Yes, it's possible to get good stuff from 99designs. No doubt about that.
But I've worked with a fair bit of designers in the 'creative' industry and the good ones could go on 99designs and win close to every competition they entered (barring terrible taste from the submitter).
The lesson is that separating great design from good design isn't subjective (as opposed to some kinds of art) and I've noticed that design is one of those things that only delivers an effective punch when it reaches a certain level of quality. Once it hits that level, it has a disproportionate amount of power to influence potential customers, particularly in spaces that aren't used to great design (b2b products, etc) and the majority of the non-tech public.
That would lead me to believe that, for the long term, it's far better to hire out a reliable, kickass conceptual designer (freelance contract/hire) that can consistently make everything you release look cohesive e.g. e-mails, business cards, website, t-shirts, etc etc. These hires/contacts don't even have to be that expensive: You just need to know where to look and recruit from e.g. NOT Internet boards.
If I was a small startup just looking to gain some traction, I might use 99designs, but with the understanding it was a temporary solution. Because once things get rolling, you're probably going to need a good designer to come in and either redo the brand or try to salvage the existing logo.
But I've worked with a fair bit of designers in the 'creative' industry and the good ones could go on 99designs and win close to every competition they entered (barring terrible taste from the submitter).
The lesson is that separating great design from good design isn't subjective (as opposed to some kinds of art) and I've noticed that design is one of those things that only delivers an effective punch when it reaches a certain level of quality. Once it hits that level, it has a disproportionate amount of power to influence potential customers, particularly in spaces that aren't used to great design (b2b products, etc) and the majority of the non-tech public.
That would lead me to believe that, for the long term, it's far better to hire out a reliable, kickass conceptual designer (freelance contract/hire) that can consistently make everything you release look cohesive e.g. e-mails, business cards, website, t-shirts, etc etc. These hires/contacts don't even have to be that expensive: You just need to know where to look and recruit from e.g. NOT Internet boards.
If I was a small startup just looking to gain some traction, I might use 99designs, but with the understanding it was a temporary solution. Because once things get rolling, you're probably going to need a good designer to come in and either redo the brand or try to salvage the existing logo.