Business
Fiverr’s Stock Value Took a Plunge, Here’s Why
You’re a freelancer in a booming gig economy increasingly under scrutiny. Is Fiverr right for you?
COVID-19 shook up our economy. That’s no secret. Employees relocated to their home offices, many were laid off entirely, and some took the opportunity to explore a new career. For some, freelancing was the stepping stone for millions curious about embarking on that personal journey.
If you work freelance, you’ve likely heard of Fiverr. The company is known for connecting freelancers with projects and the benefits one might reap. For someone about to dive into the scary world of freelancing, Fiverr sounds like a great place to start.
What Does This Stock Dip Mean
Unfortunately, the “safe bet” has had a bit of a tumble of 24.8% in the stock market lately. While some consider the dip a minor hiccup, it speaks to larger unreliability for freelancers. Whom the company relies on entirely. As people head back to work, they need freelancers less.
As we slowly recover from this pandemic, employees are moving back to work and freelance workers are taking the hit. Few people are relying on remote workers. For someone exploring freelancing as a new career option, this news should be waving a bright neon red flag.
The 24.8% dip in Fiverr’s stock value, they claim, is reflective of the world reopening. There’s a problem with that assessment. It ignores the possibility that freelancers and buyers may be transitioning to a platform that is more secure and reliable.
By saying, “it’s just people going outside,” Fiverr can reassure their stockholders that the company will bounce back a-ok. There has been, in fact, growth within the company itself by as much as 60%. If you’re looking for a sweet stock tip, it might be time to buy stock in Fiverr right now.
What Fiverr Offers
The top 10 highest paid side hustles in the United States on Fiverr are:
- Website Design – $700
- Social Media Manager – $675
- Proofreading and Editing – $660
- CV, Cover Letter, and Resume Building – $600
- Website Building – $580
- 3D and 2D Modeling – $550
- Business Consulting – $500
- Social Media Advertising – $500
- Graphic Design – $500
- Presentation – $450
Those numbers are the max price earned per job. Sounds pretty okay, right? Well, those are not guaranteed rates. The struggle of freelance is the unreliability of work. You, as a freelancer, are responsible for maintaining your own hours, keeping up business, and guaranteeing your own salary. For some, it’s nice to be your own boss. For others, it can be difficult to maintain that level of consistency. And that’s where Fiverr is supposed to make things easier for you.
Gig Economies Today
Gig economies are the sexy new thing to talk about. Companies like Fiverr, Uber, Lyft, and more love using freelancers because they legally do not count as employees. No health insurance, no benefits, no guaranteed hours. Basically, these companies reap all the benefits and return very little, or nothing, to the workers they rely on to exist.
As gig economy jobs are coming under more intense scrutiny, a person transitioning their career from one to the next and use freelance as the in-between may find themselves in the crosshairs.
So, in order to recover from this dip, Fiverr launched a Seller Plus program. Instead of being guaranteed work, freelancers can pay $29 a month to access:
- Dedicated Success Manager
- Faster Payment Clearance
- Priority Access to Growth Programs
- Priority Support
- Advanced Analytics
- Advanced Customer Engagement Tools
- Exclusive Events and Educational Content
If you want Fiverr to look out for you, you need to pay them. They need you in order to operate, but you have to pay them in order to safeguard your new career as a freelancer.
It seems that Fiverr’s mission “to change how the world works together” is actually a far more familiar and historically consistent “rely on the workers but keep all the benefits” model that has sustained billionaires for decades.
Fiverr and Its Freelancers
Fiverr doesn’t make anything but connections. You can think of them as a middle man. Someone to hook you up with work for a cut of the action. While it may seem a little unfair, the fee can be worth the price of reducing the hunt for projects.
This would all be well and good if Fiverr had a good track record for protecting its freelancers. But, for a company that needs freelancers in order to exist, they sure seem to have more interest in protecting the buyers than defending its freelancers.
Reviews across the board say similar things: Fiverr is good for buyers, not so great for sellers. The word “scam” comes up more often than not. Which is another bright neon red flag, except it’s now on fire.
Fiverr’s Freelancers Review
“Exceptionally awful seller policy. An astonishing amount of inconsiderate buyers who can freely get a refund while the seller gets nothing for their work if a cancellation is requested – ranging from reason as “I placed the order on accident” to crude insults.”
“System is rigged to take and hold onto your money. Both buyers and sellers pay high fees. Buyers cannot withdraw money if a job gets cancelled and refunded. Sellers have to wait two weeks to receive payments for completed work. It’s 2020, this is not a technical limitation. It’s a very poor ethics decision. Would leave a zero star rating if I could.”
“Just read the rest of the reviews. I was booted from the platform because a buyer (they told me they were going to do this) threatened me with negative reviews if I wouldn’t do more work. When I refused to do more for them than I agreed to initially they flagged my account with customer service and I was suspended with no warning, no explanation, and no due process. Then my funds were held hostage for 90 days with no possibility of withdrawal.”
What’s The Solution?
Unfortunately, stock market dips reflect on the company’s value to shareholders rather than a healthy work environment for its freelancers.
As mentioned above, governments both internationally and domestically are examining gig economies much more closely. The days of Fiverr, Uber, Lyft, and others using their freelancers or independent contractors as cannon fodder could be limited.
Freelance is a tough gig, no matter what industry you find yourself in. You may be your own boss, but there’s no guarantee of work. You may have the freedom to set your own hours and choose your own clients, but reality sets in.
The freedom that comes with freelancing comes with a price. While Fiverr blames vaccines for its significant stock dip of 24.8%, they’re ignoring their own underlying issue by leaving their freelancers to twist in the wind.
Fiverr seems to forget, without freelancers, they have no business. Fiverr doesn’t make anything. Freelancers use Fiverr to collect clients and gather projects, but Fiverr isn’t the only option out there. If a freelancer has an opportunity to work without worrying about being screwed by a client or middleman, why wouldn’t they take it?
What Are Other Options?
For freelancers looking to escape or avoid the risky cesspool that is Fiverr, there is plenty to choose from. Such as:
- Upwork
- 99Designs
- Guru
- Toptal
- PeoplePerHour
- Freelancer
- Truelancer
- Outsourcely
There are more options out there, including joining a company where you can have established hours, guaranteed work, and benefits. You may not be your own boss, but you’ll be able to keep the lights on at home.
In Conclusion…
Fiverr’s stock had a not-so-insignificant dip of 24.8%, they blamed vaccines, and their freelancers are still getting screwed by abusive buyers that Fiverr allows getting away with theft.
If you’re a freelancer and you’re taking the opportunity to explore a new career, Fiverr is probably not going to be a safe bet. There is too high a risk of scam, and there’s no guarantee that Fiverr will look out for their own freelancers. It’s like a sheep joining a flock where the shepherd lets a wolf in for a fee.
For freelancers, there are options out there. Freelancing ain’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be as difficult as Fiverr allows it to be. If this company continues to believe in its success at the expense of its own freelancers, there’s a fairly good chance that there will be more stock dips in the future.
That is unless, of course, Fiverr decides to correct this offensive mistake.
Unlimited graphic design services have become the go-to services of major brands like Uber, Buffer, 7/11, and more! You can follow in their footsteps by subscribing to an unlimited graphic design service since it allows businesses to scale anytime. Plus, it offers quick turnaround times without compromising quality. Besides those, it has a money-back guarantee and lets users cancel anytime without hassle.
If you can’t pick the best service, we have your back with this comprehensive list of the best unlimited graphic design services!
Which Provider Should You Choose?
We’ve done the homework and curated a list of Unlimited Graphic Design providers for you and also negotiated special deals on your behalf. You can see them all below and decide which one fits your business based on your needs.
Unlimited Graphic Design Providers
What Does Unlimited Graphic Design Mean?
These unlimited graphic design services have a monthly subscription business model. That means you can sign up and cancel whenever you like. What sets them apart from your typical freelancer, agency, or in-house designer is you gain access to a workflow that is designed to be quick and to the point.
You’ll communicate with their team through Trello, email, or an online platform. The option given is dependent on the company you choose. For example, only a small selection of services provide a custom built online platform for their customers.
Once you’re connected to their workflow, you can begin submitting as many design requests as you want. Although they all claim “unlimited”, it generally means you can “create” unlimited design requests. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll work on them all at once. Usually, they just work on one design at a time. When one completes, they start the next design.
The usual turnaround time is between 1 – 2 days, and that’s just for the first draft. It doesn’t mean your entire request is complete. If you don’t like it, you can request as many revisions as you want, and that will take more time. So it can take up to a week to actually get the design complete if you have a lot of revisions.
Another thing to keep in mind is content. You need to be able to have everything ready and provide all the content needed in order for their designers to get started.
How Does On-Demand Graphic Design Work?
Most graphic design services listed above offer clients a bespoke design platform. For instance, Penji’s design tool is an all-in-one platform where designers, account managers, customers, and their team members can communicate and collaborate.
Although the steps in working with a graphic design company are similar, we’ll use Penji’s design software to share the step-by-step graphic design process.
1. Log in
Once you’ve selected the subscription plan, log in to your design tool and access your dashboard. Most of these tools are user-friendly with a minimal learning curve and prioritize user experience.
This example of Penji’s dashboard shows a list and thumbnails of ongoing design projects. The menu at the top shows the Active, Completed, Drafted, and On-hold projects.
Submitting a design brief is the first step in the on-demand graphic design process. To submit, click the +New Project button at the upper right side of the dashboard.
2. Fill in the title
Think of a relevant project title that will describe the design accurately. Writing an accurate title will make browsing through ongoing projects easier once you have a long list.
For instance, if you’re creating a company logo, you can write “Logo design” and specify the company or industry beside it if you’re handling multiple brands.
3. Choose from design categories
The next step is to choose from the many design categories. Most unlimited graphic design services have around 100+ design categories. Penji has 120+ design categories. Choose one that fits your project.
4. Write a design brief
This step is crucial when working with on-demand graphic designers, as this will make or break your project outcome. Writing a thorough, clear, and well-thought-out design brief makes it easier for designers to understand exactly what you want.
Penji’s design platform has a few reminders on the left side when writing design briefs. Ensure you follow the tips for a better design outcome.
5. Attach files and images for inspiration
Some customers can’t express themselves clearly through written instructions. You can attach files and images to support your written descriptions with visuals. Attaching sample logos also helps lead designers in the right direction. Attaching your competitors’ logos is also a way to make yours better.
You’ll also need to choose the source file type in this step or let designers pick for you.
6. Choose a brand style guide
Subscribing to unlimited graphic design services means you can request any visuals for multiple brands. Penji’s design tool lets you save and categorize your brand style guides in folders. This way, you only have to choose a branding guideline for designers to follow.
Once you’ve chosen the associated brand, click the Create project button to start the process.
7. Wait 24 to 48 hours
Although most on-demand graphic design services’ turnaround is 24 to 48 hours, some companies may take more than two days. This is due to complex projects like illustrations or web pages.
Wait for the first draft and ask for revisions until you’re 100 percent happy with the design. Download the source file, and you’re good to go!
Why Should You Sign Up for Unlimited Graphic Design Services
Subscribing to unlimited graphic design services is more convenient than hiring freelance designers. Here’s why:
- Work with vetted designers and choose from various skill sets. There is no need to search for another designer fit for a particular project. The company will assign you the most suitable designer.
- No need to worry about additional fees as you only have to pay fixed monthly rates and get unlimited designs. Revisions also come at no extra cost.
- You don’t have to worry about graphic designers going MIA and abandoning crucial projects. Each design project is managed by an account manager who will check if deadlines are met on time.
- Signing up and canceling subscriptions with on-demand graphic design services is easy. You can sign up if you need a stream of designs while setting up shop and cancel anytime without incurring cancellation fees.
- Fast 24 to 48-hour turnaround, which prevents any bottlenecks in your marketing campaigns.
- Request to change assigned designers if you’re unhappy with their work at no additional cost.
- Organize your projects and brand style guides if you request multiple brand designs. The custom design platforms make managing projects efficient and convenient.
Are they worth it?
If you have a lot of design needs, they’re definitely worth it. Being that it’s a monthly recurring investment, you’ll need to make sure that you have the need for an ongoing graphic design service. This graphic design service model is comparable to outsourcing a designer yourself, except much of all the management work is done by the company. The quality of designs and turnaround time also tends to be significantly better when outsourcing a designer yourself.
Due to the increased demand for affordable graphic design, various unlimited graphic design services has been popping up online. The graphic design industry expanded, offering more options to clients.
We can say that the scene is more competitive now than ever. However, let’s focus on Graphics Zoo for this article. We weigh in on if their services can keep up with the fierce competition in the “unlimited” section of the industry.
What is Graphics Zoo?
Graphics Zoo is an unlimited graphic design service that allows users to request designs on a monthly subscription. All clients have to do is create a submission with full specifications of their design requirements.
It’s also best to attach references to help designers take the creative path towards the client’s preferences. The great thing about an online graphic design service is its flat monthly rate, with no added fees for revisions.
Graphics Zoo Business Model
Unlimited graphic design is a type of business model which allows clients to submit numerous requests per account. After presenting the design preference, expect a 24-hour turnaround or more before you can receive your output. If you receive a design output that’s far from expectations, you can point out the changes you want to make for the revision. Graphics Zoo has a flat monthly rate with no contracts involved. It means you can cancel your subscription anytime without having any legal worries.
You might also like: Design Pickle VS Penji Review
Graphics Zoo’s Market
The design service is excellent for startups, bloggers, and entrepreneurs. As long as the business needs a continuous supply of custom graphic design, Graphics Zoo is worth a shot. Here are a few examples of companies that worked with Graphics Zoo:
- Enicode
- Bread of Life Inc.
- Western Rockies Federal Credit Union
- Perfect Imprints
- Green Guard
According to their website, Graphics Zoo has more than 750 satisfied customers with at least 50,000 approved projects. It’s also highly rated by their customers, earning whopping 4.9-star reviews.
Pros and Cons of Graphics Zoo
Graphics Zoo Pros
- PROOF management system
Graphics Zoo offers a robust system that provides a collaborative space for designers and clients. It streamlines the whole submission and revision process. Using the tool, the clients can click on any submitted designs to pinpoint areas that need revision. It also allows users to leave a comment to provide more instructions to the designer.
- Graphics Zoo offers a stellar project management system that allows efficient communication between both parties.
- Brand profile features add accuracy and efficiency per design project. It quickly provides the design’s purpose to designers.
- Graphics Zoo offers a comprehensive design selection across various graphic design categories.
- The ability to share one account among multiple users is helpful for most businesses.
- Excellent customer support and design project management system
- A team of versatile designers that can provide designs for any business types
Graphics Zoo Cons
- It’s possible to encounter ill-paired designers that are not fit for other project requirements. It might consume time because of countless revisions.
- You can only have one ongoing project per day. So if you’re a business with a high design output demand, you should opt for a plan with more designers.
- Graphics Zoo’s system only allows you to chat with the designers. If you’re more inclined to video calls, it might be a problem for you.
Graphics Zoo’s Pricing Plan
Graphics Zoo offers three monthly plans with robust features:
Business Plan
- $349 per month
- All basic features
- One dedicated designer
- Additional $349 for additional designer
- Five brand profiles
- Three users
- 14-day guarantee
Business Unlimited Plan
- $449 per month
- Everything included in the business plan
- Unlimited brand profiles
- Unlimited users
- White-label platforms
- Customized web design service
- 14-day guarantee
Agency Plan
- $849 per month
- Everything included in previous plans
- Two dedicated designer
- 30-day guarantee
- When starting a project with GraphicsZoo, making the most of their streamlined and user-friendly platform is crucial. Here are some key strategies for a successful collaboration:
- Use Slack for direct communication with your designer. This allows for instant feedback and praise, ensuring clear and efficient revisions or approvals.
- Prioritize clear and detailed communication. Never assume your designer has implicit understanding of your needs. Be explicit in your project briefs, and don’t hesitate to share comprehensive information about your brand and objectives.
- Remember, effective communication is as vital with your design team as it is in any other part of your business. The clarity and detail of your interactions can significantly influence whether the final design meets your expectations or falls short.
- By following these guidelines, you can foster a more productive and satisfying partnership with GraphicsZoo, leading to designs that perfectly embody your vision.
Tips for GraphicsZoo Users
When starting a project with GraphicsZoo, making the most of their streamlined and user-friendly platform is crucial. Here are some key strategies for a successful collaboration:
- Use Slack for direct communication with your designer. This allows for instant feedback, ensuring clear and efficient revisions.
- Prioritize clear and detailed communication. Never assume your designer has implicit understanding of your needs. Be explicit in your project briefs, and don’t hesitate to share comprehensive information about your brand and objectives.
Other Unlimited Graphic Design Companies
If you’re looking for more options with a similar business model as Graphics Zoo, we did the work for you. Here is our full list of unlimited graphic design services.
Investing in the best graphic design partner to help you fulfill your graphic design goals for multiple reasons, like branding, marketing, and advertising, is important. As such, you want a trusted design service to collaborate with and help you with your graphic design work. You don’t have to look further because we list the top five highest-rated design services!
Before we list them, know our criteria when choosing the top five.
- The design service should have over 100+ reviews combined on various review sites, like G2, Trustpilot, Google, Product Hunt, and Facebook.
- It should cover various design work, such as logos, marketing assets, web designs, and more.
1. Penji
Average rating range: 4.7 to 4.8
One of the most trusted design services by big brands and agencies is Penji. Over 25,000 brands and agencies trust the company for design work!
The unlimited graphic design service has a dedicated Agency plan to streamline design production. Agencies rely on Penji to help them manage various client projects. Plus, they can access motion designs, work with an art director and Figma web designer, and have unlimited storage space and users.
Agencies that have worked with Penji say they are the ideal design partner and are responsive to questions and projects. Plus, Penji has helped agencies meet deadlines because of the turnaround times.
Similarly, big brands can leverage the Agency plan to double their output. But the Marketing and Starter plans are available to help you with branding, illustrations, ad creatives, web designs, and presentation designs! Uber, Lyft, and Best Buy have partnered with Penji for their graphic design work!
Read our review of Penji here and get 25% off when you subscribe to the unlimited graphic design service!
Pricing:
- Starter – $499/mo
- Marketer – $995/mo
- Agency – $1497/mo
2. Flocksy
Average rating range: 4.6 to 4.8
Flocksy is another agency favorite since the design service offers various creative solutions. However, agencies and big brands can benefit from requesting over 70+ designs in one subscription for graphic design work.
Agencies and big brands can choose between the Gold and Platinum plans, depending on how fast they want to receive the output or how many projects a creative should work on in a day. Regardless of your agency or brand’s plans, you’ll also get copywriting and custom illustrations. However, the higher the plans, you can get video editing, voice-over and audio, motion graphics, and logo and branding guides.
Agencies that have worked with Flocksy say that they can finally delegate design work to designers. Plus, Flocksy helps them scale their agency.
The design service has helped clients since 2016, including big brands like American Airlines, Harley-Davidson, and State Farm!
Pricing:
- Silver – $499/mo
- Gold – $995/mo
- Platinum – $1695/mo
3. ManyPixels
Average rating range: 4.4 to 5.0
Another trusted design service is ManyPixels. The design service has served over 3,000 clients and completed over 150,000 designs! ManyPixels has worked alongside Teachable, Buffer, and Decathlon to help with design work.
Agencies and big brands can benefit from the Business and Designated Designer Plans. The Business plan doubles the output but has a 1 to 2-day delivery. Meanwhile, the Designated Designer plan allows you to collaborate with a designer in real time. Additionally, motion graphic design is available in this plan. Plus, they promise same-day delivery, too!
Some agencies prefer ManyPixels because they offer more affordable rates than in-house designers with the same or twice the output.
Pricing:
- Advanced – $549/mo
- Business – $899/mo
- Designated Designer – $1,199/mo
4. Kimp
Average rating range: 4.1 to 4.9
If you need video editing work on top of graphic designs, Kimp should be one of your top design service choices. However, if graphic design is your only need, you can get the most out of Kimp’s Graphics plan. Unlike other design services, Kimp doesn’t have a same-day turnaround time. But, the Graphics plan includes all graphic designs you can think of.
Kimp specifically has agencies in mind. That said, their agency partners believe that Kimp is an extension of their company and helps them get back on track.
Universal Music, Decathlon, and Single Grain have become their partner brands to help them with designs or videos.
Pricing:
- Graphics – $599/mo
- Graphics + Video – $995/mo
5. Design Pickle
Average rating range: 4.1 to 4.7
Last but certainly not least is Design Pickle. Agencies and brands have three plans to choose from when receiving graphics from Design Pickle. However, they can take advantage of the Graphics Premium plan, allowing them access to graphic design, illustrations, presentations, and motion graphics. They promise same-day turnaround times, but complex projects could be delivered the next day. Additionally, agencies and brands can talk with Design Pickle in real time through Slack.
Agencies say that working with Design Pickle helped them deliver their work timely. Plus, they believe the plans are more affordable than hiring a freelancer or an in-house one. As for brands, Design Pickle has worked with 7-11, Yahoo!, and Amazon for design work!
Pricing:
- Graphics – $649/mo
- Graphics Pro – $1249/mo
- Graphics Premium – $1949/mo
What Makes Unlimited Graphic Design Services the Top Choices?
Our top five list has one thing in common. They’re all unlimited graphic design services.
They are cost-effective solutions, providing one flat rate for all design work. You don’t have to pay hourly or per project! Additionally, you can consider graphic design services as an extension of your creative team or business! You don’t need to hire employees anymore, too. Unlimited graphic design services have a rigorous vetting process, hiring only the cream of the crop.
Some offer a risk-free trial or money-back guarantee, allowing you to try them before fully committing. You can also scale your business through various subscription plans. Moreover, you can cancel your subscription anytime! Plus, you don’t have to worry about paying for revisions since they have unlimited revisions!
Finally, you don’t have to worry about freelancers submitting their work late since graphic design services guarantee a 1 to 2-day or same-day turnaround time! Plus, graphic design services hire project managers or art directors to check designer work before submitting it to you!
Why Choose Graphic Design Services?
Graphic design services are a much more affordable and cost-effective solution. Here are reasons why you should choose graphic design services.
1. Saves You Time
Hiring freelancers takes days, even weeks to decide on the ideal employee to take on your design projects. You can save time by finding a graphic design service like an agency or subscribing to an unlimited graphic design service. These services have already done the vetting, which helps you cut the time needed to hire a freelancer. Plus, graphic design services have teams of designers on board, allowing you to change designers anytime when needed.
2. Choose Bundles or Subscribe to Plans
You can also save money by choosing a graphic design service instead of hiring freelancers. Some graphic design services offer packages or bundles to help you save money on branding or social media. Other graphic design services like the subscription model let you subscribe to plans and request multiple designs for a flat monthly fee! Plus, this model has unlimited revisions built into the plan. This means you don’t have to pay extra for revisions!
3. Partner with Reliable and Professional Designers
Since graphic design services do the hiring process, they ensure that designers working for them are reliable. Some freelancers have a bad reputation when working with clients. Graphic design services guarantee that you’ll communicate and work with amazing designers during your subscription or when your project has finished.
What Designs You Can Expect from Unlimited Graphic Design Services?
- Logos
- Business cards
- Web and app designs
- Presentation designs
- Marketing materials
- Marketing designs
- Digital ads
- Billboards
- Magazines
- Packaging
- Merchandise
- Illustrations
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