How to Avoid Generic Designs With Unlimited Design Companies

Compared to freelancers and design agencies, on-demand design companies charge a fraction of the price. Most services claim they hire vetted graphic designers. But does that mean simply following the brief or can they actually create 

TL;DR

From picking a trustworthy design service, to avoiding stock photos - there are many things you can do to avoid getting generic designs, and sacrificing on quality when you use unlimited design services.

What is a design subscription?

If you’re not already familiar with it, here’s a quick rundown.

Unlimited design companies (also called on-demand design and design subscriptions), allow you to make unlimited design requests at a fixed monthly fee. 

They also have no revision limits, so you can always make sure that the final design is 100% to your liking. 

Most reputable unlimited design companies offer a range of services, from logo design, social media posts, ads, websites, even motion graphics. 

Is unlimited design good quality? 

Most design subscriptions cost between $500 and $1,200 per month. Freelance designers charge this much for a single, more complex project (e.g. logo or website design). So, it’s fair to wonder whether unlimited design services can also provide quality in addition to cost-effectiveness?

The answer is: it depends. There are dozens of companies out there and the truth is that many hire designers with varying degrees of experience. 

At ManyPixels - we only hire the 2% of applicants, and have a rigorous hiring process. Each client has access to a designated project manager who ensures every piece of design work complies with our quality assurance standards.

Unlimited design also means unlimited revisions. Unlike freelance designers, who often charge extra for revisions not previously agreed upon, you can request as many changes as you want until the design is perfect.

What about creativity?

Quality assurance means that the design follows the creative brief, respects industry standards and brand guidelines, is functional, and that there are no errors.

However, the creativity of design is not so easily measurable.

Sure, you can check for plagiarism, by doing a Google image search, but sometimes, plagiarism isn’t even the problem. 

Many unlimited design companies get a bad rep, because the designs are characterized as “generic”. This doesn’t necessarily mean poor quality, but it certainly doesn’t justify paying for a design service, rather than, say, creating a generic logo design in a logo maker, or using graphic design AI tools.

However, the thing that makes unlimited design services different are unlimited design revisions. With endless revisions you don’t only get designs exactly how you want them. You also get to explore different variations and find what works best.

On top of that, thousands of happy clients use unlimited design services for high-quality design. Below we’re sharing 5 tips on how you can achieve the same.

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How to avoid generic designs: 5 tips

1. Pick your service carefully

As we’ve mentioned already, there are dozens of unlimited design services on the market, with new ones popping up regularly. 

Here are some graphic design service red flags to look out for: 

• Unrealistic price: Most design subscriptions cost between $500 and $2,000. A subscription for $300 or under could mean that the company hires inexperienced designers (and doesn’t pay them fairly), or perhaps overuses AI or templates in the design process.

• No portfolio: Every serious designer and design company should have a well-curated design portfolio that shows potential clients their capabilities. If work samples are only available upon request, take it as a warning sign that the company might have very little experience, or creates low-quality work they’re not proud to share. 
• No reviews: White it’s not always the case (e.g. when a company is just starting out), most unlimited design services have at least a few reviews on popular platforms (e.g. Trustpilot, G2, etc.), as well as more detailed case studies on their website. 
• Unrealistic turnaround promises: Unlimited design companies don’t actually promise unlimited design. This is because you’re still working with real designers rather than AI. So, if you see something like “10 designs per day”, it’s usually neither realistic nor true. 
• Hidden fees or unclear scope: Most design subscriptions have different tiers, to cater to the flexible needs of clients. However, if you’re unsure exactly what you’re getting with each tier (e.g. types of designs, number of revisions, turnaround time), it’s better to stay away. 

2. Build a relationship with your assigned designer(s)

One of the biggest advantages of on-demand design companies is that you have a whole team of designers at your disposal. 

Still, most services (ManyPixels including) also give you the option to have a designated desiggner working almost exclusively with you. This also includes real-time collaboration in Slack, which encourages clients to build a lasting relationship with the designer, and designers to understand the brand better.

Once a designer is well acquainted with your brand, they will get better at creating unique designs that resonate with your brand identity. 

3. Ask for variations and rationale

Have we already mentioned that unlimited design services grant you unlimited revisions? 

This is definitely the best way to avoid generic designs. If you’re not happy with how something looks, ask for different variations. Then again, if you’re not a designer yourself it’s always useful to ask about the process and why certain design decisions have been made. That way, you’ll be able to give more actionable feedback and get to the final product in no time. 

At ManyPixels, we use a custom design platform that allows you to communicate with designers and request revisions easily. You can also leave feedback directly on the designs, which saves time. All the designs and source files are stored in the app, so you can have full version control and give access to multiple team members.

4. Avoid overusing stock assets

Design companies are not photography studios. So, if you need photos, there’s a good chance they’ll have to use stock items.

To avoid this, you can always provide them with your own photos: whether it’s your product, team, or even your offices. A trained designer will know how to make even the most mundane photo pop and ensure it matches other design elements to create a consistent brand image.

Of course, with a whole design team you can also create custom assets, such as illustrations and icons.

5. Share your strategy

No piece of graphic design exists in a vacuum. So, if you want to make sure designs deliver the right kind of message to the right audience, you will need to communicate with your designer.

Set clear expectations about what you want this design to achieve (e.g. more sign ups, or delight existing customers). A skilled graphic designer will know how to translate into effective visual language that’s anything but generic.

Conclusion

We hope this helps you avoid the potential red flags and get started with an unlimited design agency on a high note!

While the best unlimited design companies usually hire vetted designs, there are a few things that will help designers deliver unique and creative graphics that are a perfect match for your brand.

If you’re ready to take the leap, ManyPixels ' affordable design subscriptions start at just $599! Forget about generic designs - whether you need a custom logo, eye-catching ads, or scroll-stopping social media posts, we’ve got you covered!

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