The Truth About Design Pickle (and superbad comparisons)
There are a lot of comparisons out there. Some name names. Some don’t. But most have one thing in common:
They get Design Pickle wrong.
The truth is, it’s easy to oversimplify comparisons or leave out the details that matter. When that’s the lens, you miss what actually makes us work, and how we go beyond just delivering designs.
We’re a creative partner who understands your brand and helps you move faster because we truly get what you’re building. If you’re still evaluating us based on old pricing pages or outdated models, let's change that.
To set the record straight, here’s what’s new, what still matters, and why Design Pickle isn’t really built to be compared.
| What they say | The truth |
Services offered Offers graphic design, custom illustration, presentation design, and motion graphics.
| True, plus:
|
Pricing $499 to $1,695 per month. Each plan gets you one designer for each type of service. If you require an additional designer bandwidth, you need to double your subscription fee.
| False, we’ve grown beyond a tiered service. Before our rebrand, we followed a more traditional tiered model. We knew it was time to evolve. Now, you choose the platform that fits your team and workflow then reserve the creative hours you need. Plans start at $1,918 per month or as low as $1,279 per month with an annual commitment. The more creative hours you add the lower your price per hour becomes. It is a more flexible and inclusive pricing model, not just for big budgets. |
Onboarding Onboarding involves you watching a few videos and answering a couple of questions.
| False.
These are all real humans answering your questions and supporting your workflow, not just an AI bot. |
Turnaround time 12 to 48 hours | True. |
Communication Your main communication with your designers is through the brief. On more expensive packages you can communicate with your account manager/designers via Slack. | False.
|
Number of requests & revisions All plans include unlimited requests and revisions but each project is handled by an assigned designer one at a time through a single queue that you can re-prioritize. | True, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Unlimited isn’t realistic, and we are honest about that. Your daily output depends on the number of hours included in your subscription as well as the frequency and complexity of your request. We work with you to get as much out of your subscription as possible. Two designers cannot work on the same project at once. Would you ask a co-worker to help you draw a circle? No. You work with a full creative team, so multiple requests can be in progress simultaneously, but this depends on priority, skillset, and the number of design hours you have reserved with your plan. |
Talent Independent contractors. Talent available during EST working hours. Other time zones (e.g., PST, AUS, and UK) are only accessible through costlier plans. | False. We’re composed of full-time employees and vetted global contractors.
Included with every Design Pickle plan with creative services. |
At Design Pickle, it’s about empowering a true partnership where communication flows both ways and not just managing resources.
While we believe clear briefs are important, our process includes flows that allow teams to collaborate closely with yours to understand your vision, ask the right questions, and deliver creative solutions that reduce the need for endless revisions.
Behind the scenes, we have:
- QA processes to ensure quality doesn’t slip before delivery
- Frequent designer training and growth opportunities
- Art directors who help expand on your creative vision
- Dedicated points of contact providing daily support, whether that’s your CSM or Production Coordinator
Real efficiency comes from collaboration, clarity, and support and not just assigning a manager. That’s the difference we bring to every project.
If you’re running multiple brands or handling high volumes of requests, Design Pickle offers creative support that feels like an in-house department. Agencies and enterprise teams benefit from creative oversight from art directors and production coordinators designed to maintain brand consistency at scale.
- 4+ creative hours = Production coordinator included
- 8+ creative hours = Production coordinator and art director included
You don’t have to choose between quality and speed because our team and systems make both possible.
Every designer you work with has been vetted and trained within our creative system. Design Pickle is not a one-and-done gig for them. You’re matched with a team based on your brand, industry, and creative needs, not whoever is randomly “available.” We work in your preferred time zone and business hours, so creative output flows on your schedule.
Because we assign backup team members and support roles to every account, your requests don’t stall if someone’s out sick or offline. Unlike AI platforms or basic outsourcing models, you’ve got a real, thoughtful team: designers, creative leads, production coordinators, and a dedicated CSM all aligned to your brand.
Design Pickle pioneered the design subscription space and we’re still innovating in it. Not by chasing competitors, but by building a service brands actually need: faster production, reliable systems, and creativity that adapts as you grow.
We’ve come across plenty of copycats and usually we let them be. But it’s a different story when the facts get twisted. We want everyone watching and reading to understand the real differences and similarities. It’s one thing to be inspired by others; it’s another to misrepresent a business for your own gain.
We’re not a knockoff. We’re not a gig marketplace. We’re not a DIY tool with support docs and prayer hands.
We’re Design Pickle and we’re making creative work smarter, faster, and more accessible for every brand.
“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”
– Herman Melville