If you are a graphics designer looking for a side hustle or just a way to earn extra cash, there’s a site called Designhill you might be interested in.
This site claims you can make use of your design skills to earn money in various ways.
Now, the question is, is it any good? Well, that’s what you are about to find out.
I have taken a closer look at it to see how it works and how well it stacks up with other websites that offer the same opportunity.
In this Designhill review, I will give you an honest inside look, so you will know if it is a site worth joining or not. So, let’s go ahead and get this review started, shall we?
What is Designhill and what does it offer?
Designhill is essentially a marketplace intended for companies and individuals looking for design work as well as design creatives looking to earn.
To earn from this site, you must be a skilled graphics designer. And yes, it is indeed a legit site because you can really earn money by doing design work.
But the question now is, is this for you? Well, the first step to answering this question is to understand how the site works, so you will have an idea of how much time and effort is required to earn.
And the best way to do this is to examine the earning opportunities Designhill offers.
For that, I have made a video that gives you an inside look and shows exactly how you can earn from Designhill. You can also read all the details below the video.
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Option 1 – Design contests
One of the possible ways you can earn from Designhill is by joining design contests. Just keep in mind that there’s no guarantee you will earn from this opportunity. Unless stated otherwise, there will always be only one winner in all design contests
So, you’ve got to bring your A-game (so to speak) if you wish to increase your chances of earning from this opportunity. To start, just log in to the member dashboard and go to the “Design Contests” section.
Just choose the category of a contest you want to join (refer to the photo above) and click it. You will then see all the contests under the chosen category and the prize for winning the contest. Click the one you are interested in, and you will see the full details for the contest.
On the details page, see the deadline for the contest as well as any additional instructions you need to follow. All you have to do is submit your entry before the deadline. There’s a section under the details page where you can post questions about the design you are supposed to do.
Take note that you can only ask questions pertaining to the contest. It’s not a place to ask for feedback on your designs or to criticize other designers or contest holders. So, make sure to use this section appropriately.
If you are chosen as the winner, you will receive a notification from Designhill, so make sure to check the notifications section of the dashboard. You will also receive an email if you ever win a contest.
When you win, the amount promised will be credited to your Designhill account, and the design you submitted will now be owned by the contest holder. So, before you join any contest, you have to be prepared to relinquish the rights of your design to the contest holder.
The contest holder, on the other hand, is given 14 days after the deadline to choose a winner. If they fail or refuse to choose a winner, the prize money will be divided equally among the eligible designers by Designhill on the contest holder’s behalf. The prize is manually distributed 181 days after the contest has gone into the locking phase.
There are lots of contests available at any given time, so you will eventually find one that you can join. And another thing, if you win, Designhill will receive 45% of the prize, so don’t expect to receive the full amount.
This is a very high percentage, in my opinion. It almost makes it not worthwhile to join any contest. There’s a way to decrease this percentage, though, and I will explain it later.
Option 2 – Sell your artwork
Another way you can potentially earn from Designhill is by selling your artwork through their PrintShop.
First, you have to log in to the dashboard and click the section shown in the photo above. Then, you’ll have to fill out the PrintShop application form. Once you’ve completed the form, just wait for approval from Designhill.
I personally wasn’t able to test the wait time for this opportunity, so I can’t really say how long it will take before you hear back from them. But once your application is approved, you can sell your designs on PrintShop and set your price.
It’s a great way to offload designs you’ve made that weren’t bought by your previous clients. Just be aware that Designhill won’t accept any generic designs. Of course, this is still not a reliable way to earn because there’s no guarantee someone will buy your designs.
All this opportunity is doing is giving you a chance for your designs to be bought.
Option 3 – Sell your service
You can also sell your design services to Designhill’s clients. You can enroll your services by logging in to the dashboard and clicking the “Sell a Service” option (refer to the photo below).
Then, you’ll be asked to create a design portfolio that consists of at least 10 original designs. These designs should showcase the service you want to sell.
Once your portfolio is done, Designhill will review it. This time around, it will only take a few hours to hear back from them. If it is accepted, then you can start selling your services.
Clients will be able to find your services when they search on Designhill for designers, so you will have to wait for a client to hire you to earn. I personally never got to the point of being able to sell the services I offered because it can take days or even weeks for a client to find you, so I can’t really tell you more about this opportunity.
But the good thing about this opportunity is that you can set your own rates, and most of the time, you can still negotiate with the client regarding the rate and the deadline.
Option 4 – One-to-one projects
Lastly, you can invite clients from Designhill to hire you as their designer. This is called the one-to-one project.
Just go to the “Invite Customers” section of the dashboard and fill out all the necessary fields. Once you are ready, press the “Invite” button to send the invite.
The important thing about this opportunity is that you have to get the client’s name so you can invite them. A good technique to use is to browse the contests because you will see the name of Designhill clients in this section.
If the client accepts your invitation, then you can work on a project for that specific client. The earnings for this opportunity will be guaranteed, but then again, there’s still no guarantee that your invitation will be accepted.
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How do you get paid?
As explained above, you will earn a specific amount from the earning opportunities offered by Designhill. Every time you win/earn from the site, the money will be credited to your Designhill account balance.
Once you’ve earned at least $50, you will be able to withdraw your earnings via PayPal. It’s a very convenient payment method, but the only problem is that the threshold is a bit high.
So, you will have to be extra patient because reaching that threshold is not very easy since the site doesn’t offer guaranteed earnings. If you prefer a site where you can withdraw your earnings quickly, I recommend you check out the fastest paying sites instead.
How much money can you make?
The issue with Designhill is that there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to earn from all of the earning opportunities it offers, so it’s quite hard to give you an estimate of how much money you can make.
Most of the prizes from contests will range from $80 to $150, which isn’t bad, in my opinion. But there’s no guarantee you will win every contest you join, so it’s not something you can rely on.
While the other earning opportunities will allow you to set your rate, there’s still no guarantee you can earn from them reliably. This is why I would say the earning potential of Designhill is not that good. You have to be very patient if you want to earn a significant amount from this site.
Can you use it on mobile?
Designhill doesn’t have a mobile app you can download, and I don’t really see any reason why you should use it on a mobile device. The website is mobile-friendly, so you can log in to the dashboard conveniently.
However, the only situation where you should log in to the member dashboard from a mobile device is if you are looking for a contest you can join or a client you can invite. For the rest of the things you need to do, you should use your computer.
Who can join Designhill?
The best thing about this site, in my opinion, is that it is available globally. You will be able to register as a designer regardless of where you are in the world. Plus, Designhill is not very strict with who they accept into their platform.
However, this site is only for designers who have expertise in at least one of the fields shown in the photo above. If your expertise isn’t listed, then this site is not for you. You will not find any opportunities to earn on this site.
Now, if your expertise is shown in the photo above, you just have to fill out the registration form and confirm your registration by clicking the confirmation link in the email. Then, you have to fill out your profile. Once you’ve done that, you can now start the earning process.
That being said, the membership level can influence how much you can earn from the site. As you can see in the photo above, you will start as a free member. But you have the option to upgrade your membership to a paid one.
Doing so will allow you to do more on the site. You can upload more designs, and most importantly, it can lower Designhill’s commission from contest prizes. However, the fee is quite high because there is no monthly option.
You will have to pay for the annual subscription if you decide to become a paid member. Before you decide to become a premium member, you have to think it through first and formulate a solid plan to earn back the annual fee at least.
Can you get support?
If you have any questions about the site or your account, you can check out the Help Center. It discusses most (if not all) of the basic topics you need to know about the site.
If you can’t find the answers you are looking for, you can just submit your inquiry to their support team using the contact form provided on the member dashboard. Overall, I would say Designhill provides decent support for its members because it offers a convenient way for you to request assistance.
Aside from that, Designhill will guide you on all the important things you need to do on the site to start earning.
Final Verdict
Designhill is a legit site that will allow you to earn money from design work. It has a couple of good features, but it also has some limitations you need to be aware of.
Let me end this review with a summary of its pros and cons to give you an overview of what the site offers. Then, you can decide if Designhill is a good fit for you or not.
Pros:
- Offers payment via PayPal
- Available worldwide
Cons:
- Doesn’t offer guaranteed earnings
- High payout threshold
In my opinion, Designhill is not for everyone. If you are a skilled designer, this can be a decent option, provided your set your expectations properly.
You see, Designhill doesn’t offer any guaranteed earnings. Everything is left to chance, so it’s not necessarily a great way to invest your time.
The best opportunity it provides, in my opinion, is that you can sell your designs. At least it provides a platform where you can offload your old designs and potentially earn money. But apart from that, you are better off joining freelance sites because you can earn money in an easier way.
That’s why if you are a designer looking to earn extra cash, I suggest you check out the best freelance sites you can join instead. You can find jobs for designers on this site easily, so you can reliably earn extra cash.
If you have any comments, questions, or have any experiences with Designhill yourself, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.