Unlimited Design vs. Freelancers: What’s the Better Choice?

If you are a business that consistently needs high-quality graphic designs, then unlimited graphic design services can be the most cost-effective and time-saving solution. 

Modern businesses need great design. According to the latest research, 80% of SMBs consider graphic design important for their success. However, since the average graphic designer salary in 2023 is around $60,000 annually, many businesses decide to outsource design as a way to cut costs and work more efficiently. 

Freelancing is still the number one choice for most businesses that are considering outsourcing. This is hardly surprising, as 90% of designers work freelance. But, unlimited design services are a much simpler, faster and more affordable way to get quality design.

Not sure what unlimited graphic design is? Let’s explain that first.  

What Are Unlimited Graphic Design Services?

Unlimited graphic design services are on-demand graphic design service providers who can design unlimited designs for you at a flat fee.

Yes, you heard that right!

The subscription-based business model allows you to control your marketing expenses, put out high-quality designs, and strengthen your brand image.

Here are some of the main advantages of working with unlimited graphic design companies:

• Unlimited design requests
• Unlimited design revisions
• Fast turnaround time
• Access to a team of designers with diverse skills
• Original and copyright-free designs

Big companies like Design Pickle and ManyPixels offer comprehensive graphic design packages that include everything from logo design to different marketing materials. 

But what’s a better choice for your business, unlimited design or freelance designers? We’ll compare the two solutions in the next section. 

6 Reasons to Choose Unlimited Graphic Design Services Over Freelancers

1. Saving time

Hiring a freelance graphic designer is the go-to option for most businesses for their design needs; however, the hiring process is time-consuming. What’s more, after weeks of searching and interviewing candidates, you might not find the right fit for your needs.

You have not only wasted your time but also delayed your marketing plan.

With unlimited design companies all it takes is a few clicks. With ManyPixels, you can simply submit your design request through our intuitive platform, and we’ll immediately assign it to the designer with the most fitting skills and experience.

2. Cost-effectiveness

If you search for freelance designers on popular platforms, you’ll notice that the freelance designer hourly rates are pretty affordable (Upwork states $25 is the average), and there are many design projects you can get for under $100.

So, isn’t freelance design cheap?

Yes and no. If you need designs regularly, costs can pile up very fast. Moreover, many freelancers charge extra for additional revisions, which is usually the case with more complex projects, such as landing pages or website design. 

Of course, one way to avoid unexpected costs is to pay on a per-project basis. However, as you can see, this will still set you back hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a single project. 

Freelance designer rates also depend on where the designer is located. A designer from a different country might be more affordable than hiring an in-house designer in the US. Nevertheless, nothing can beat the price of unlimited design services. You get full coverage of your design needs for the fraction of the cost of a full-time designer!

Data Sources: Payscale, Glassdoor

3. Quick turnaround

A freelancer usually works for multiple clients simultaneously, leading to delayed delivery of design, multiple revisions, and late delivery of revised designs.

Unlimited design companies work with multiple clients daily. So, they’re used to handling a large workload effectively. 

At ManyPixels we instantly assign you a dedicated graphic designer to work on your designs when you submit your requirements.

Depending on the subscription plan you choose, our designers can deliver 1-2 our estimated daily output. Your design revisions are also handled quickly by your dedicated designer only.

At ManyPixels, our projected output for one graphic designer in a day looks like this:

• 2-3 social media graphics
• 1 logo draft
• 1-2 custom illustrations (more if the design requirement is not too complex)
• 1-2 flyers
• 2-3 display ads
• 1 GIF draft (2-3 seconds)
• 4-5 pages of a brochure, report, slide deck, or e-book

4. Authentic Work

Apart from delayed deliveries, some of the biggest challenges of working with a designer are low-quality work, refusal to do revisions, and delivering copyright-infringed work.

Of course, there are ways to [check the authenticity of the delivered work; however, it is time-consuming and might even lead to conflicts between you and the freelancer.

One of the pillars of assertive visual communication is authentic design.

The best unlimited graphic design services employ a team of talented graphic designers and invest in design tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Sketch, and Figma. These tools allow them to create original works and share native files with you so that you have full ownership of the design.

5. All your designs under one roof

There are different types of designs, but a freelance graphic usually specializes in one or two. So, if you’re a digital marketer in a large firm or agency, don’t count on one freelancer delivering all the different types of graphics you might need (digital ads, landing pages, illustrated social media posts, etc.).

Unlimited design services solve that issue. They employ a talented pool of team members who specialize in various design areas. Need a last-minute graphic for your marketing campaign? No problem! Does your new website need a final tweak? We got it covered!

Unlike freelancers that often provide a temporary solution, unlimited design services are a long-term investment in your business. With ManyPixels you get full flexibility to scale up or down as you go. 

So, if you want a large design project completed on time with the best quality, then an unlimited graphic design for a monthly fee can be your best bet.

6. Reliability

Hiring a freelancer might be an outright bad idea in some cases. Freelancers can disappear at any time, if another project takes their focus. And even big platforms like Upwork and Fiverr get their share of scams. 

The responsibility lies with you to hire a credible and accountable graphic designer.

The best unlimited graphic design services are legitimate companies, with a physical location, vetted team members, and reputable client testimonials. So, you don’t have to worry about your designer disappearing (there’s always another one to take over), or being subject to a scam.

Moreover, some subscription-based services have dedicated project managers, who oversee the design process and ensure designers are held accountable, and deliver the best possible results. At ManyPixels our project managers have a comprehensive quality control process - it’s one of the many reasons why you should consider us!

Unlimited graphic design - who’s it for? 

Now you know how the service compares to a freelance designer. But is subscription-based design a good idea for every business? 

If you only need a single project, an unlimited design service is not the best option. The  point of this type of service is to provide quality graphics quickly, for an affordable price. With a single project, working closely with a freelance designer might help you establish a more personal relationship and is sometimes cheaper (for smaller projects).

But if you want a long-term design solution that’s professional and affordable, there’s nothing better. Despite what you might think, unlimited design companies can also be an additional support for your existing design team. This is common with many design and marketing agencies we work with. In this scenario, our designers help agencies expand their services, deliver more variety and faster results. 

Ready to get started with a top unlimited design agency?

We’ve mentioned our service at ManyPixels a few times now. There are many awesome unlimited design companies on the market, but there are a few good reasons why you should choose us.

We’ve been around since 2018, and are considered a pioneer in the unlimited design space. In fact, many of the businesses were introduced to subscription-based graphic design services when they met us.

We have a comprehensive pricing range. Whether you need one or two designs a day, or want to get your personal dedicated designer reachable in real time via Slack, we’ve got you covered. We work with businesses and teams of all sizes. Starting at just $549 our subscription plans allow us to pay top designers fairly and deliver quality designs at a very affordable rate. 

Finally, we’ve completed more than 125,000 design requests for more than 3,000 clients. You can check out some of our work for a taste of how much diversity in style and skills we offer. 

Our service also includes a custom platform that lets you manage all your designs in one place. With our platform, you can:

• Submit and manage requests
• Invite your team and collaborate
• Create multiple Brand Profiles
• Communicate with your designer
• Leave feedback directly on the graphics.

Do you still have your doubts? No worries. We have a 14-day money-back guarantee so you can get a taste of the service risk-free. 

And if you have any more questions, we’ll be delighted to help you out. Book your free 1:1 consultation and discover how ManyPixels can help your business thrive!