explore
we’re positive this new logo will help
the beautiful tri-cities area on two wheels.
encourage the movement!
N24
Meadow
Niva van de Geer
Arnesia Yada
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
I came to learn and I’ve been learning with every contest I enter.
I’m kind of living in a dream come true right now.
Nearly everyone has dreamed of chucking
What Arnesia Yada cherishes most about
the day-to-day grind to travel the world.
the freelance lifestyle is being able to earn
But how many people do you know who
a living while having the flexibility many
have actually lived that dream? Well, now
parents only ever dream of. To make it even
you know at least one.
better, Arnesia’s husband also works from
2010
Netherlands
2008
Australia
home as a graphic designer (he’s simolio Niva was working as a lawyer in the
on 99designs).
Netherlands when he decided to travel the world and use his passion for drawing
Arnesia’s story illustrates the importance
to pay for it. So he quit his job and left for
of “word of mouth” in the freelance
Mexico with his girlfriend and a MacBook
community. Her husband heard about
Pro. That’s when he entered – and won –
99designs from a friend. After he won a
his first 99designs contest.
contest and went on to get additional work from the client, she decided to follow his
Working with 99d has helped Niva live his
lead and signed up herself. Eventually, they
dream and he wants other designers to
both quit their day jobs to freelance
realize they can do the same. “I ended up
full-time.
getting more out of the experience than I ever imagined.”
DSKY
GangmaZ
Konstantin Yastrebov
Vlad
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
My friend showed me 99designs and it changed my life.
I’d wake up in the middle of the night and create images of what I had just dreamed about.
Konstantin heard about 99d through a
Vlad is quite literally living his dreams. As
friend and started designing logos on the
a child, he’d stay up past his bedtime,
platform. Wanting to challenge himself,
drawing for hours. He’d even get up during
he decided to try web design. He didn’t
the night to capture things he dreamed
find success right away, but he kept
about. As an adult, he channeled that
entering contests and sharpening his
passion toward web design and that’s how
skills until he did. Now, web design makes
he found his way to 99designs.
2011
Ukraine
2008
Serbia
up the majority of his business. Vlad was one of the very first designers to Konstantin attributes his 99designs
sign up with 99designs, but that doesn’t
success to learning everything he could
mean it was easy. His first few designs
from other designers and from open
were unsuccessful, and he was about to
communication with clients. He says, “I
give up when his girlfriend won a contest
have a lot more to learn. My goal is to
(so quitting was no longer an option!). His
leave a significant mark in this world and
persistence paid off and his wins soon
design is a great opportunity for that.” As
began to mount up quickly. Today, Vlad is
an active member of the 99d community,
one of 99designs’ highest-earning
he’s well on his way to leaving that mark
designers.
by sharing his experience and insight with other designers.
-Dan
MANTSA
Dan Vencatachellum
Kenneth Olympia
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
My goal is to leave a proud legacy for the generations that will follow.
99designs has made me a better artist.
Dan’s life sounds like a fairy tale: Living on
Unlike some designers who found their
a tiny island with beautiful beaches,
way to graphic design through more
working from home in the mornings,
circuitous routes, Kenneth Olympia went
attending bible school in the afternoon,
direct with a degree in Advertising. It
with plenty of time left to fish and pursue
wasn’t until he got a job in graphic design
other hobbies. That’s a life almost any
that he learned how to apply his skills to
freelancer would gladly aspire to. Working
the computer screen.
2014
Mauritius
2014
Philippines
with 99designs, Dan actually did it. Kenneth found 99designs while working Under family pressures to choose a career,
full-time at a design company. The work
Dan decided to study civil engineering.
and platform appealed to him, as did the
But he quickly realized that his passion
flexibility, but he was hesitant. After all, he
lay elsewhere. He had learned the basics
had a family to support. But he finally took
of graphic design in high school and
the plunge and never looked back. His
decided to give it a try. That’s what
favorite part of the job? The variety in the
brought him to 99designs, where he
work he receives, and the ability to
participated in contests and developed
showcase his designs to a global audience,
his own style of modern design with a
all without sacrificing family time. Who
vintage flare. Now he runs his own studio,
wouldn’t love that?
UTC Designs.
vanessanoheart
_Trickster_
Vanessa No Heart
Serbanescu Gabriel
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
99designs has helped me improve my skills while building positive client relationships.
It’s the thrill that everyone wants – to see your design appreciated, shared and used.
Many designers who graduated during
Serbanescu fell in love with drawing when
the recession gave up on their passions
he was a kid, but never thought he could
and decided to pursue more lucrative
actually make a living following his
careers. Not Vanessa. When she had
passion. But then a friend introduced him
trouble finding a permanent design
to 99designs and his world changed.
2010 USA
2009
Romania
position, she turned to 99designs and found roaring success. Her book covers
As a child, Serbanescu enjoyed drawing
and posters, combining photography and
skeletons and monsters, and those early
typography, have received rave reviews
influence are still evident in his edgy t-shirt
and she recently landed a graphic design
designs. “The fact that I am doing what I
position at a prominent publishing house.
always wanted and even get paid for it – this is one of the things that I will never
Vanessa attributes her success to
stop being surprised by.” How’s that for
understanding client briefs and using
inspiration?
them to develop strong concepts. She believes a great design is one in which all elements come together seamlessly, making the design look effortless. Now, that’s true talent.
mention delicious) barrel aged Belgian-style ales and sour beers. Chris and Avery keep the congenial spirit of Vermont alive by featuring the work of local artists in the brewery, hosting weekly tastings with Vermont’s finest cheese artisans, and hosting staff bonding events that involve a whole lot of beer. We like to think of them as the Ben & Jerry of the brewing world. Name
Christophe & Avery
With a brewery as awesome as theirs, Chris
Company
Hermit Thrush Brewery by Freshinnet
When college friends Christophe Gagnè and
and Avery weren’t going to just settle for any
Avery Schwenk met up in Philadelphia nearly a
logo. They enlisted the help of 99designs to
decade after graduation, they bonded over their
“put a bird on” their brewery. Designer
mutual appreciation for fine beer and long beards.
Freshinnet pulled through with a rustic logo
The two hatched a plan for a microbrewery in
that would make any Portlandia-watching
Brattleboro, Vermont that would combine
beer-loving hippie proud. "Freshinnet was the
community, nature and environmental awareness.
perfect designer for our brewery! He offered
Voila — Hermit Thrush Brewery was born!
two variations on the logo and was very responsive with edits — we would definitely
Hermit Thrush prides themselves on making top-quality, environmentally-conscious (not to
recommend him to a friend." Cheers to that!
3AM3I
Joerg Meinhardt
Jelena Stupar
Joerg Meinhardt
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
I improve my skills with every new project, by giving my best on anything I create.
I love the process of developing a visual communication for a company.
As Jelena Stupar says, “Spending time on
Joerg Meinhardt fell in love with graphic
what you love the most helps you do your
design when he was just 15 years old. He
best at it.” Jelena discovered design in
spent five years studying graphic design in
high school and studied it further in
Vienna and soon realized that corporate
college. She went on to work in a variety
design fueled his passion for the theoreti-
of studios, but couldn’t find the passion
cal background of design, minimalism and
she was looking for. She and her husband
visual communication. Now, he has his
started looking for something that would
own graphic design company with
meet that need and that’s how they ended
international clients.
2011
Croatia
2014
Vienna
up on 99d. Joerg continues to hone his skills through Like many designers who are new to the
99d’s Logo & Web category. While he has
platform, Jelena found the competition
always loved designing from scratch,
tough. But, her desire to succeed pushed
participating in contests for this category
her to stick with it and it didn’t take long
has helped him develop an appreciation for
for clients to recognize her skills. Not
templates. In fact, he tries to spend an
coincidentally, Jelena’s motto comes from
hour each day browsing through tutorials,
the 99designs blog: “Don’t submit
trying to learn a new skill or a better, faster
something if you are not completely
way of performing an old one.
satisfied with it yourself.”
Name
Margeaux Wymer
Company
The W Gallery
From working in a gallery to owning the gallery, Margeaux made it happen when she saw an opportunity and took the chance. Previously Margeaux worked with a partner showcasing jewelry in their Ohio based gallery. It was successful, but she always dreamed about how she would do things differently if
Name
Gibson Morales
Company
Mo Bros Books
Oh, brother! Gibson Morales and his brother Vicente started Mo Bros Books as a way to get their Young Adult Dystopian Adventure stories to readers. Their books speak primarily to the teenage video gamer crowd, though they also pride themselves on witty satires and whodunnit crime novels.
she made all the decisions. So when her partner decided not to renew the building lease, she realized opportunity was knocking. Margeaux signed the lease and expanded the space to form The W Gallery, offering handmade jewelry as well as pottery, photographs and paintings from local artists. But a new stand-out space needed a new logo, which is where 99designs stepped in. And after she finalized her logo, Margeaux continued working with her winning designer to create new business cards and signage. To date, we hear that Margeaux still gets compliments on her logo from customers walking by, which gives us all the warm fuzzies… Art begets art, no?
Gibson holds his writing to a high standard and doesn’t want to settle when it comes to design, which is why he continually turns to 99designs to help him create top-quality books for readers. “I’m very hands on in the design process and 99designs encourages feedback, so it works very well for me.” For his latest sci-fi book series “The Aldrinverse” Gibson had a killer space-themed logo designed by designer YeeYee. He even had the design printed on t-shirts and a banner to bring to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this past summer! Cool story, bro (but actually).
RotRed
The JA Designs
Najla Mansour
Jerald Angelo Juatco
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
I love everything about the group…but the thing I like most is the contests.
It will boost your creativity and you will gain inspiration from other designers.
Najla knew at age 15 that she wanted to
Spending time on social media is more
be a graphic designer, but when it was
than a pastime for Jerald. For him, it’s a
time to choose a path, she chose
career. He specializes in social media
Architecture. Najla says that one of the
design, providing the kind of customization
most important things she learned in
that can make a business page or site
school is how to meet the challenges of
stand out from the crowd. That niche
designing for someone other than
evolved after Jerald won several Facebook
yourself.
design contests. He realized social media
2009 Syria
2013
Philippines
represented an unfulfilled need, and he At 99designs, Najla works hard to
loved the challenge of trying to come up
understand what her clients are looking
with something out-of-the-box, catching,
for and to then bring that concept to life.
and appealing to fill it.
But meeting clients’ requirements hasn’t dampened her passion one bit! “Design is my life,” she enthuses. “Every time you finish a design, you feel that you brought something to life, you gave something a soul, something came from your mind and thoughts – this is what I call creation.” So do we, Najla, so do we.
kimvc
LittleFox
Kim Hubball
Marko Matovic
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Motivation is the feeling you get when you create a design your client loves.
99designs is my window into the world.
With more than 100 contest wins under
When Marko first heard of 99designs, he
her belt, you wouldn’t think Kim Hubball
was baffled. A platform that would connect
would know a whole lot about losing, but
him to clients around the world, without
she believes losing contests is a big part
having to leave his bedroom? It must be a
of her success. She sees each loss as an
joke, he thought. Marko’s dubious mindset
experience that helps her improve her
quickly shifted when he won his first
skills and further establishes her presence
contest less than a week after joining.
in the community. This optimism has
Since then, Marko’s built a global network
served her well.
of clients that love his animated style.
2008
United Kingdom
2009
Serbia
99designs has become his passport to the Kim found her way to 99designs after
world. “Yesterday it was an illustration for
leaving her job as a motion graphics
a Dutch client, today an animation for a
designer to stay home with her son. She
company in Hong Kong. It almost feels like
needed something that would satisfy her
I am travelling the world myself.” We were
creative side and 99d fit the bill, giving
right —design does ignore borders!
her an avenue for honing her skills and earning some cash. That initial experiment turned into a business, working her own hours while caring for her son. As Kim says, “To me, that’s priceless.”
Name
Collins Paris Company
Paleo Baking Company Meet Hannah. She's a marketing and business consultant based out of the greater Minneapolis-St.Paul Area. Her entire life, she had been on a quest to enjoy her favorite baked goods in a healthy way. Having suffered from autoimmune symptoms all her life, she eventually discovered the Paleo Diet which includes only
Name
Ramona Werst Company
Backyard Genie Ramona Werst wanted to make backyard gardening easier for people. After all, the idea of creating an edible garden all on your own can be intimidating if you’re just getting started. So Ramona identified the necessary garden starter tools and created a 3-piece set of tools
whole, natural foods. While still tending to her day job, she founded Paleo Baking Company in 2012 with the dream of sharing her delicious mixes with the rest of the world. In 2014, Collins Paris took over the company and moved the operations to Seattle, Washington. He knew they needed a new brand and a fresh look for the company. That's when they turned to 99designs for a logo to use in their branding and their packaging. With the logo in place, Paleo was able to start selling their products online and in select stores. But their experience with 99designs didn’t stop there. They received such good feedback on the logo that Collins ran a packaging contest shortly after, giving Paleo the signature look they’re now known for. We’d give up Hot Cheetos for them, wouldn’t you?
for the gardening beginner. Voilà —you’ve got the Backyard Genie! Not only did Ramona use 99designs to create her logo and cute genie mascot, but she finalized packaging for the garden set too. Then, on the heels of her successful product launch, Ramona started the Backyard Genie blog to continue helping those in need with all their gardening queries. Wait — there’s more! Ramona even branched into kitchen tools (Kitchen Genie) and created a 3rd contest for product packaging a year later! Judging from the number of contests and 1:1 projects she’s already run, we bet we’ll be seeing more of Ramona in the future…
Name
Maiko Schaffrath
It’s no lie phones run the world (sorry girls). German mobile phone giant E-Plus proved this to us when they released their new Beeto app this year, letting users directly message shops, restaurants and places in
Company
E-Plus Gruppe
their city to book tables, place orders and even ask questions. With the competition of the app market, Maiko Schaffrath knew Beeto had to make a stylish impression if it was going to flourish. Maiko turned to 99designs, where he found Platinum designer Sfire — otherwise known as Dawid. Dawid understood Maiko’s vision for Beeto and was a clear winner from the start. And the design yielded results. “We have only started marketing a few days, but already received very positive feedback from our partners in Dusseldorf and from our first users,” says Maiko. It looks like Beeto might be making a trip across the Atlantic soon! by Creative Duet
si.Dee
Portare
Dian Wahyuningrum
Edi Jakabhazi
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Design makes life easy and functional.
An amazing opportunity to introduce students and future designers to the profession.
Like many professional designers, Dian
Edi disproves of the old adage that “those
discovered her passion for drawing when
who can’t do, teach.” Edi does both, and he
she was very young –only five years old.
does them very well. In addition to running
Fortunately for 99designs clients, she
his own design studio and working with
never outgrew this love. In college, Dian
99designs, Edi teaches graphic design at
went on to study both Product and
the West University of Timisoara, Romania.
Fashion Design. After graduation, she
He uses 99d to fill what he believes a big
opened her own clothing line, as well as a
gap in education. “A lot of students finish
small creative studio.
school and find themselves thrown into the
2011
Indonesia
2011
Romania
real world with no understanding of how it For Dian, design isn’t about the money.
works,” he explains. “A few 99designs
“Designing makes me happy,” she
contests help introduce the young
explains. “I get happy seeing how far I can
designers to concepts such as deadlines,
push myself and improve my skills. She
competition, understanding feedback and
urges new designers to select contests
client peculiarities.” So, he has his
that closely match their skills and to
students create 99design accounts, study
remember that non-winning designs can
creative briefs and enter contests. “It’s an
still enhance a portfolio.
amazing experience and opportunity to learn about the world and about themselves.”
Name
David McGraw Company
Moonlit Solutions
David McGraw and his family came to a crossroads when the California movie studio he worked for closed. It meant staying in California, where David’s software development skills would be highly sought or moving to Kansas to be closer to family. They chose Kansas (there’s no place like home, amirite?).
Sensing a need to help people with their ideas in tech-burgeoning Wichita, David created his own consultancy firm, Moonlit Solutions. And since its beginning, he’s helped launch products for startups, as well as worked with national names like AOL and Microsoft! But before he could attract nationally recognized clients David knew he needed a logo that would reflect his talent and expertise, “Branding matters. How you look matters. I wasn't about to risk $5000+ on branding, so I turned to 99designs.” So far David has used 99designs seven times as he continues to develop Moonlit Solutions!
Name
Ana Paula Alexandrescu Company
My Brigadeiro
A Brazil native, Ana Paula Alexandrescu shares her passion for her home country by cooking traditional Brazilian desserts for family and friends. But her special Brigadeiros, or handcrafted chocolate truffle balls, had attracted enough sweet tooths across the Upper Valley of New Hampshire to convince
Ana that she could make a living off her sugary passion. And so, My Brigadeiro was born in 2012. Although Ana had the recipes, she needed professional branding to get her product out of the oven and into customers’ mouths. Luckily, Platinum designer Stevanus Gerald went above and beyond her expectations. “After creating the logo, I developed a great business/friendship with Stevanus, despite the thousand of miles that separate us. Today, he is the only graphic designer I use!” That’s one tasty story.
Name
Daniel Scalco
Company
Digitalux
One of the things we love about our community at 99designs is the range of customers. You’ve got your Mom & Pop shop, your big tech brand, your sage marketing agency, the list goes on and on. Digitalux falls into the latter category. Started by Dan Scalco in 2010, Digitalux is a B2B agency focusing on inbound
Name
Mark, Julie & Paul
Company
FitMix
For anyone who’s ever attended a fitness class (or who has created fun music mixes for workouts) you know how important music is to your motivation and stamina. Siblings Mark, Julie and Paul, with backgrounds in the music and fitness industry, combined their professional knowledge to come up with a better way
marketing strategies and creative campaigns that help grow a company’s customer base. Success is a team effort, which is why Digitalux enlists the help of 99designs to help provide their clients with awesome infographics and other marketing materials like email templates and powerpoints. For Dan, the whole situation is a win-win. “The entire process of using 99designs saves us time, which saves us money. The designs make our clients happy, which makes us happy.” They say it takes a city, right?
to stay motivated while you sweat. Recognizing the difficulty for fitness instructors to find the right kind of music for different workout routines, the idea for FitMix emerged; a site that would make it easier to discover the right kind of music for different workouts by tempo, genre, and song length. The siblings used 99designs to create their stellar logo and are in the process of launching an app that will be used by gym and fitness instructors across the country to find, play and share mixes for any class.
by maratama
Mike Barnes
azanti
Mike Barnes
Adrian Nita
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
I’m inspired to go beyond my comfort zone, push the boundaries and compete for the win.
I witnessed some AMAZING concepts from my fellow designers.
Mike left a city life for the Canadian
Adrian created his first logo at the tender
countryside and is now his own boss. He’s
age of 15. It was for a small bar in his
living the dream, but this wasn’t always
grandfather’s village and all he had to work
the case. Mike was an Archeologist, but
with was paper, pencil, a ruler, and paint.
reconsidered his career choice when he
For his next project, he designed letters to
was left stranded in a major snowstorm
help kids learn the alphabet, which
while on a job. He was out there for two
sparked his love for typography.
2012
Canada
2009
Romania
days and had to be rescued by helicopter. As exciting as this may sound, Mike
When computers entered the scene, it
decided he preferred something a little
changed everything. Adrian surrendered to
more tame and, as he puts it, “Web
the inevitable and quickly learned
design sort of fell into my lap.” He worked
Photoshop. His career took a big leap when
with agencies of all sizes, as well as the
a cousin introduced him to 99designs. It
government. Although these jobs
was the perfect opportunity to meld his
provided security, they didn’t stoke his
own creativity with the platform and bring
creative fires. Mike found 99d and it gave
great projects to life. His advice to other
him the creative freedom he craved.
designers? “Breaking the rules can produce amazing results.”
Tangguh joined 99designs for the humble purpose of having fun and making a little extra money. But what started as a side project has become a major source of income, having won nearly one hundred contests to date with several repeat clients. Tangguh’s artistic style and inventive illustrations keep clients coming back for more. But his real hook is his ability to understand the power of great design. “Through design it’s easy to distinguish between a quality newspaper and a ‘cheap paper.’ Or distinguish between a small company and a bona fide company.”
BATHI
Tangguh Karya Designer since:
2010
Location:
Indonesia
Art has always been a huge part of
While he’s inspired by a range of things including
Tangguh’s life. His uncle, also an artist,
books, movies and the work of David Smith, many of
introduced Tangguh to the world of art as
Tangguh’s designs are inspired Yogyakarta’s culture in
a kid. Growing up in the creative city of
celebration of his hometown. He calls the influence of
Yogyakarta, India, Tangguh’s love for the
Yogyakarta “the influence of spirit” in his work.
arts only flourished as he grew older, and
However, Tangguh’s biggest source of inspiration
he eventually decided to pursue the field
remains his son; “For me he is the most beautiful.” It’s
of graphic design.
always great to see art and life collide.
for Hburri
for hbktec
for Playtech
for RUMsf
Name by DiegoCayz
Timo Hahn
Company
wydr
Though Timo and Matthias started the company in Zurich, it’s become a global platform founded on the principles of art. We’d swipe right! When wydr participated in Zurich’s Startup Weekend, they received a first prize voucher for 99designs — which is what brought them to the platform. But what initially For the love of art! Matthias Dorner and
started as a logo design competition grew
Timo Hahn are revolutionizing the world of
into something bigger when Matthias and
finding and buying art by creating an app
Timo realized they could design their entire
that’s “the Tinder of the art world.” wydr
app on 99designs! The end result is a sleek
brings together artists and art-lovers in the
app and a corresponding logo that prove art
form of a digital gallery that promotes
+ technology = love.
communication between disciplines.
stephanielok
thislooksgreat
Stephanie Lok
Barin Cristian Doru
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
99designs has helped me build steady client relationships.
I like that I impact the lives of millions of people all over the world.
Stephanie moved from Malaysia to
Barin never planned to own a design
Melbourne when she was a teenager and
studio. He was enjoying a successful
it turned out to be a pretty fortuitous
freelance business when a friend came to
move. She credits a teacher with helping
him about financing some Android themes
her discover her calling. “He introduced
he was working on. Despite a little
me to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
hesitation, Barin decided to give it a try.
back in year 11 and since then I have never
The result? Theme Junky, a design studio
stopped designing.”
where he and other creatives work on
2009
Australia
2010
Romania
keyboard themes, wallpapers, and other Stephanie joined 99designs because she
designs for popular Android apps.
wanted to find new clients and build her portfolio and that’s exactly what she has
Barin cautions other would-be entrepre-
done. While her favorite part of the design
neurs to build upon their own passions
process is coming up with concepts, she
rather than jumping on the latest internet
says the most important part is establish-
craze. “Make sure you don’t go crazy
ing good communication with clients.
chasing someone else’s dreams,” he urges.
That sounds like good advice to us.
“Make sure you make that choice rather than being swept up into a path by default.”
fortunefaded
EdnaBrent
Jelena Milinovic
Sabina Rosafio
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
When I won my first contest I knew: That’s it, this is what I want to do.
Being a part of 99designs is stimulating because every day is a new design contest.
Jelena worked for a small web design
Sabina describes her style as “pictorial,
agency during college as a coder, not a
crazy, surrealistic, excessive, provocative,
designer. After college she started her job
and surprising.” While Sabina has an
search and in the meantime, followed a
artist’s heart, she also loves the technical
friend’s advice to check out 99designs.
aspect of design. After graduating from
Jelena thought it looked like a game at
school, she worked for Rome’s National
first and despite her lack of formal
Research Council where they studied the
training, decided to give it a try while she
perception of color for blind people
looked for a “real” job.
through music. When she’s not on
2009
Serbia
2012 Italy
99designs, she works as a technical Persistence pays off. It took 33 contests
designer doing bidimensional and
for Jelena to land her first win. After that,
tridimensional design for engineers.
the wins started rolling in, to the point that she abandoned her job search and
Sabina was drawn to 99designs because
devoted all of her time to sharpening her
she wanted international experience and it
designing skills. Two years later, she used
also allowed her to learn new styles, new
her 99d portfolio to land a design job with
tastes and new ways to express her ideas.
an agency based out of San Diego,
Now that’s a go getter!
California.
Name
Matthew Arrington by Vidakovic
Brian Sanger and Matt Arrington are regular dudes who recognized a need for better mouth protection in full-contact sports. Sure, there were other mouthguards in the marketplace, but they were weak. Some
Company
Monster Mouthguards
didn’t fit right, some offered zero absorption of force, and some were uncomfortable to
synonymous with a badass devil worthy of
wear. And they were ALL boring. And so,
UFC praise. We wouldn’t want to meet him
Monster Mouthguards was born with the
in a back alley, but we’d definitely have him
mission to make guards better, stronger and
on our team in a fight-to-the-finish wrestling
more killer than they had ever been made
match.
before. Although they had a product that kicked ass, Matt and Brian realized their logo didn’t. They turned to 99designs to rebrand Monster Mouthguards with a logo that communicated that same never-say-die passion of full-contact sports enthusiasts. “All athletes are on the path to greatness, and we needed a logo that would portray that inner monster; that fire that all of our customers have inside.” 99designs didn’t disappoint; Monster Mouthguards is now
Name
Susan Bergeron Company
Eat Well Kitchen Okay, who doesn’t try to eat healthy? But it’s not always easy, is it? And it’s really easy to default to delivery or fast food… Well, Susan Bergeron sought to make simple and healthy eating easier in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Wanting to show how good food, made right, can taste great Susan sought to create Eat
Well Kitchen, a go to place for simple, healthy food. Shortly after coming to 99designs and implementing her straightforward motto of ‘simple, done right’ to logo design she realized simple food can have the same effect as simple logo; both can make you feel like a big deal! “Everyone thinks we’re a franchise! They see our logo and assume that we’re part of a chain of stores that spent thousands on marketing.” Moral of the story: Simple food, simple logo, remarkable success.
Name
Vikki Spencer Company
Mom Whisperer Parenting is hard. Being a mom is hard! So Vikki Spencer wanted to create a space where moms could talk, learn, share and know that they are not alone in the craziness of motherhood. Inspired by this idea, Vicki founded The Mom Whisperer.
The Mom Whisperer started as a blog, but as her role expanded to speaking and webinars, she knew she needed a brand to establish herself. Vicki not only got a confident logo created through 99designs (the vibrant “speech bubble” serving as a branding mark for openness and communication), but she came back and got a book cover designed a year and a half later. Today Vikki maintains her blog, coaches, speaks and has published her successful book, Momifesto. Great work, Vikki — from us and moms everywhere!
Dmitrij
Hitron
Dmitrij Rassylnov
Bogdan
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Working with different people from all over the world is just too interesting.
When you like what you are doing, you will do better work.
Dmitrij has won 42 contests and is an
Bogdan is a well-known presence around
unquestionable authority when it comes
99designs, but he’s got a whole team of
to web design and landing pages.
graphic designers, HTML coders, program-
Working from a small town on the coast
mers and project managers standing
of the Black Sea, Dmitrij draws inspira-
behind him. Bogdan emphasizes that the
tion for his designs from nature. But, this
team is stronger together. “Through our
life is not what he imagined for himself
combined expertise,” he explains, “we can
years ago when he was studying to be a
handle projects of any magnitude.”
2011
Russia
2009
Bucharest
computer programmer. It wasn’t until a chance encounter with Photoshop that
Bogdan’s team spends time browsing
Dmitrij began his love affair with design.
niche blogs, participating in designer
Through some friends, Dmitrij landed a
communities, and paying attention to
job as a designer’s assistant and got to
relevant news and new design techniques.
learn about design, advertising, market-
Because he believes so strongly that
ing, printing and more. At this job, he also
success lies in the strength of the team,
discovered web design, which later
Bogdan works hard to create an environ-
became his specialty. Although design
ment that inspires creativity. “When we
may be a pretty significant detour from
feel our best, the creative process unfolds
programming, Dmitrij wouldn’t have it any
more easily.”
other way.
Name
Andrea Tarwater
by C1k Company
Like all of us here at 99designs, Andrea
Sorrythankyou79
Tarwater understands the importance of high quality, one-of-a-kind design. One look at her Etsy shop confirms this, seeing as she’s been built a lucrative business around vintage book collectables. Andrea started
Andrea documented her journey with
the site, called Sorrythankyou79, in June
99designs to educate and inspire other
2010 as a way to make a little extra money,
small business hopefuls. But that wasn’t the
though it quickly grew into a full-blown
only good that came out of it. Platinum
business, earning recognition from big
designer C1k outfitted Sorrythankyou79
brands like Fossil and Pottery Barn. But
with a beautiful retro design that could pass
there seemed to be a major piece of the
as the cover of a Nancy Drew novel (fitting,
puzzle missing – a custom logo. After we
considering vintage mysteries are Andrea’s
discovered Andrea had used 99designs
favorite). And Andrea had just as much fun
previously to get a logo designed for her
as we did: “My favorite part was watching
husband’s heating and air conditioning
the designs come in. I was checking my
company, we reached out to see if she was
phone every five seconds to see what was
interested in getting a logo designed on
new!" Like a true book-lover, Andrea’s
99designs, and she said yes!
contest was a real page-turner!
Name
EJ Schaefer Company
Books on a Whim
Growing up as the daughter of an English teacher, EJ Schaefer has always had a penchant for storytelling. As a kid, she would write fake student papers and sneakily place them into her dad’s pile of papers to grade to see if he would notice. Although the pranks have stopped, the fake papers are far from over
Name
Vinnie and John Suozzi Company
The Ring Weeder
Here’s the story of a father and son to remind you to not let a good idea go to waste! Vinnie had worked as a landscaper for over 30 years, but when he came up with a great new idea while gardening... he sorta just let it sit there. It wasn’t until he was encouraged by his son Stephen (and Stephen’s college roommate)
— they’ve become her business! EJ’s publishing company, Books on a Whim, writes and publishes humorous books, parodies on pop culture and politics, and of course her infamous fake papers. EJ found 99designs to be the perfect platform to help her bring the make-believe into reality. ”For each story I write, I have a very specific idea of what picture I want. Thanks to the diversity of designers on 99designs, I have the opportunity to choose which designer best captures each concept.” Her stories may be imaginary, but after holding over 50 contests and 1:1 projects, we think it’s safe to say EJ’s love for 99designs is real. Teacher? Give this student an A+.
during Thanksgiving dinner that Vinnie decided to launch The Ring Weeder. The first step was launching a wildly successful Kickstarter — Bob Vila even ranked them in a top ten list for Best Kickstarter Inventions for the Home! Next, they turned to 99designs to create a point of sale display that would attract customers in the real world. The end result? A happy family affair with Vinnie’s sons helping get the business off the ground and his wife, Anna, helping network... And to think, it all started with a little push.
With business taking off, Christina knew it was time for professional branding— but as a student on a budget, she didn’t know where to start. That’s when a friend recommended outsourcing to another creative community for her logo, 99designs. Turns out, the collaborative Name
Christina Fagan
process was the perfect fit and Christina walked away with an adorable new logo!
Company
Shit That I Knit Meet Christina. Christina loves to knit. But she’s not particularly fond of giving things away for free. So while in college, she launched a website to sell her high-end, hand-knit (ahem) stuff… and demand quickly accelerated. When she ran out of inventory over the holiday season, she realized she needed production help. So, on a whim, she turned to her Instagram followers and asked if anyone would want to join the STIK team. To her amazement, her inbox was flooded with applications within a few days. And today, a community of 30 knitters plays a central role in the company’s success.
So what’s next? Although the company started small it’s now grown into a full-fledged business with a mission to share more than just high-end accessories. “We want to inspire others to pick up the craft and fall in love with it as much as we have!” You heard the lady: Get out and
by OD Ridwan
99designs gave me what I couldn’t do myself: professional branding to help get my company off the ground.
Name
Taylor Bradford
Company
Pink Heels Pink Truck
Texas-based blogger Taylor Bradford first began creating content for a blog to keep herself sane while working a grueling full-time, on-the-road job. “It was originally created out of sheer boredom.” After several years, she realized she could turn all of her acquired blogging skills into a thriving business. She
Name
Patrick Gavin
Company
PWG Media Group
Patrick Gavin could be considered a pseudo Robin Hood. A former Washington, D.C. insider and reporter who grew tired of the corruption inherent to politics, Patrick decided to right the system’s wrongs by making a documentary exposing the shenanigans of the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner —
renamed her blog Pink Heels Pink Truck (an homage to her love of heels and her beloved 1954 GMC pickup truck) but she knew she needed a professional logo to complete the transition — so she turned to us. 99designs helped create a logo so Taylor could elevate her blog from leisure, to hobby, to booming little business! “I think it's helped greatly to make my site have more cohesive branding across the board…” And to date she’s expanded her blog to a podcast called Boss Girl Creative where she provides continued lifestyle, blogging and business advice. Sounds like a Boss Girl to me!
otherwise known as “Washington’s wildest week.” Sounds promising, right? Having turned to 99designs before for a logo for his media group, Patrick knew he could trust the 99d designers to create a visually-captivating and informative movie poster to display at an upcoming film festival. Platinum designer subsiststudios went beyond Patrick’s expectations in capturing the film visually. “We liked it so much, we ended up using it throughout our entire marketing campaign!” We’ll remain politically correct by refusing to comment.
Ksenka
PinchStudio
Kseniya Milyutina
Sinisa Sumina
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Design is a universe of its own and I am proud to be a part of it.
Being here on 99d woke up my illustration and concept skills.
Kseniya thanks one fateful afternoon,
Sinisa focused on traditional painting, but
when as a child, a fellow airplane
then discovered graphic design, and from
passenger saw her artwork and advised
there, animation. Today, he and a partner
her mom to get her professional training.
run the Doktor Fried studio, creating
She went on to study art in both high
animation for big-name clients like MTV.
2011
Ukraine
2012
Serbia
school and college. However, none of the Ukrainian universities had the funds to
As his business grew, Sinisa spent more
buy computer equipment, so Kseniya had
time managing and directing and less time
to teach herself design and that’s just
getting his hands dirty with his own
what she did.
designs. So, when a friend introduced him to 99designs, Sinisa saw it as an opportu-
That was 10 years ago and Kseniya hasn’t
nity to get back to his roots. Sinisa’s story
looked back. Her favorite thing about it?
serves as a great reminder that no matter
The joy of creating and being able to stay
where life leads you, it’s passion that
home with her kids.
nourishes the soul.
full tilt
Levi
Mitch Baker
Levi Szekeres
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
99designs has been central to the continued development of my online portfolio.
I like a challenge and will try any contest that inspires me.
When you’ve got an artistic streak like
Like many teenagers, Levi didn’t quite see
Mitch Baker, it’s going to express itself
the connection between his courses in
one way or another. While Mitch has a
school and the outside world. When he
degree in graphic design, he took a detour
went off to art school, he thought he was
for a while as a professional comedic
abandoning math and science, only to
actor. But, eventually Mitch was ready for
discover that these subjects still played a
work that was steadier and not quite as
pretty big role. Despite his early disdain for
tumultuous. Mitch describes acting as
the sciences, Levi approaches design in a
“being on a rollercoaster without a
way that is eerily familiar. He starts with
harness...and with scorpions.”
research, seeing what has already been
2015
USA
2012
Romania
done so he doesn’t unintentionally That’s when he discovered 99designs,
replicate it. From there, he goes
which led him back to his original passion
step-by-step, repeatedly looking at the
for graphic design. Mitch still acts
designs with a fresh eye, intent on
professionally, but with his freelance
catching errors. Only when he’s completely
career taking off, it’s not as stressful as it
satisfied does he submit his work.
used to be. And, for a true artist, the more creative outlets, the better!
Name
Irving Belateche Author
The idea of the starving artist doesn’t appeal to Irving Belateche, who supports a family on his income as a writer in Southern California. Having written three Amazon best-sellers, Irving finished his latest novel, The Origin of Dracula, this year and took it to the shelves with the help of Laurel Canyon Press.
Name
William Sacks Company
Kindara
They say the best things come in pairs. That’s definitely true when it comes to William and Kati Sacks, the husband-wife team behind groundbreaking fertility app Kindara. With Kati’s knowledge of birth control and Will’s background in engineering, the two couldn’t be stopped in their quest to revolutionize female
You can’t judge a book by its cover — but without a great cover, the book doesn’t have a chance to be judged at all. With this in mind. Irving and the team at Laurel Canyon turned to 99designs to outfit The Origin of Dracula with a cover that would make it indistinguishable from major publishers. It was a success and then some; Irving wound up with not one but two eye-catching covers that were good enough to be framed. He even mailed a copy of his book to the Oakland office to thank everyone for their help! Now that’s teamwork.
healthcare. “We want to live in a world where women and men are celebrated and valued equally, and by helping women feel powerful in regards to their fertility we are accomplishing that mission in an important area of life.” Kati and Will’s secret to success has been starting small and going big. Having re-mortgaged their house to pay themselves salary for the first year, the couple wasn’t in a place to spend thousands on branding. Instead, they asked 99designs to fit Kindara with a professional-looking website and logo that would help attract investors. The result couldn’t have been better: Kindara has raised several million in funding since its inception. Talk about a healthy business!
MegaOptimus
C@ryn
Djordje Makovic
Caryn Garabette
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
It’s a combo of knowledge, practice, observation and experience – which equals passion.
It’s been brilliant. I love how it’s pushed me to be a better designer.
While attending art school, Djordje
Caryn started out with a career in
realized full-force that static designs like
architecture. After a few years designing
posters and business cards simply
houses, wanderlust set in. After traveling
weren’t his passion. He finished his
the U.S., she returned to Cape Town, but
education as quickly as he could and set
not to interior design. She wound up
out on his own to learn the ins and outs of
working for a multimedia design agency in
interactive graphic design.
the UK, but once again, found herself
2013
Serbia
2008
United Kingdom
bored. She needed to get her creative Three years later, he’s quickly making a
spark back and when she ran across an
name for himself on 99d with his work on
article about 99designs, she knew she had
apps and other interactive designs. He
found her answer.
never lets himself forget that in the end, someone is going to be using the design.
Caryn still works at a design firm, but she
That’s what helps him stay on track to
looks to 99designs to challenge and
make it intuitive, simple, catchy, and fun.
stretch her skills. One of her favorite
In other words, Djordje's passion keeps
projects is for Fotolanthropy, a charity
him focused -- what could be more
established by a former client that provides
inspiring than that?
families of people facing terminal illness with professional photos. How’s that for making a difference?
athenabelle
Fattah Setiawan
Athenabelle
Fattah Setiawan
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
Graphic design is to the eyes what music is to the ears.
I’m free to choose a project based on my interest – it is never boring.
Once upon a time, graphic design was
There’s no question that Fattah has the
just a hobby for Athenabelle, a way to
heart of an artist, but it wasn’t always for
recharge from her day job in drywall
the visual arts. For Fattah, it all started
construction. It started simply enough,
with music. He was fascinated by the
her partner’s start-up needed a logo, so
designs of underground bands and the
Athenabelle took it on. She Googled the
independent music scene. In fact, his very
word “logo” and before long, found herself
first design was for his own band,
reading about vectors, fonts, jpg, png, and
“Merrygoround.”
2008
Canada
2011
Indonesia
more. In an “aha!” moment (and a few design tutorials later) she had found a
Fattah may be the only 99designs
new career.
designer with a degree in Public Administration, but that never held him back. After
Athenabelle started working for another
he finished his education, he started
crowdsourcing site and eventually found
working at a local advertising agency and
99designs. She was blown away by the
he hasn’t looked back since.
number and variety of projects available. Her advice for new designers: “Always ask yourself ‘Would I be proud to represent this brand?’” and then, “Have fun!”
Adhocdaily
descience
Maja Dakic
Mike Dicks
Designer since:
Designer since:
Location:
Location:
I’m a very competitive person, so contests were perfect for me.
I love the fact that you are simply judged on the quality and execution of your idea.
You can do anything you put your mind to.
Mike’s story is about life coming full circle.
Well, at least Maja can. Before she was a
Growing up, he wanted to be an artist and
designer, she already proved herself to be
designer, but then he got “distracted” and
a hard worker, simultaneously earning a
turned into a tech guru. Fast-forward a few
degree in international marketing and
years and Mike was looking for work he
working as an administrator in the fashion
could do at home while recovering from a
industry. When it came to design, Maja
serious illness. A Google search led Mike
was no different.
to 99designs and a return to his first love:
2012
Australia
2014
United Kingdom
graphic design. Her secret-sauce is her approach — she looks at each project as if it were a puzzle.
For Mike, 99designs was the right
“[The] first thing I tell myself is, ‘Someone
opportunity at the right time and it brought
has undoubtedly already thought of this.
him back to his passion for art. He’s now
What can I do to set it apart?’“ She breaks
creating prints, selling them in galleries in
her concepts down to the fundamentals
his hometown and loving every minute of
and once there’s that first spark, all the
it.
pieces make sense and are ready to come together in a beautiful finished design.
Name
Stephen Aarstol
by OFIVE11
Company
Tower Paddle Boards
Stephen created a logo for Tower Paddle Boards with 99designs over five years ago.
garnered an offer from business mogul Mark
Since then it’s been a whopper of a
Cuban… And Tower went on to become one
Cinderella story.
of Mr. Cuban’s best investments from Shark Tank with the show helping propel
When interest in paddle boards began
Stephen’s company from doing $265K in
growing in the US, Stephen saw a way to
sales in 2011 to over $1.5M after his pitch
carve a niche by selling directly to consum-
aired in 2012!
ers and avoiding markups from retailers. In 2011 a producer at ABC’s Shark Tank
And today Stephen is still growing the
reached out to Stephen and asked him to
company: “We’re dropping the ‘paddle
pitch Tower Paddle Boards on the show. He
boards’ and morphing into Tower, a holistic
agreed, but when it came time to give his
beach lifestyle brand that’s branching into
presentation the first few minutes of
wooden sunglasses, flip flops, bikinis, a
Stephen’s pitch were a bonafide flop!
digital magazine, and a surfboard company!”
Stephen struggled to compose himself, and
He’s continued to use 99designs for Tower’s
was eventually able to successfully finish his
website, newest logo — and even some
presentation… The result? His pitch
snazzy paddle board designs!
Name
Thomas Müller
Company
Curassist
After winning the Rheinland Pitch competition in Germany, Curassist turned to 99designs to design a seal to use on the platform that would indicate who the top-rated nurses are. (Or the “Platinum” nurses, one may say.) “I was impressed by the quality of designers, and enjoyed seeing their ideas and developments.” A design a day keeps the doctor away, right?
Thomas Müller and the Curassist team are revolutionizing the world of nursing! By directly connecting patients with nurses, Curassist eases the difficulty of administrative tasks and makes both patients’ and nurses’ lives easier.
Name
David Vaucher
Company
Cup and Chisel
“There’s nothing like the smell of coffee and saw dust in the morning.” - Ron Swanson Well, actually, we don’t think Ron said that. But we’ll bet money that Cup and Chisel would be Ron’s go-to stop for coffee in the morning. Stemming from an appreciation for
hand-crafted wood and leather work and, of course, coffee David Vaucher created Cup and Chisel, what he believes to be the first combination coffee shop, hand-tool wood shop, and lifestyle brand. David had been planning the development of his business for some time, and he knew that the execution of a perfect logo would be crucial in order to elevate his brand to to the level he was after. So, he researched 99designs and gave it a shot. “We received a logo that far exceeded expectations, and everyone that sees it says something along the lines of, ‘That's amazing, where did you have it done?’ We always tell people about 99designs now, and we will be using the site again for our design needs!” A handmade-job well done!