99designs
{{short description|Australian company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox website
| name = 99designs
| logo = 99Designs Logo.svg
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| caption = 99Designs Logo
| company_type =
| type = Freelance marketplace
| founded = 2008
| location = Melbourne, Australia
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| area_served = Worldwide
| founder = Matt Mickiewicz, Mark Harbottle
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| key_people = Patrick Llewellyn, (CEO)
| industry = Internet
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| owner = 99designs Pty Ltd
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| url = {{URL|https://99designs.com}}
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| current_status = Active
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99designs is a Melbourne, Australia, based company that operates a freelancer platform for connecting graphic designers and clients.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_o2FDAAAQBAJ&dq=99designs&pg=PA166|title=Net Work: Ethics and Values in Web Design|last=Kennedy|first=H.|date=2011-11-18|publisher=Springer|isbn=9780230356108|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwJOCgAAQBAJ&dq=99designs&pg=PA109|title=Freelance Nation: Work When You Want, Where You Want. How to Start a Freelance Business.|last=Cooper|first=J. Melissa|date=2015-05-19|publisher=Advantage Media Group|isbn=9781599325316|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQ9UBAAAQBAJ&dq=99designs&pg=PT158|title=Online Evaluation of Creativity and the Arts|last=Suhr|first=Hiesun Cecilia|date=2014-08-21|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317748724|language=en}} The company was founded in 2008, and has a United States office in Oakland, California.{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Ronald |title=Digital design startup moves headquarters from S.F. to hot Oakland neighborhood |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2015/03/99designs-oakland-uptown-hq-lease-sf-creativespace.html |access-date=31 January 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Business Times |date=25 March 2015}}
History
99designs was founded by Matt Mickiewicz and Mark Harbottle as a spin-off of SitePoint, a website started in 1998 as a forum for web developers and designers. Designers on its forums began organizing contests based on fictional client briefs.{{Cite news|url=https://www.inc.com/30under30/2011/profile-matt-mickiewicz-cofounder-99-designs.html|title=Matt Mickiewicz, Co-founder of 99designs|last=Dubois|first=Lou|date=2011-06-27|work=Inc.com|access-date=2018-07-27}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/07/09/99designs-spec-graphic-technology-future-design-crowdsourcing.html#17a0fef039a1|title=Why Designers Hate Crowdsourcing|last=Isaac|first=Mike|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en}} The founders decided to test charging a fee to post briefs for real projects, eventually creating 99designs as a separate company for the contests.{{Cite news|last=Craig|first=Elsie|url=https://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2012/05/21/99designs-crowdsources-its-own-new-website-design/|title=Xconomy: 99designs Crowdsources Its Own New Website Design|date=2012-05-21|work=Xconomy|access-date=2018-07-26|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://pando.com/2012/01/24/get-over-it-haters-99designs-has-tipped/|title=Get Over It, Haters: 99designs Has Tipped|last=Lacy|first=Sarah|date=2012-01-24|work=Pando|access-date=2018-07-26|language=en-gb}}{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/06/design-competition-model-is-working-for-99designs-especially-in-asia/|title=Design Competition Model Is Working For 99designs, Especially In Asia|last=Ho|first=Victoria|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-US}}
In 2008, the company opened a San Francisco office because the majority of the platform's initial clients and designers were in the United States.{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/05/26/how-these-aussie-small-businesses-have-cracked-the-us-market_a_21383169/|title=How These Aussie Small Businesses Have Cracked the US Market|last=Anderson|first=Cathy|date=2016-05-27|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-AU}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/1058783/designer-small-biz-connection|title=The Designer-Small Biz Connection|last=King|first=Rachel|date=2008-10-27|work=Fast Company|access-date=2018-08-02|language=en-US}} It later moved its U.S. headquarters to Oakland, California. By 2012, the site had 175,000 designers in 192 countries. By 2016, it had about one million registered designers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.afr.com/technology/design-marketplace-99designs-releases-growth-stats-as-it-weighs-up-possible-ipo-20160303-gn9mb7|title=Design marketplace 99designs releases growth figures as it weighs up possible IPO|last=Redrup|first=Yolanda|date=2016-03-09|work=Australian Financial Review|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-US}} The platform was later redesigned to allow customers to directly search for and hire designers, outside of design competitions.{{Cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/24/9-years-after-launch-graphic-design-marketplace-99designs-hits-profitability/|title=Graphic design marketplace 99designs hits profitability 9 years after launch|date=2017-10-24|work=VentureBeat|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/small-business/winner-takes-all-the-global-design-race-20111020-1m9pu.html|title=Winner takes all: the global design race|last=Knight|first=Anneli|date=2011-10-20|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2018-07-27}}{{Cite news|url=https://mumbrella.com.au/99designs-freelance-192688|title=99designs refutes claim crowd-sourcing is contributing to tough conditions for freelancers - Mumbrella|last=Ward|first=Miranda|date=2013-11-28|work=Mumbrella|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-US}}
In 2012, the company acquired a European competitor called 12designer, based in Germany.{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/08/06/99-designs-first-acquisition/|title=99designs Makes Its First Acquisition, Scoops Up European Rival 12designer|last=Empson|first=Rip|date=2012-08-07|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2018-07-26|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/99-problems-but-a-design-aint-one/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103011904/http://www.zdnet.com/article/99-problems-but-a-design-aint-one/|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 January 2015|title=99 problems but a design ain't one|last=Sharma|first=Mahesh|date=2012-08-31|work=ZDNet|access-date=2018-07-26|language=en}} Its office became the European headquarters of 99designs.{{cite news |last1=McDermott |first1=John |title=Start-up 99designs Buys European Rival |url=https://www.inc.com/john-mcdermott/start-up-99designs-buys-european-rival.html |access-date=31 January 2019 |publisher=Inc. Magazine |date=7 August 2012}} In 2013, the company acquired LogoChef, a Brazilian competitor.{{Cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/08/27/crowdsourcing-giant-99designs-acquires-logochef-continues-global-expansion/|title=Crowdsourcing giant 99designs acquires LogoChef, continues global expansion|date=2013-08-27|work=VentureBeat|access-date=2018-08-02|language=en-US}} In 2017, the company relocated back to Melbourne.{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/14/99designs-turns-10/|title=As 99designs turns 10, CEO Patrick Llewellyn plans for an Australian IPO|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2018-07-26|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://mumbrella.com.au/99designs-pivots-as-it-returns-to-its-melbourne-roots-ahead-of-asx-listing-479430|title=99Designs pivots to agencies as it returns to its Melbourne roots ahead of ASX listing|last=Wallbank|first=Paul|date=2017-10-24|work=Mumbrella|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-US}}
The company was acquired in October 2020 by the American-Irish company Cimpress.{{Cite news |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/05/printing-giant-vistaprint-acquires-99designs/ |title=Printing giant Vistaprint acquires 99designs |work=techcrunch.com |date=2020-10-05 |access-date=2020-10-05}}
Financials
In 2011, the company received US$35 million in financing from Accel Partners and other investors.{{Cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2011/04/28/why-99designs-raised-35-million-from-accel-partners/|title=Why 99designs raised $35 million from Accel Partners|last=Primick|first=Dan|date=2011-04-29|work=Fortune|access-date=2018-07-26|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/small-business/going-global-how-one-melbourne-startup-did-it-20130516-2jnx4.html|title=Going global: how one Melbourne start-up did it|last=Khoo|first=Valerie|date=2013-05-16|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2018-07-27}}{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/04/28/accel-invests-35m-in-99designs-after-years-of-trying/|title=Accel Invests $35M. in 99designs…After Years of Trying|last=Lacy|first=Sarah|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2018-07-27|language=en-US}} It subsequently raised another $10 million in 2015.
The company became profitable in 2017, and in February 2018, it reported $60 million a year in revenue.
References
External links
- [https://sofianereviews.com/99designs-review More in depth review about 99designs]
Category:Companies based in Melbourne
Category:Australian companies established in 2008
Category:Freelance marketplace websites
Category:Online marketplaces of Australia
Category:2012 mergers and acquisitions