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We Used 99designs For Logos: Here’s Our Review

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What is it like to use 99designs? We’re going to go through the process of creating a design contest from start to finish to show you what the entire experience is like, so you can decide for yourself if 99designs is for you. For this 99designs review, we’re going to follow all instructions given and document each step of our journey for you to see below.

For this test project, we’re going to submit a contest for Owner’s Mag logo to see if 99designs can interpret a better logo for us. The chances of me getting this approved and having the CEO change the logo is practically 0, but this will be a fun project that everyone in our office can contribute feedback to. It couldn’t hurt, right?

1. Creating our design project

We went ahead and searched “Logo” and went through the process of creating the logo project. When selecting the business category, surprisingly there’s nothing related to digital publication, news, or publisher there. We went ahead and chose “Internet” as our category.

2. Choosing a name

Now it’s time to name our project. We’re going to call this one “Owner’s Mag Logo Design”. Not sure if I’ll ever get the approval to change the logo, but it’ll be a fun project that everyone at the office can give input on.

3. Types of logo

Logos come in all different shapes, themes, and types. They can be just a word logo, icons, abstract, or something unique with a mascot. Here’s where you can tell the 99designers what type of logo you want.

4. Choosing a style

I like this section a lot. Sometimes it’s difficult to actually describe what you want. Here, you can browse through a long list of logo designs that cover a wide spectrum of styling. Select the ones that best fit your taste and it’ll give the 99designers a better idea of what you want.

I went ahead and chose a few text-focused logo, since Owner’s Mag is a text-only logo. The selected examples in the screenshot above aren’t the ones I chose.

5. Brand Style Meter

I’ll be honest, this section is a bit weird for me. On this page, 99design asked me to explain the style I want using different sliding scales. There’s more than the 3 listed in the image above. I personally had a hard time deciding if Owner’s mag logo should be “Classic” or “Modern”, “Mature” or “Youthful”. Femine vs Masculine I can work with. But the other categories aren’t intuitive for me.

6. Choosing Colors

Now it’s time to pick our color preferences. I stuck with “Reds”.

7. Writing project brief

Filling out the project brief didn’t take too long. The questions were straight forward and all makes sense. It is odd that the project brief itself is this far down the process.

8. Choose your package

So far, we haven’t paid 99designs anything. Now it’s time for us to pick a tier for our plan. Although the Logo starts at $299, that’s actually for the Bronze tier. The higher tier you go, the more submissions and higher quality the work will be. Or at least that’s what 99designs promise.

For this, we chose the Silver $499 plan. We’ll be expecting about 60 designs to be submitted with this package.

9. Add-ons

In addition to the $499 we’re paying for the Silver tier, 99designs will upsell us for a few things. Some of these I think makes sense, others I felt should be included in the price I’m paying.

Personal Creative Consultant ($129) actually looks like customer support to me. I’m not a designer. Of course, I will need some help through this process. I felt like this should’ve already been included in the price instead of being a $129 add-on.

Guaranteed doesn’t cost anything. But it will null your money-back guarantee. This ensures the designer WILL get paid if they make it to the final round. Because of 99designs’ pay structure, this makes your project much more appealing to designers and more will likely submit drafts if you opt out of their guarantee.

Private ($59), this came as a shocker. I didn’t know this would even be public. Why my project is even open to the public in the first place is beyond me. This doesn’t feel right. Paying $59 just so 99designs keep my designs private seems like a scare tactic for me to cough up more money. Not a fan.

Duration lets you pay a bit more for faster delivery. For this, I feel the prices are fair and it’s typical to pay more for expedited work anyway. You can pay $39 for 3 day instead of 4 day delivery, $59 for 2 days, and $79 for 1 day.

9. Complete! Now we wait…

I opted to not purchase any add-ons for this review. Once paid, we’re redirected to 99designs’ dashboard where we can see the estimated timeline for the project. From today, it’ll take about 4 days for all of the designs to be submitted. Each day some designers will submit their work and on the final day, the round will be closed and we have 4 days to pick finalists.

The Designs Are In!

First off, I was very disappointed that we only received 17 designs instead of the promised 60. I contacted 99designs support about the issue and they claim that they don’t guarantee “60”, even though their pricing tiers clearly listed “Expect ~60 designs”.

Maybe the 17 designs we received are good? I’ll let you be the judge of that before we give our verdict.

Here are the 17 designs that 99designers submitted to us after 4 days.

What does our office think?

We passed the designs around our office to get some initial thoughts. Most thought the designs were random and not aligned with any of the directions given. Some look templated. Others look like they just slap a random icon in front of the text and call it a logo.

Overall, none of us were impressed by the results thus far. We eventually picked #6 to give feedback just to move the process along, not because we love the design. We felt let down that only 17 versions were submitted since 99designs promised we’d get around 60 designs to choose from.

We submitted our revisions and now wait for our designer to spin something back to us.

4 days later…

We received new versions of logo #6 within about 3-4 days. Personally I wasn’t happy with the new versions, but I shared the new designs with the office. You can probably guess how we all felt about the new drafts. Results…were disappointing and not what we had suggested. At this point, we didn’t feel compelled to give any further instructions or move the project to the final round.

We’re not happy

We decided not to continue the project given we’re not happy with any of the drafts so far. Even revisions were still so far off what we would even accept. I understand graphic design is subjective, and that sometimes you just have a difficult client. I assure you, we’re not that difficult and was looking for a very simple logo.

It was hard for us to justify even moving to the final round given the designers barely followed our directions. We specifically asked them to design the logo using our RED, and some of them ignored it completely. We asked them to NOT use any icons and just keep it text-based, yet there were logos with random icons.

Getting a Refund

Our experience could be a unique case and your experience could be much more pleasant. We eventually asked for a refund and was met with another obstacle. You can’t get a refund on the website, they request a call to speak to you to “verify” your identity before releasing your refund.

This is an annoying step clearly put in place just to discourage refunds. I oblige and got on a call with a representative. The rep was understanding and didn’t try too hard to sell me, which I appreciated. Our refund was promptly processed afterward.

Final Verdict

Our experience with 99designs has been mixed. I like how intuitive the website is and how easy it was to get your logo project started. The biggest let down were the number of submissions we received (17 instead of the promised 60) and the quality of each design. You can judge for yourself. Looking at the logos submitted, I didn’t feel like we got even intermediate level designers. These just felt rushed, patched together, and overall unpolished work.

Giving revision was difficult because most of the designs were so far off base. I didn’t know where to start, except tell the designer to re-read my project brief and start over.

Overall, it wasn’t the best experience for us. We would’ve gladly paid an agency or a freelancer the same amount and get more dedicated care and attention to produce 2-3 good logos instead of 17 poorly design random logos.

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Business

Top 10 Best Places to Buy a Mid Century Modern Office Chair

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What was once old is new again: mid century modern is back in style. From architecture to furniture, the postwar look is in, and the hype extends all the way to office chairs.

Do you need a mid century modern office chair in your life? If so, there’s plenty to choose from. Your office chair should be tailored to your style, whether you like luxury, utility, or something in between.

That’s why we’ve put together our 10 favorite places to find your ideal mid century modern office chair.

What is mid century modern design?

After World War II, spirits were high in the US, and new technology was taking the country by storm. Mid century modern refers to the design concepts that came about during this time.

As opposed to the frilly, ornate designs of classical furnishings, mid century modern designs are angular, material, and functional. Wood is a common design element, especially teak. Mid century modern furniture may also have materials like glass, vinyl, and metal. Designs are simple and geometric, with bold accent colors to make them pop.

The mid century modern aesthetic never really went away, but it’s made a noted comeback in recent years. Some have chalked it up to Boomer and Gen X nostalgia, others point to mid-century-set shows like Mad Men and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Why should I buy a mid century modern office chair?

A mid century modern office design
source: Modsy

Mid century modern is the perfect fusion of style and utility. If you want to cultivate an office space that commands respect without being ostentatious, mid century modern is the style for you.

When it comes to office chairs, an MCM one is often made with sturdy wood and vinyl. They combine the ergonomics of a modern office chair with old-fashioned grace.

If you’re concerned with utility and utility only, a more bog-standard office chair may suit you. But a mid century modern office chair is great for someone who wants to wow colleagues with a mature, thoughtful business space.

Where can I get a mid century modern office chair?

1) Wayfair

mid-century office chair

When it comes to furniture, Wayfair offers the best of both worlds. Their goods, including their mid century modern office chairs, are stylish and affordable. You can get a sturdy task chair for less than $100 or a more distinguished seat for less than $350.

MCM office chair examples: Dovray ($126), Bradford ($139), Lithonia ($133)

2) France & Son

mid-century office chair

Wayfair’s chairs are affordable, but France & Son is the perfect option for luxury shoppers. Their mid century modern office chairs are robust and sleekly designed. If you dress to impress and enjoy the finer things in life, these are the chairs for you.

MCM office chair example: Brooks ($695)

3) Houzz

mid-century office chair

Started as a community for people to share home decor tips, Houzz has become a great ecommerce platform for finding stylish furniture. They’re more known for home decor than desk chairs, but they have plenty of great, affordable finds if you know where to look.

MCM office chair examples: Arvilla ($173), Rathburn ($259)

4) Laura Davidson

mid-century office chair

The Laura Davidson collection offers a fairly limited selection of classic office furniture. Still, there’s a reason they’re trusted by big-wigs like Apple, Disney, and Salesforce. Their chairs are sturdy and beautifully designed, reimagining classic Eames and Knoll designs.

MCM office chair examples: Rockefeller ($275), SOHO II Soft Pad ($450)

5) Icons of Manhattan

mid-century office chair

Icons of Manhattan has a simple philosophy: do one thing, and do it right. Their office chairs are handcrafted from premium materials and tailored to a mid-century modern style. If you want that Mad Men energy in your office (hopefully with a lot less angst), these are the chairs for you.

MCM office chair example: Ribbed Medium ($219)

6) Amazon

mid-century office chair

Yes, the internet’s premier shopping destination has a robust collection of mid century modern office chairs. Like with most products, their selection of seats is vast and can be hit or miss. Still, they’ve got stunning chairs available for any style, whether you care about comfort, class, or ergonomics.

MCM office chair examples: IDS Home Modern ($219), Art Leon MCM Swivel ($139)

7) AllModern

mid-century office chair

AllModern’s collection of desk chairs and other furniture truly embodies the mid century modern spirit. Their work is tight, angular, and functional above all. They’re part of the Wayfair family and they traffic in a number of modern styles, but their sleek chairs are perfect for any mid century modern space.

MCM office chair examples: Frederick ($229), Kealey ($349)

8) Overstock

mid-century office chair

Overstock is known as a one-stop shop for quality home goods at sub-wholesale prices. If you want a spiffy mid century modern office chair that won’t break the bank, they’re the first place to look. While they’re somewhat less reliable than the more upscale platforms on this list, their selection is massive.

MCM office chair example: Joseph Modern ($163)

9) Walmart

mid-century office chair

Hayneedle’s selection of mid-century modern office chairs falls somewhere between the minimal Laura Davidson and the endless Amazon catalog. Their array of mid-century designs is affordable and versatile, with chairs that match almost any style. While they may be part of the Walmart family, these chairs are anything but second-rate.

MCM office chair example: Waleaf ($97)

10) Target

mid-century office chair

Why splurge when you can save? As usual, Target is a hidden gem, offering a sturdy selection of mid century modern office chairs for some of the cheapest prices out there. Many of the chairs they offer are from the same designers as these other stores—Christopher Knight, LumiSource, Armen Living, etc.—at reduced prices.

MCM office chair example: Lombardi ($136)

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The Best Online Payroll Services [Updated for 2025]

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A quality payroll service is one of the most invaluable tools any entrepreneur can have. Whether you’re a small business owner or an HR manager, paying your employees on time is crucial. This makes choosing a service even more weighty, after all, it is a heavy administrative burden. The good thing is, you can outsource this duty to an online payroll processor.

According to statistics, 49% of workers begin a new job search after just two paycheck errors, and with 65% of workers living paycheck to paycheck, it’s more important than ever to ensure an efficient, effective payroll process.

These services can save you precious time and mitigate potential issues. To make it easy for you to choose, we listed the best online payroll services for 2025.

Top 5 Online Payroll Services

Gusto

 online payroll services

Gusto is a great option for both new and experienced payroll administrators, boasting an incredibly clean user interface and a first-rate payroll setup. Gusto lets you manage your employee’s time off (vacation and sick pay), company health insurance, and worker’s comp. Gusto offers excellent mobile access, too. This allows employees to manage aspects of their Gusto profiles, view payday insights, and access Gusto Wallet financial tools. 

Gusto offers four tiers of membership, the most affordable of which is the Contractor’s Only plan, which offers unlimited U.S.-based and global contractor payments, supporting more than 100 countries, plus 1099 creation and filing at a rate of $6 per person per month with no base price.

The other three are Simple, Plus, and Premium. Here’s a deeper look into each plan:

Simple 

Price: 

$40/mo + $6/mo per person

Plan details:

  • Full-service single-state payroll including W-2s and 1099s
  • Employee profiles and self-service
  • Basic hiring and onboarding tools
  • Gusto-brokered health insurance administration
  • Employee financial benefits
  • Payroll and time-off reports
  • Custom admin permissions
  • Integrations for accounting, time tracking, expense management, and more

Plus

Price:

$80/mo + $12/mo per person

Plan details:

(All Simple plan features +)

  • Full-service multi-state payroll including W-2s and 1099s
  • Next-day direct deposit
  • Advanced hiring and onboarding tools
  • PTO management and policies
  • Time tracking and project tracking
  • Workforce costing and custom reports
  • Team management tools
  • Full support

Premium

Price:

Bespoke pricing, reach out for a personalized quote

Plan details:

(All Plus plan features +)

  • HR Resource Center
  • Compliance alerts
  • Access to certified HR experts
  • Full-service payroll migration and account setup
  • Health insurance broker integration
  • R&D tax credit discount
  • Waived fees and exclusive pricing
  • Performance reviews
  • Employee surveys and insights
  • Dedicated support

QuickBooks Online Payroll

online payroll services

Founded in 1983, Intuit is a California-based financial software company. Since its inception, Intuit has developed into one of the best-known providers of accounting software. Their online payroll service, QuickBooks, includes the essential features you need to run payroll.

QuickBooks offers three tiers of membership. The least expensive membership covers basic accounting features, such as invoices. For more features, check out the Essentials and Plus memberships. Each plan’s features are as follows:

QuickBooks Simple Start (2025)

  • Price: $38/month for 1 user
  • Best for: Freelancers and small teams with basic payroll needs

Features:

  • Automated bookkeeping
  • 5 free ACH bank transfers/mo for bills

QuickBooks Essentials (2025)

  • Price: $75/month for 3 users
  • Best for: Small businesses needing deeper financial tracking

Features:

  • Includes all Simple Start features, plus:
  • Recurring invoices

QuickBooks Plus (2025)

  • Price: $115/month for 5 users
  • Best for: Growing businesses with HR and compliance needs

Features:

  • Includes all Essentials features, plus:
  • AI-powered profit & loss insights
  • Anomaly detection and resolution
  • Budgeting

QuickBooks Advanced (2025)

  • Price: $275/month for 25 users
  • Best for: Established businesses with HR and compliance needs

Features:

  • Includes all Plus features, plus:
  • Custom user management and permissions
  • Custom report builder
  • Data sync with Excel
  • Revenue recognition
  • Forecasting

OnPay

online payroll services

OnPay is a cloud-based full-service payroll processing system capable of running payroll according to a preset schedule, automatically disbursing wages, and calculating and withholding taxes. 

OnPay can sync up with several other software your team is already using, making it easy to integrate the service into your team’s system. Another benefit of OnPays model is the simple, transparent pricing structure. No tiers; just one base rate.

Pricing: 

$49/mo + $6/mo per employee

SurePayroll

online payroll services

SurePayroll’s award-winning service supports W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. Additionally, it handles 401(k) deductions and manages flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health savings accounts (HSA).

SurePayroll also offers a mobile app— available on both Apple and Android devices. 

SurePayroll offers live support through its United States-based support team through chat, email, or phone.

Small Business Payroll

  • Price: No Tax Filing: $20/month + $4 per employee, Full Service: $29/month + $7 per employee
  • Best for: Small businesses and startups

Features:

  • We file and deposit your federal and state taxes!
  • Run payroll in 3 simple steps
  • Schedule payroll to run automatically
  • Unlimited payroll runs and free 2-day direct deposit
  • Reports and pay stubs are available online 24/7
  • Supports W-2 employees and 1099 contractors

Nanny & Household Payroll

  • Price: Full-Service Household, $39/month, includes 1 employee, $10 per additional employee

Best for: Homeowners

Features:

  • Signature-ready Schedule H
  • We file & deposit your federal and state taxes!
  • Run payroll in 3 simple steps
  • Schedule payroll to run automatically
  • Unlimited payroll runs and free 2-day direct deposit
  • Reports & paystubs available online 24/7
  • Supports W-2 employees & 1099 contractors

Be sure to choose a payroll service that works for your business, and provides you with the peace of mind that comes with a reliable bookkeeping system. Your employees will thank you.

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Business

Merck Seagen Buyout: What to Know About the Deal

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Team talking about merck seagen buyout

Merck is currently in talks to acquire Seagen, a biotech company. The Wall Street Journal reports that the transaction is valued at $40 billion. And what happens if Merck acquires Seagen, and how would this acquisition benefit cancer research and treatment? Read more about the Merck Seagen buyout here.

Merck Seagen Buyout

Merck and Seagen are still deciding on their share prices. So far, talks have yet to reach an agreement on $200 per share. Both companies want to settle and finalize their deals before Merck announces its quarterly earnings on July 28. At the time of writing, Seagen’s stock was at $176.19.

With an estimated market value of $235 billion, Merck is looking to expand its presence in the cancer treatment space. The Merck Seagen Buyout could play a major role in that strategy. Since Seagen specializes in targeted cancer therapies, the acquisition would give Merck access to a broader range of oncology products.

Shareholder reactions to the new deal are overwhelmingly positive, and the stocks have been up since talks about the deal have been made public.

But this is not the first time that Merck and Seagen have made the news. Back in 2020, they collaborated because of cancer treatments. Seagen has a drug conjugate (ladiratuzumab vedotin) which would be used in conjunction with Merck’s Keytruda.

Merck reveals that Keytruda is its highest-selling product. It’s immunotherapy for cancer.

And this deal could help Merck offset the possibility of reduced sales because it will lose patent protection in 2028.

As promising as this deal is, there could be scrutiny from antitrust officials since there might be a litigation case from the Federal Trade Commission or Justice Department.

The Seagen buyout isn’t the only deal Merck has made recently. They’ve been busy closing another deal, but with Orion too.

Seagen

As a cancer biotech company, Seagen has therapies to ensure that patients benefit from the treatment and reduce any adverse side effects. Their treatments involve the therapy attacking tumors with toxins.

Merck partnering with Seagen isn’t a bad idea considering that Seagen made $1.4 billion in sales in 2021, most of it coming from Adcetris and Padcev (a treatment for urothelial cancers).

Merck-Orion Deal

In the middle of the Merck Seagen Buyout, Merck has recently partnered with Orion for the ODM-208 and other drugs. These drugs are related to the production of steroids. Orion found how it can combat hormone-dependent cancers and further developed this inhibitor.

Their deal includes that they should develop ODM-208 and promote it to the public together. And Orion will receive a $290 million payment from Merck.

Although they’re co-developing and marketing the new inhibitor, Orion will oversee the manufacturing side.

Co-developing the ODM-208 can help Merck with its current research and treatments for prostate cancer. President and CEO of Orion, Timo Lappalainen, says that this partnership will benefit Merck’s goals of treating cancer worldwide.

Other Ventures: Merck’s Role in the Pandemic

You may have heard about COVID-19 pills, which are a form of treatment for those diagnosed with mild to moderate COVID-19. Merck introduced an antiviral COVID-19 pill to the public. The name: Molnupiravir.

The COVID-19 pill is not a replacement for a vaccination. Instead, it stops the replication of the COVID-19 genetic code and keeps the patient out of the hospital. Not yet FDA-approved, Molnupiravir has been authorized for emergency use since December 23, 2021.

And for other stories, read more here at Owner’s Mag!

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