Design Pickle Review | Podcastbricks

Design Pickle is a global, fully remote graphic design service headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It operates on an unlimited graphic design model, meaning subscribers can submit as many design requests as their plan allows, with revisions included, for a fixed monthly fee. The company employs designers from countries such as the Philippines, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Vietnam, India, and Indonesia, ensuring a diverse talent pool. Design Pickle serves a wide range of clients, from small businesses to large corporations like UPS and RE/MAX, and has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list multiple times.

The service is designed to streamline the design process, offering a user-friendly platform where clients can submit requests, manage brand profiles, and receive completed designs. Design Pickle emphasizes reliability, quick turnaround times, and scalability, making it a go-to for marketers, agencies, and entrepreneurs with ongoing design needs.

How Design Pickle Works

The process of using Design Pickle is straightforward and intuitive, even for those new to graphic design services:

Sign Up and Onboarding: After selecting a plan, users book a demo call with a Customer Success Manager to set up their account. During onboarding, clients can create brand profiles, including style guides, logos, and inspiration images, to ensure consistency across designs.
Submit Design Requests: Clients use the Design Pickle dashboard to submit requests via text, AI-assisted prompts, or by uploading reference images. The platform supports file-sharing integrations like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive for seamless uploads.
Designer Assignment: Depending on the plan, clients are matched with a dedicated designer (Pro, Premium, or Power plans) or a suitable designer for each request (Graphics plan). Designers begin working on requests in the order they appear in the queue, with priority options available.
Review and Revise: Once a design is completed, clients can review it, provide feedback, and request unlimited revisions until satisfied. The platform includes annotation tools to pinpoint specific changes.
Receive Final Files: Approved designs are delivered in formats like PDF, JPG, PNG, EPS, SVG, GIF, PPT, MOV, MP4, and source files in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign. Clients own all final designs.

The dashboard is a central hub for managing requests, tracking progress, and accessing archived projects. Features like the “Sample Brands” tool, which auto-generates brand inspiration, and the ability to support up to 10 users with varying admin levels, enhance usability for teams.

Pricing and Plans

Design Pickle offers four main pricing tiers, each tailored to different needs:

Graphics Plan ($499/month): Ideal for small businesses, this plan includes graphic design and custom illustrations with a 1-2 day turnaround. It supports one active request at a time and unlimited users and brands.
Graphics Pro Plan ($995/month): Aimed at marketers and agencies, this plan adds presentation design, same-day turnaround, Slack integration, and time zone selection. It also includes AI tools and Zapier access.
Graphics Premium Plan ($1,695/month): Designed for larger businesses, this plan includes motion graphics and video editing, offering a broader scope of creative services.
Power Plan (Custom Pricing): For high-volume needs, this plan allows multiple active requests and custom solutions. Clients must contact Design Pickle for a tailored quote.

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing users to keep designs created during this period. The flat-rate model eliminates hourly billing or per-project costs, making budgeting predictable. However, the Premium plan, nearing $2,000/month, may be out of reach for some small businesses. For detailed pricing, visit Design Pickle’s pricing page.

Services Offered

Design Pickle covers a wide range of graphic design needs, with over 50 categories available, including:

Logos and branding materials
Social media graphics
Digital and print ads
Infographics
Ebooks and whitepapers
Presentation decks (Pro and above)
Motion graphics and video editing (Premium and above)

Supported file formats include Adobe Illustrator (AI), Photoshop (PSD), InDesign (INDD), PDF, JPG, PNG, EPS, SVG, GIF, Canva, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Apple Keynote, Figma, MOGRT, MOV, and MP4. However, Design Pickle does not offer coding, copywriting, 3D graphics, or complex web/app designs.

The service also integrates with Getty Images for premium source assets (additional fee) and offers AI tools like Request Assist and Create Assist to help craft prompts and generate reference images. These features are particularly useful for clients who struggle to articulate their vision.

Pros of Design Pickle

Unlimited Requests and Revisions: The ability to submit unlimited design requests and revisions without additional costs is a major draw, especially for businesses with high design demands.
Fast Turnaround Times: Design Pickle delivers on its promise of same-day turnaround for Pro and Premium plans and 1-2 days for the Graphics plan. Users consistently report receiving initial drafts and revisions within these timeframes.
User-Friendly Platform: The dashboard is intuitive, with features like drag-and-drop priority settings, file-sharing integrations, and annotation tools that simplify the design process.
Dedicated Designers: Higher-tier plans assign dedicated designers who learn a client’s brand, reducing onboarding time for repeat projects. Even the Graphics plan matches requests with suitable designers.
Scalability: The ability to add multiple subscriptions or upgrade to the Power plan makes Design Pickle adaptable to growing businesses or seasonal workload spikes.
Responsive Customer Support: Users praise the responsive support team, available via live chat, email, or phone during business hours, with detailed help articles for self-service.
Brand Consistency: Tools like brand profiles and the “Sample Brands” feature ensure designs align with a client’s vision, making it ideal for businesses managing multiple brands.

Cons of Design Pickle

Inconsistent Quality: Some users report uneven performance, with designs occasionally containing errors (e.g., incorrect formatting for print) or lacking creativity. Quality can vary depending on the designer assigned.
Limited Scope for Complex Designs: Highly custom or intricate designs, such as 3D graphics or logos requiring extensive creativity, may fall outside Design Pickle’s expertise. Clients expecting designers to lead creatively may need multiple revisions.
Queue System Limitations: The standard plans allow only one active request at a time, which can slow down high-volume workflows. Additional subscriptions are required for concurrent requests.
Pricing for Small Businesses: While the Graphics plan is affordable at $499/month, the Premium plan’s $1,695/month price tag may be prohibitive for smaller operations.
Time Zone Challenges: For clients outside the designer’s time zone, revisions can take up to three business days, particularly on the Graphics plan.
Not Ideal for One-Off Projects: The subscription model is best suited for ongoing needs. Businesses with sporadic design requirements may find it less cost-effective.

User Experiences

User reviews of Design Pickle are generally positive, with an average 4.1-star rating across 255 reviews on Trustpilot. Here’s a summary of common sentiments:

Positive Feedback: Many users praise the quality of designs, fast turnaround, and ease of use. One reviewer noted, “My designer is amazing at maintaining brand consistency, ensuring every project aligns seamlessly with our vision.” Others highlight the platform’s simplicity and the professionalism of dedicated designers.
Criticisms: Negative reviews often cite inconsistent quality or delays due to time zone differences. One user remarked, “Some jobs come back quickly and well done, but others have obvious errors or uninspired designs.” Another mentioned that service quality has declined over time while pricing has increased.
Case Study: A reviewer testing Design Pickle for a fake brand, “Dolled Up,” reported that while the initial logo design required revisions due to unappealing aesthetics, the designer improved significantly when given creative freedom. This suggests clear communication is key to success.

Comparing Design Pickle to Alternatives

Design Pickle faces competition from services like Penji and Kimp. Here’s how it stacks up:

Penji: Offers similar unlimited graphic design services at lower price points (starting at $399/month) and supports over 80 design categories, including complex web/app designs. Penji claims faster turnaround times and higher customer satisfaction. However, it lacks video editing and Slack/Zapier integrations available in Design Pickle’s higher tiers.
Kimp: Like Design Pickle, Kimp provides unlimited requests and assigns dedicated teams. It’s slightly cheaper but doesn’t offer motion graphics or AI tools. Kimp allows multiple concurrent requests, which may appeal to high-volume users.

Design Pickle’s strengths lie in its established reputation, comprehensive service suite, and AI integrations. However, Penji’s affordability and broader design scope make it a strong contender for budget-conscious businesses.

Is Design Pickle Worth It in 2025?

Design Pickle remains a leader in the unlimited graphic design space, thanks to its reliability, user-friendly platform, and scalability. It’s an excellent choice for:

Small Businesses: The Graphics plan is cost-effective for consistent design needs, such as social media graphics or branding materials.
Marketers and Agencies: The Pro and Premium plans offer advanced features like same-day turnaround and motion graphics, ideal for high-volume campaigns.
Large Brands: The Power plan’s custom solutions cater to enterprises with complex workflows.

However, it’s not perfect. Businesses with sporadic design needs or those requiring highly custom work may find the subscription model or scope limiting. Inconsistent quality and time zone delays can also frustrate users who don’t communicate expectations clearly.

To maximize value, clients should:

Provide detailed briefs with reference materials.
Use brand profiles to ensure consistency.
Leverage AI tools like Request Assist for clearer prompts.
Consider upgrading to Pro or Premium for faster turnaround and dedicated designers.

Conclusion

Design Pickle has earned its reputation as a pioneer in unlimited graphic design, offering a robust solution for businesses seeking professional, scalable design services. Its intuitive platform, fast turnaround times, and comprehensive offerings make it a strong contender in 2025. While it faces challenges like inconsistent quality and high pricing for premium plans, the 30-day money-back guarantee and responsive support mitigate risks.