I was impressed through and through by the 99designs experience. Working with the designers on the project was a blast! Normally one works with 2 or 3 designers to end up with half a dozen proposals but I had 170 entries to work with in my contest. I was awed by the raw outpouring of creativity on my logo design and my client was super-impressed with the variety of work and directions I was able to provide.
I don't think that my project was an easy one; it required a character illustration and complicated typography but I was able to present multiple interpretations and directions for both the character and the typography! Ultimately, we decided on the work of one very talented artist who simply nailed the design. I requested some modifications during the contest which were immediately carried out and returned with a couple of options!
The 99designs side of the project was a class act in every respect. The reps were very helpful not only during the design process itself but even before the contest started. I was able to line everything up with their suggestions and insight to sell the plan to my client and partners and allay everyone's concerns about rights, modifications, feedback, payment, etc. Once the contest was underway, I felt the need to extend it by a few days because the momentum was slow to build at first because of the difficulty of the project, and they were totally cool about it; they walked me through the upgrading of the contest because I felt it would be helpful to boost the participation but also because the creativity and quality of the work was worth it; and 99designs were completely understanding and non-judgmental when we needed more time to finalize the approval on the finals. I feel like I pressed all the buttons on the site and they all worked great!
Would I recommend the site? Yes! Would I use 99designs again? Yes! Do I have any reservations about my experience? None whatsoever! It was an awesome experience all around!