Online platforms are shaping the future of work by enabling crowdsourcing and freelancing. They allow access to a global talent pool and provide flexibility for freelancers to work remotely. This benefits both businesses and freelancers. Online platforms also foster creativity through design competitions and help address challenges like data collection and knowledge gaps through public engagement. They are expected to further disrupt and enhance how people work in the future by promoting fair access to opportunities worldwide.

1. © 99designs, Inc. 1
Crowdsourced
toOutsourced
Pam Webber – COO, 99designs
Howonlineplatformsareshaping
thefutureofwork
by Asael Varas

2. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 2
Hi,I’mPam
—
▪︎ COO at 99designs
▪︎ Formerly at eBay, PayPal
▪︎ An ecommerce entrepreneur
▪︎ Driven by finding those “aha moments”
that shape strategic direction
▪︎ Enjoy chocolate, parenting, and dogs
▪︎ Tweeting (sometimes) @pamwebber_SF

3. About99designs
An introduction

4. Wechampioncreativity
tobringopportunities
topeoplearoundtheworld

5. Commercial in confidence 5
Findingtherightdesigner
ishard
—
by felipe_charria

6. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 6
by a.n.n.a
Beingafreelance
designerishard
—

7. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 7
10,000+
designers
onlineright
now
$250M+
indesigner
earnings
by pmo
for Davidjpeterson
750,000+
contests
250,000+
projects
NPS65
netpromoter
score
565K+
happy
customers
99designsmakesiteasierto
design,andtogetdesigndone
—

8. © 99designs, Inc. 8
2010
Expandedtothe
US,established
SanFrancisco,
office
2012
Internationalized
into7languages
andopened
Berlinoffice
2008
99designsspun
outofSitePoint,
pioneerof
crowdsourced
design
46 employees 14 employees
2011
SeriesAfunding
fromAccel–after
3yearsoforganic
growth
2018
HQbackto
Melbourne;focus
ongrowing direct
workalongside
contests
2019
99designscreates
API tointegrateits
creativeplatform
withpartners like
Squarespace
Ourjourney
—

9. Howitworks
Crowdsourced or outsourced:
what’s the difference?

10. Commercial in confidence
1.Pickacategory

11. 11
Choosefromover90categories
Packaging&
label
Book&
magazine
Logo&
branding
Art&
illustration
Business&
advertising
1.Pickacategory

12. 12
Animation
Socialvideo
ads Web&
app
3D
Banner
ads
1.Pickacategory Choosefromover90categories

13. Commercial in confidence
Twowaystowork2.ContestorProject
by Wiell

14. Commercial in confidence
3. Buildlonglastingrelationships

15. Commercial in confidence
In2018,morethanathird
oftheworkdoneon99designs
tookplacebetweenaclientanddesigner
withanexistingrelationship.
3. Buildlonglastingrelationships

16. © 99designs, Inc. 16
Ourglobaldesigner
community
–
▪︎ 10,000 designers online at any time
▪︎ A new design is uploaded every 2 seconds
▪︎ Designers from 192 countries

17. Webelievedesignhasnoborders

18. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 18
Freelancingisaspirational
–
▪︎ In our recent survey of 10,000 freelancer
designers, this was clear.
▪︎ Only 5% of designers said they freelance
because they can’t find other work.
Designers on 99designs like to work as digital nomads

19. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 19
1
Personalflexibility
—
42% of freelance designers say that
their number one motivation for
freelancing is flexibility.
2
Creativefreedom
—
The second biggest motivation for
freelancing is creative freedom.
3
Additionalincome
—
Another reason for freelancing is the
opportunity to boost earning potential -
most often in addition to a day job in
design.

20. © 99designs, Inc. 20
Onlineplatformsamplify
thebenefitsoffreelancing
–
▪︎ Online platforms are the #1 source of new client
leads for more than half of freelance designers
▪︎ Platforms like 99designs democratize access to
creative work:
▪︎ Majority of freelancers (over 70%) live outside
of main metro cities
▪︎ More than 80% of designers work with clients
outside of their own time zone
▪︎ Just 8% of freelancers work primarily between
9am and 5pm
by Spoonlancer

21. Howonlineplatformsareshaping
thefutureofwork
An evolution

22. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 22
Howtodefine“thefutureofwork”
—
by Marhahering
1. Globally,morepeoplearefreelancingthanever
before,resultinginalargermoreflexible,skilled
laborpool
2. Peoplearechangingjobsandcareersmoreoften
thananypreviousgeneration
3. Theworkforceismoreyouthful:injustfiveyears,
75%oftheworld’sworkforcewillbemillennials
oryounger

23. © 99designs, Inc. 23
Onlineplatformschangedthegame
—
Onlineplatformshaveincreasedconnectivityand
ultimatelytransformedthewaywework.
Many of the things we see on 99designs are reflected in
the workforce at large:
▪︎ Speed and connectivity have made the world smaller -
online platforms mobilized a global workforce
▪︎ Most of the current workforce are digital natives
by Spoonlancer

24. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 24
Businesses and organizations of all sizes have made significant
gains by leveraging online platforms (and crowdsourcing in
particular) across a variety of functions.
For example
▪︎ Data collection
▪︎ Filling resource or knowledge gaps in teams
▪︎ Scalability
▪︎ Increased consumer engagement
▪︎ Boosting creativity
Benefitsofcrowdsourcingand
platformwork
—
by hadynoody

25. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 25
#BILLIExADOBE
Adobe partnered
with Billie Eilish to
engage with Gen Z
creators through a
competition
Creativityandengagement
via competition winner @millwizard

26. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 26
Creativityandengagement
Via Adam Martin
Via Holly Reynolds
Via Tahlia Preece (top) and Liam
Proniewicz (bottom)
More than 1000
entries were
submitted and the
final curated artwork
is being rolled out as
part of a national
marketing campaign

27. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 27
Lisa Sanders, a
physician and
professor of medicine
at Yale turned to the
public to help solve
undiagnosed
illnesses.
Datacollection
via Netflix

28. © 99designs, Inc.Commercial in confidence 28
Crowdsourcing for
conservation: USFWS
and researchers
around the country
tap app users to
source valuable data
about at-risk species.
Dataandknowledgegaps
via Wendy Malone / USFWS

29. 29
by BAGRENITZA
by KYLAR
by Wild Republicby Queenzha
Creativityandengagement

30. © 99designs, Inc. 30
Predictingfuturetrends
—
Online platforms and tools will continue to disrupt
and enhance the future of work
▪︎ Online platforms create fairer access to work in
our global economy
▪︎ Access to globally distributed talent unlocks
creative diversity, opening up unparalleled
possibilities for innovation
▪︎ Remote teams can reduce the environmental
impact of work
by Zarina Gafarova