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NFT designers

Not an artist but want your own NFT? Hiring an NFT designer may be the solution.

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By

Bethany Hickey

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Maybe you’re more of the investment type and don’t have the means to create an enticing NFT. Many popular NFTs are unique, captivating designs that are displayed, used as avatars or even played as video game characters — but if you can’t do it yourself, hiring a designer can be a great way to break into the industry.

But where do you find a designer? There are many platforms where freelancers offer their skills to potential clients. Here’s how to navigate that space and how to direct the design of your NFT.

What is NFT design?

NFT design is the creation of a digital file, such as an image, video clip, GIF or even an audiovisual combo, created with the purpose of minting the design into an NFT. NFTs are non-fungible tokens. They become a token after a user takes a digital file or digital design and puts it on a blockchain (public ledger on a network).

If you’re not an artist yourself or unable to create digital files on your own bltime, hiring an NFT designer can help you get into the NFT game.

Thanks to public freelancer-finder sites, users can browse through freelancer portfolios and hire a designer for almost anything. Most designers offer tiered packages of their services, a handful of revisions and possibly copyright and property rights.

How to prepare for hiring an NFT designer

Your budget is likely a big factor in what designer you can hire and how many individual NFT designs you can get. Depending on where you look for a designer, consider copyright and intellectual property rights and whether they’re automatically included in your purchase or something you need to buy separately.

Start by deciding on the NFTs format, style and whether you plan to make an entire collection. While you could leave some of the details up to the designer, they’re likely to ask, “What are you looking for?”

  • Cartoon or realistic?
  • Portrait or character?
  • Collection or one-off?
  • Static or dynamic?
  • Color scheme?
  • Cute or edgy?
  • Background design?
  • Dimensions?

With a basic idea of a design in mind, you can start looking for designers that can accommodate the style you want. Most freelancers post their past work so you can see what they’re capable of and what they specialize in.
Image source: Dribble.com
Image source: Dribble.com – Artist Gal Shir

How much does an NFT design cost?

The cost of any project depends on the complexity of the design, the designer’s rates and how many NFTs you want created. If you hire a designer through a freelancer job site, you may have to consider the site’s fees as well.

Fiverr, a popular online marketplace to find freelance services, offers designers with rates as low as $10 for one design. If you want an entire collection of NFTs with varying attributes, you may be looking at upwards of $100 to $200 minimum. If you want a 10K NFT project — a themed collection of around 10,000 different NFTs — you’re likely to need at least $1,000 to $2,000 minimum.

Once your files are created, you need to mint them to a blockchain, which comes with varying gas fees.

Where to hire NFT designers

You have your pick of sites offering NFT design freelancers, compare fees and services offered to find one that suits your needs best.

Name Product Designers category Client fees Freelancer Fees Base Rates For Designers
Fiverr
Fiverr
Video, Audio, Writing, Graphics Design, Digital Marketing, Animation, Music, More
$2 for >$40 orders, and 5%
20% of the gig price
$10+
Expansive freelancing platform that lets creators sell their services, namely digital services.
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99designs
99designs
Marketing, Logos, Advertising, Merch, Art, Illustration, More
5% platform fee
5% to 15% of the gig price
No base rates posted. Prices vary
Global freelancer platform that lets clients browse freelancer designers. Heavy focus on graphic design.
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View details
People per hour
People per hour
Design, Video, Audio, Writing, Digital Marketing, Animation, Music, Photos & Images, More
5% payment fee and 5% service fee
3.5% to 7.5% of the gig price, and 20% on projects less than $350
$30+
Online community where businesses can browse independent freelancers for hire
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Upwork
Upwork
Design, Video, Audio, Marketing, Writing, More
3% on all
5% to 20% of the gig price
$40+
Renowned freelancing platform where independent creators can advertise their services.
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DesignCrowd
DesignCrowd
Graphics Design, Logos, Art, 3D, Advertisements, Character, Icon, Mascot

  • Fee of $69 to $699

  • 4% for each new project

  • Posting & transaction fee up to $129

  • Client pays 20% project management fee for projects over $200

DesignCrowd takes 15% commission on all payments, including tips
$29+ depending on project complexity
Global online marketplace where businesses can hire designers for logo, print and graphic design services.
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Toptal
Toptal
Consumer products, Communications, Media, Entertainment, More
Client pays $500 deposit, used as credit for first invoice.
Fees vary greatly depending on freelancers used and project.
Ave. hourly rate of $40 to $180+.
Online freelancing platform where businesses can hire freelancers for a variety of services, including graphic design.
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Who owns the intellectual property rights?

When you hire a freelancer to create something for you, it’s safe to assume the designer still has copyright rights of that design. Fiverr only guarantees ownership, not copyright rights, while Upwork and DesignCrowd automatically give the client full intellectual property rights of the product.

Read the fine print of the designer’s contract to understand who has copyright and intellectual property rights. In the case of Fiverr, you need to purchase copyright and intellectual property rights if you want to reproduce the work or sell it.

This also means that plagiarizing someone else’s work and using it to make an NFT that you sell can lead to legal consequences.

What to look for in an NFT designer

Most freelancers set their own rates, work hours, number of revisions, turnaround time and packages. “You get what you pay for” may be the best rule of thumb when it comes to hiring freelancers for designs.

You may see listings from designers advertising a $5 NFT, but how many revisions do you get? How much creative input are you allowed?

Review the packages the designer offers — which is typically around three — and look at the other details on their profile.

  • Reviews and ratings
  • Number of projects completed
  • Reputation
  • Past work
  • Designer’s background
  • Turnaround time
  • Copyright purchasing options, if applicable

What happens after my NFT is designed?

Once you select a designer and communicate what you need, you typically submit payment before you get the project back. Buyers on Fiverr pay in advance, and once the project is done and sent to the buyer, the seller gets 80% of the order. A deposit may be required, or you may be able to arrange a half-now, rest later deal — it depends on the platform and designer.

Once the designer completes the project, they send you the digital file that you can mint on the blockchain or NFT marketplace of your choice. In the case of NFTs, most are on the Ethereum blockchain. It may cost you anywhere from $1 to $500 (or more!) depending on the day. However, gas fees are typically the only fee you encounter when minting.

Once your NFT is minted, you can list it for sale at the marketplace of your choice.

What to know before working with NFT designers

Since NFT designers are typically freelancers, remember that if something goes amiss with the designer, there may not be much the platform can do for you. Often, these platforms function as third-party entities, and issues between you and the designer are left for you to resolve.

There are freelancer scams, unfortunately, so be on the lookout for any red flags such as:

  • Price is too low to be true
  • Turnaround time for a large project seems impossible
  • Designer requests extensive communication outside of the freelancer platform
  • Unusual forms of payment, such as a gift card

And perhaps the biggest caution of all: Selling your own NFTs does not guarantee a profit. The market is huge, and many skeptics state that people looking to design their own may have missed the boat since the market has become saturated.

There’s no way to predict the value of any given NFT, either. An NFT’s value is determined by consumer interest, ownership history and the value of cryptocurrency — so don’t put in more than you’re prepared to lose.

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