Dribbble is a website that claims you can find various graphics design jobs to earn money. So, if you are a graphics designer looking to earn extra income, then you might be interested in joining this site.
Now, the question is, is Dribbble legit or just another scam?
That’s what you are about to find out in this Dribbble review. It will explain in detail what the site has to offer so you will know exactly what to expect from it before you even sign up.
Then, you’ll be able to identify if it is the right opportunity for you to earn some extra cash or not. So, let’s go ahead and check it out, shall we?
What is Dribbble, and what does it offer?
Dribbble is an online community for graphic designers, but it’s also for people who are looking to hire graphic designers. But for this review, we'll only focus on how good the earning opportunities are if you are looking for work.
Now, this means you can find various graphics design jobs posted by companies and individuals when you become a member of this site. And yes, it is legit since you can really find design jobs to earn from. However, that doesn’t mean this is the right opportunity for you.
To find out if you should become a member of Dribbble, you must first understand how it works. The best way to do that is to take a look at the earning opportunity it offers. So, here’s how to earn from it.
The earning opportunity – Jobs
Technically speaking, you will not earn from the site. Instead, you will earn from the jobs posted on the website. Once you become a member of Dribbble, you will be able to view all the job offers on Dribbble.
Now, there are two ways you can land a job using Dribbble. You can do it the proactive way by applying for the job opportunities posted on the site (refer to the photo above). Or you can also just wait for an employer to get in touch with you through Dribbble and hire you.
I personally prefer the first method because you have control over which jobs you are going for. And especially when you first start, you will rarely see results from just sitting back and waiting.
If you decide to apply for a job, you must click the job offer to view the full details. The details page will describe the position you are applying for, as well as the pay and expected workload.
If you are interested in the job offer, you’ll have to follow the instructions shown on the details page on how to apply. Normally, the job offers will ask you to email your application to a certain email address. So, it will not go through Dribbble.
The site’s participation in this process is just to present you with the opportunities. Beyond that, they don’t have any control anymore.
As for the application process, that will entirely depend on the employer posting the job offer. However, based on my experience, most job offers will undergo the basic application process, where you’ll have to go through an interview before you get hired.
As for the second method, employers can contact you through Dribbble because they can see your profile and portfolio when they also log in to the site. You see, you can create a portfolio on Dribbble so you can showcase your graphic design skills. If they like your work, they can get in touch with you and potentially hire you.
Of course, it will still depend on you whether you will actually be hired by them or not. In short, you still need to impress them for you to be hired. For this method, the most important part is to make sure your profile/portfolio showcases your best work so that potential employers can see that you are a capable graphic designer.
To create your portfolio, you just have to follow the instructions when creating your profile. It’s a relatively simple process.
As for the type of jobs you can find on the site, it will mostly be part-time positions that will last only a few months. However, from time to time, there will be full-time positions being offered. So, it’s not the best site to look for a full-time job, in my opinion.
As you can see, there’s no guarantee you’ll earn from Dribbble once you become a member. It is important to keep that in mind. In my opinion, you can consider this as an extra portfolio to increase your chances of finding graphic design work.
Recommended: Check Out the Best Freelance Sites
How do you get paid?
You will only get paid if you get hired as a graphic designer. As for how you will receive your earnings, that will entirely depend on your employer. Most of the time, payment will be done via direct bank transfer or PayPal.
You’ll have to send an invoice to your employer during payday, and you will have to do that outside of the Dribbble platform because, as mentioned earlier, Dribbble’s job is just to present you with job opportunities. It doesn’t handle any payment or other responsibilities.
Disputes over pay must also be resolved by you and your employer, which is why, compared to freelance sites that handle the payment system, you don’t have a safety net to cling to with Dribbble. This is the biggest drawback of this site, in my opinion.
That’s why you have to do your due diligence before accepting any work from an employer because Dribbble can’t give a 100% guarantee that your employer is legit. The best thing they can do is ban the account of the scammer (goes both ways – employer and designer).
Overall, I would say you can expect the payment system to be used to be convenient since you and your employer will have control over which payment method to use. Now, if you are looking for sites that offer a convenient payment method, I suggest you also check out the top sites that pay via direct bank transfer.
How much money can you make?
The amount you can earn from Dribbble will depend on the job you take on. Since you have the power to negotiate with the employer, you can directly affect how much you can earn and which jobs you accept.
So, the biggest factor that can affect your earnings from Dribbble is how often you get hired. And unfortunately, you don’t have any control over that. The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is to make sure your profile/portfolio on Dribbble displays your best work to attract more potential employers.
There’s one other thing you can do to increase your chances of finding a job on this site. You can become a Dribbble Pro by paying a monthly subscription of $8. When you become a Dribbble Pro, your profile will appear in more searches.
They can also be viewed by people outside of the site. So, you can use it as a portfolio you can send to employers outside of Dribbble. This, in my opinion, is the best advantage you can get from this site.
But overall, the earning potential of this site will really depend on how good a graphic designer you are. If you have the skills, you can potentially earn good money from this site. But if you are just a budding graphic designer, you might not find any opportunities to earn because you will be competing with thousands of other graphic designers for job offers.
Can you use it on mobile?
Dribbble has a mobile app you can download so you can look for job offers conveniently using your mobile device. The app is only available to Android users though, so if you are an iOS user, you must use their web-based platform instead.
The app is relatively easy to use, but a lot of users complain that it is very spammy because there are a lot of pop-up ads that will appear when you open it. So, the user experience it provides is not that great, in my opinion, which is why it is better to stick with the web-based platform instead of the app.
Who can join Dribbble?
Dribbble is open to all graphic designers, regardless of where you live. The sign-up process is relatively easy. You can use your Google account or email address to sign up. However, becoming a Dribbble designer involves additional steps.
Once you are logged in to the dashboard, you have to apply as a designer before your profile/portfolio can be viewed. To do so, you have to upload samples of your work, complete your profile, and indicate your work preferences.
Once you’ve done that, you can submit it to Dribbble for review. The site is not very strict on who they accept. As long as you follow the instructions on applying, you should be accepted in a couple of days.
Can you get support?
If you have questions about the site or your account, you can check out the site’s Support page. It discusses some of the basic topics you need to know about Dribbble. But if you can’t find the answers you are looking for, you can contact the support team instead.
You can do so by going to the Support page and clicking the Contact button. Then, you must fill out all the necessary fields to submit your inquiry.
Overall, I would say the site provides decent support to its members since it offers a convenient way for you to get in touch with the support team.
Final Verdict
Dribbble is a legit site where you can find graphic design opportunities to earn. It has a couple of decent features, but it also has certain limitations you need to consider.
To help you with your decision, I have summarized its pros and cons so that you can see an overview of what it offers.
Pros:
- Available worldwide
- Offers a good number of job opportunities
Cons:
- Doesn’t offer guaranteed earnings
- You have to pay a monthly subscription to access the full capabilities of the site
Yes, you can definitely find opportunities to earn as a graphic designer from this site. However, the fact that it can’t guarantee that you’ll earn from it is its biggest drawback, in my opinion. But that is how it is with more or less all job posting platforms.
Plus, it also doesn’t help that Dribbble won’t mediate between pay disputes with the employer.
In my opinion, this site works best with experienced graphic designers since they have already established a good resume that potential employers will be attracted to. If you are new to graphic design and looking for work, you are better off joining the best freelance sites instead.
Now, if you are looking to earn a full-time income online without relying on a site, I suggest you check out how to build your own online business instead. This course will help you build your brand as a graphic designer so that job opportunities will just come your way even while you sleep.
If you have any comments, questions, or experience with Dribbble, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.