99designs by Vista is the world’s best-known design contest platform: launch a logo brief and dozens of freelance designers from around the globe compete with custom concepts, and you only pay for the design you choose.
Founded in 2008 and acquired by Vista (the parent of Vistaprint) in 2020, 99designs pioneered the design contest model. Instead of generating a logo with software, you describe your brand, designers submit original concepts, you rate entries and give feedback, and the winner receives the prize while you get full copyright ownership and production-ready files. If contests are not your style, you can also browse designer portfolios and hire someone directly for a 1-to-1 project. Logo design is the flagship of more than 90 design categories, and winning designers can extend a logo into a complete brand identity.
A contest typically runs for about a week, during which you can rate entries, shortlist favorites, run polls among colleagues and request revisions from finalists before picking a winner. For companies with recurring design needs, 99designs Pro adds a dedicated account team that recruits the right designers and manages projects on your behalf.
Logo design contests start at $249 for the Bronze package (around 30 concepts); Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers cost more and add concepts, mid- and top-level designers, a dedicated manager and priority support. A flat 5% platform fee applies, and 1-to-1 project pricing is set with the designer you hire.
Businesses that want a genuinely custom, human-designed logo with several creative directions to choose from, and are willing to pay for original work rather than use a generator.