Best Freelance Platforms for Graphic Designers

Regardless of whether you’re an illustrator, UI/UX expert, or graphic brand designer, choosing the right freelance platform is what separates endless cheap bids from premium paying client contracts.

The freelance graphic designer marketplace has changed a lot since the days when everyone used generic platforms. While still offering the greatest number of projects overall, new niche networks tailored toward portfolios of visuals enable you to ask premium rates. Here are some of the best freelance platforms for graphic designers, ranked according to their payment models.

The Best Freelance Platforms for Graphic Designers

1. 99designs

99designs is an online marketplace for designers only. 99designs offers two payment models: Design Contests and Direct 1-to-1 Projects. Contest involves a creative brief posted by a client (“Make me a brand logo for a sustainable café,” for example), then designs are submitted and a winner is chosen by the client. You receive 100% of the total prize pool. As you climb up on the ranks within the platform, you’ll become eligible for direct 1-to-1 projects, where you’ll be contacted by clients to work on custom projects.

Best For: Branding, logos, packaging design, and book covers.

Why It Is Unique: There is no need to write any pitches about your creative process; your visuals will speak for themselves. You’ll immediately get a portfolio of high-tier clients once you win a contest.

Official Website: https://99designs.com/

2. Dribbble

Initially created to showcase creative works of professionals online, Dribbble has become one of the most popular platforms for freelance designers, boasting of hundreds of thousands of premium clients including big names such as Facebook, Amazon, Slack, and others. Premium brands and leading technology companies scout the site to find freelance design experts.

Best For: UI/UX design, mobile app design, motion graphics, and high-end illustrations.

Why It Is Unique: On this platform, you won’t have to undercut competitors with lower quotes. Instead, you’ll get high-paying jobs based on your creative style. Dribbble hosts a premium freelance job board where high-budget remote freelance jobs are advertised every day.

Official Website: https://dribbble.com/

3. Contra

Contra is the fastest growing professional community for digital creators with zero commissions. On average, legacy freelance marketplaces take between 10% and 20% of the money earned by freelancers in project fees. Contra charges nothing – freelancers pay nothing in project fees.

Best For: Digital design, content marketing, and brand identity.

Why It Is Unique: The platform has a sleek user interface similar to a visual case study. It enables you to monetize your design portfolio by creating discoverable design products and selling them to premium clients.

Official Website: https://contra.com/

4. Behance (Adobe Talent)

Behance, owned by Adobe Inc, is the largest community of creative professionals in the world. Uploading project case studies on Behance means getting access to the Adobe Talent Marketplace. Project managers and creative directors use Behance to source freelance talent for commercial jobs.

Best For: Creative direction, branding, 3D art, and typography.

Why It Is Unique: Organic reach. A post or case study published on Behance can be curated by the platform and featured on the Behance blog or Behance homepage, meaning your inbox will be full of client inquiries organically.

Official Website: https://www.behance.net/

5. Fiverr

Contrary to common opinion, Fiverr is much more profitable compared to many other platforms. Unlike regular freelance marketplaces, Fiverr lets you package your design services in so-called “Gigs.” Gigs can include anything you’re willing to sell (for example, a custom business proposal deck).

Best For: Fast turnaround projects, design templates, and large-scale productions.

Why It Is Unique: As soon as your Gigs rank high on the Fiverr search algorithm, orders will start pouring into your mailbox.

Official Website: https://www.fiverr.com/

Quick-Match Guide: What Freelance Platform Is Right for Me?

Choose 99designs to learn by doing graphic design work, not spending time on writing long cover letters.

Join Contra if you don’t want to give away any money to the platform; moreover, Contra has a sleek interface that looks like a portfolio website.

Post your work on Dribbble to attract UI/UX designers and app builders.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Question: Do I need to have costly software like Adobe Creative Cloud to freelance?

Answer: Although the Adobe Creative Cloud suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) is considered the gold standard for print and high-quality branding, there are lots of freelancers who work without ever buying any expensive software. Many freelancers nowadays work with free or low-cost modern tools like Figma (web/UI design) and Canva (social media production design).

Question: How can I protect my creative work from copyright theft on freelance sites?

Answer: Whenever you are asked to send concept images, always apply a subtle watermark to all your designs. Second, refrain from sending your clients unwatermarked source files (.AI, .PSD, .FIG) before funding milestones are approved on the platform’s escrow system.

Question: Is it safe to agree to unlimited revisions with my clients to get my first project?

Answer: No, it isn’t. Asking for unlimited revisions is asking for trouble, as it usually leads to a client continuously requesting changes. Agree on the number of round trips in your project description or Gig details (usually 2-3 rounds); after that, specify what it will cost the client to request any additional revisions.

Conclusion

It should be said that very successful designers tend to have more than one marketplace. To diversify yourself in terms of payment options and creative freedom, you should consider using macro marketplaces like Fiverr and 99designs in tandem with premium portfolio networks like Dribbble or Contra. Choose one of them to begin building a portfolio of mock projects today!