99designs is a global creative platform that connects freelance designers with clients, founded in 2008 and now operating as 99designs by Vista, part of the Vista family of small business design services. The company’s visual identity has undergone two documented redesigns, both notably produced through its own crowdsourced design contests, a process that reflects the platform’s core business model.
Design and History
The earliest documented 99designs logo emerged from a design contest held on SitePoint in January 2008, when the platform was being launched as the next evolution of SitePoint’s design contests. The winning entry, by a designer identified as Bonic, incorporated a sketched folder design intended to suggest the thumbnail sketches that are part of the design process. This logo was selected to shape the identity of the newly launched 99designs platform. [1]
In March 2016, 99designs unveiled a completely new visual identity, again produced through a contest run on its own platform. The rebranding process took two years and involved 556 designers contributing over 4,000 logo entries. [2] The winning design was created by Indonesian designer Onripus. [3] The new wordmark removed the square that had previously separated the “99” from “designs,” creating a more straightened-out composition. CEO Patrick Llewellyn said the new wordmark was intended to showcase a more stripped-back version of the website, prioritizing its community over the company itself. [4]
The 2016 rebrand was driven by a recognition that the company had matured since its founding. According to the company’s Director of Brand Marketing, Jolene Chen, and Head of Design, Aleks Witko, the previous brand had developed without strategic planning, and the company wanted to define itself by examining its values and who it had become. The rebranding process involved company-wide brainstorming sessions and the development of formal mission and vision statements before the visual identity work began. [5]
In April 2023, 99designs launched another new brand identity, once again designed through a contest on its own platform. The company stated that since its inception in 2008, it had changed significantly, and the new brand was intended to reflect its growth and experience. The brief asked for a main wordmark with a shortened logomark to provide flexibility across applications. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
For the 2016 logo, the design team deliberately chose a heavy, geometric sans-serif based on proven classics such as Avant Garde, but with specific modifications. The round tittle (dot on the “i”) was intended to make the wordmark friendlier, while an unconventional “g” that seemed unfitting in a geometric sans-serif was included as a nod to the company’s quirky, inclusive but irreverent personality. [5]
The 2016 rebrand also introduced a deliberately broad color palette. The company explained that flexibility was one of its key characteristics, and the wide range of colors allowed the brand to draw from different hues depending on the illustrations they accompanied, representing the multi-faceted nature of the design community. [3]
The 2023 brand launch emphasized that the new identity was designed to tell the story of great design that is at home on 99designs, with the logo created by a 99designs designer in a 99designs design contest. [6]
Typography and Design
The 2016 wordmark was described by the company’s Head of Design as a heavy, geometric sans-serif, based on proven classics such as Avant Garde, with a number of tweaks. The design process involved refining small details, with some initial revisions featuring letters that were geometrically accurate but optically incorrect, requiring further work with the winning designer Onripus to perfect the proportions. [5]
The 2023 identity shifted to a system featuring both a main wordmark and a shortened logomark, a structure chosen to offer flexibility across different applications and contexts. [6]
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