We're kicking off a new monthly contest for the community - every month we will showcase the 9 designers who have won the most projects for that month - The "Top 9 at 99."

The community will then vote for that month's "Top Designer" who will win a fantastic prize.

This month's prize... an Apple iPad!

Here are the Top Designers for July (from top to bottom, left to right in no particular order):

• Oliverd
• Renovatio
• Logostudio
• Babakonda
• Jonathan Frost
• Keegan
• Kolopach
• Ingenious Design
• Club t

Vote for your favorite designer here!

**Voting will be open until Tuesday, August 10th 5:00pm PT. Terms & Conditions

• 99designs will giveaway 1 iPad to the designer who receives the most votes.
• You may only vote once
• The prize is a 16GB WiFi Only Apple iPad. If you are selected as one of the winners and we cannot get you the iPad for any reason, we may choose to pay you the cash equivalent of $499 USD

99designs is teaming up with global stock image company Fotolia to contribute to the Gulf oil relief effort.

Until July 31, 2010, 99designs and Fotolia will make a 20% contribution to the Gulf Oil Disaster Relief Fund for every credit or subscription purchased through http://fotolia.com/99gives

Our thinking is - you need images anyway, so why not make a difference while you download?

Join the nearly two-million professionals using a free Fotolia account to access over 9,000,000 royalty-free images. Fotolia is a leading choice for designers and artists looking for affordable, high-resolution photos, vectors, illustrations, and videos. To make a difference with your downloads, visit: http://fotolia.com/99gives

We've got one more way to celebrate 99designs winning a Webby Award... Today - Friday, June 25th (PDT) is Free Contest Listing Day!

It's our way of saying THANK YOU for helping us win this prestigious award.

Here's how it works:

1. Visit 99designs any time on Friday June 25, PDT. http://99designs.com/go/free_contestday

2. Decide what you need designed, such a new brochure to attract more clients, new banner ads to grow website traffic, event invitation cards for an upcoming party, or maybe some attention grabbing business cards.

3. Click the 'post a design project' button to launch a contest. We'll pay your listing fee, which means you'll only need to cover the processing fee, prize and any optional upgrades you pick. You'll instantly save $39.

It's that easy - Don't miss out!

Meet Tomi Vinsek aka Lugosi - just one of the designers who has helped make 99designs.com the #1 marketplace for crowdsourced logo design, web design, print design or any other design need!

Designer Profile

Tomi Vinsek - Zagreb, Croatia

99designs handle: Lugosi

Projects entered: 408

Projects won: 43

How did you get started in design?

In my childhood I participated in creative and technical workshops as member of National Society of Technical Culture in the field of Product Prototype and Modeling - this was the start of my creative work and production. Even as young boy, I loved to sketch imaginative things. I was a big fan of Flash Gordon :D, and I was always curious in how others see things in imaginative and creative ways. I believe imagination is extremely valuable in creative process. Back in the '80s when I was about 10, I got into computer graphics - first in a BASIC language environment on ZX Spectrum 48K computer, and later on Atari. About 10 years ago I started collaborating at a local magazine - this was my first experience with prepress process and magazine drafting. I was so inspired - I loved using Indesign, Photoshop and CorelDraw. I started working on logos, magazine ad's, brochures, wallpapers and CD covers, etc. for friends, online contests and local small businesses - this was the start of my freelance graphic design business. As my skill improved and my love for design grew higher each day- I decided to enroll into an Adobe Certification program at the local academy.

How do you get your design inspiration?

Inspiration is everywhere - comedy, drama, nature, people, animals, books, movies... everywhere. I mostly design at night. I love quiet atmosphere, coffee, low light...That’s how I got my nickname, Bela Lugosi was a famous Dracula actor in ‘30s. What led you to start using 99designs.com?

I joined this community back when the contests were still in the Sitepoint forums and I must admit -the 99designs team has made great progress the last few years. Well done guys! At first I just wanted to improve my design skills and compete but I have also met new people from design world. 99designs has helped me a lot - I'll never forget my first win here, wow, that was celebration! Over time, this community became more and more valuable, and with respect I can say that 99designs gave me the opportunity to define my future. I mean it, really! Two years ago I met Vjeko on 99designs.com - we found out that we live in the same town. We became online business partners and built our first web business and online portfolio. Today we own an award winning graphic design company here in Croatia - we are employed full time as Art Directors and Graphic Designers - we have built our own business with help of 99designs.com! What are three things designers can do to have success at 99designs?

1. Design with love - the best designs are the ones that you yourself can be proud of! It is definitely not good to enter too many contests at once. Enter one or two - make the best design you can and wait for feedback. After 6 days, if you have the opportunity - make it awesome. Put 100% effort into a design project and the client will notice. Contest holders do care! Don't think about money, think about the design, your portfolio, your own and the client's satisfaction. The prize will come for sure!

2. Define your style - it is precious and will separate you from others. Think about the thousands of products out there and what it would be like if they were all are the same? People love to choose! Just lead them. Every product has its own buyer - it's the same with design. Your design is your personality - combine that with the client's feedback equals success.

3. Presentation of final work is very important! It's good to show how the design will work in different applications and surfaces or in different versions. Sometimes presentation takes almost the same amount of time as designing the main concept - but it's worth it. Not all people are imaginative and they love to see how the design will work for them.

What do you love most about being a designer?

Freedom of creativity, expressing my personality - I love when my work is seen by many people all over the world. Design is timeless and recognizable. I love to see how other perceive different shapes and colors. Design does not live in the designers head, design lives in the viewers eyes - show it to the people.

It's no surprise that Todd and Lauren Sullivan wanted to tap into some design that was 'off the beaten path' when they founded Globetrooper.com - a site that helps adventurous travelers create trips and invite people from all over the world to join them. The team has run three design projects at 99designs.com so far and is always getting fantastic compliments on the results:

"We have been told by people that our site is the best looking site they've seen. Of course that's subjective, but the fact it's been said says something important about 99designs."

Logo Design by Overprint

Business card Design by Reklawdesign

Web Design by Pixelized

These are just some of the truly unique designs from the AMAZING community of designers that makes 99designs.com the #1 marketplace for crowdsourced logo design, web design & more!

Meet Kris Taft Miller aka KT Design, Inc. - just one of the designers who has helped make 99designs.com the #1 marketplace for crowdsourced logo design, web design, or any other design need!

Designer Profile

Kris Taft Miller - Durham, NC USA

99designs handle: KT Design, Inc.

Projects entered: 65

Projects won: 13

How did you get started in design?

I graduated with a degree in elementary education but took a summer internship with Disney Animation where I re-discovered how much I loved graphic design and learned on the job from the pros. From there I spent 8 years at the studio in Florida and later Los Angeles before relocating to North Carolina with my husband and starting my own company as a freelancer.

How do you get your inspiration for your web design?

I find I do a lot of designing in my head before I even get to the computer. When I am about to fall asleep especially, designs are running through my head. Once I get to the computer I work organically and just try lots of different things to see how they look. I love designing things that are out of the box, colorful and fun.

What led you to start using 99designs.com?

I stumbled on 99designs last year after returning from maternity leave and actually having a few spare moments to get caught up on the design world. I loved it immediately, the challenge and "game" of it all is a new element to work I already love doing. I also love the community of designers - getting inspired by those around you and their work.

What is the most important thing designers can do to have success at 99designs?

I would say to really listen to the client, just like any other design project. Make the extra effort to reach out to the clients - try to accommodate their specific needs and give them something unique.

What do you love most about being a designer?

I love the artistic element, the feeling of creating something from scratch. I love when my 2 year old comes in my office and asks me to show him what I 'made' today.

What tips would you give to clients running design projects on 99designs?

Be clear in your brief, give as many specifics as you can, including dimensions, file format, and as much detail as you can about what you are looking for. Designers will give you lots of options but they don't want to feel like they are going in circles and designing blindly.

Whether you are looking for a fantastic logo design, web design, T-shirt design or any other design - Giving designers good feedback is the key to getting great results at 99designs.com!

How to leave Feedback

1. General Comments - You can leave general comments/feedback that is applicable to all the designers in the main comment area at the bottom of the main project page 2. Individual Designer Feedback - To leave specific feedback for an individual designer:

Click the design you wish to leave feedback for

A page for that designer only will open

You can write comments directly into the comment field at the bottom

Thanking the designers for their submissions is always a good idea

3. Star Ratings - It is a good idea to use the star ratings as it gives the designers a better idea as to which direction you want the project to head. You can assign between 1 and 5 stars.

Here is an easy way to think about the stars:

1 star - Thanks but no thanks

2 stars - Not bad but needs significant work

3 stars - Solid effort, interested in seeing more

4 stars - Strong submission

5 stars - Perfect

You can SAVE A TON OF TIME by using the feedback tool - http://bit.ly/dmS9NZ

To ELIMINATE a design that is way off the mark or otherwise inappropriate:

Hover over the design Click the "X" that appears in the top corner

See more tips on setting up & running a great design project here: http://bit.ly/TFyJh

One of the most common requests we get from clients at 99designs is the ability to choose multiple winning designs - well now you can. To choose more than one design simply:

• Identify the designs you want to award
• Go to your contest page
• Follow the procedure for selecting a winner for EACH design separately

The first design will be awarded with the money you already prepaid to set up the project. Each additional design will require additional payment equal to the full prize plus the 10% handling fee.

There is no limit to how many designs you can award!

We have truly exciting news - 99designs.com has been nominated for a Webby Award!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Webby Awards... it's the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet - hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times.

This is testament to the fantastic community here at 99designs and a tremendous opportunity for high profile exposure which leads to:

• More people visiting the site
• Launching projects
• Buying logos
• And therefore - MORE OPPORTUNITY all around!

You can help 99designs win

An important part of the Webbys is the People's Voice Awards where each nominee can rally their community for support.

99designs has been nominated in the Web Services & Applications category and we are up against some companies like Dropbox and Tumblr - but we know we have the best community around!

Because the Webby Awards are so prestigious they do make you register before voting BUT we would really appreciate your support by taking just a minute to vote for 99designs!

Vote for 99designs Here

BIG THANKS to everyone here for making this possible!

Cheers,

The 99designs Team

A roundup of tips and resources for designers that 99designs.com recently shared via twitter @99designs.

Design Essentials

The Value of Good Design - http://bit.ly/d27o7a

So You Call Yourself A Designer? - http://bit.ly/djOWrJ

Five Ways to Build Your Skills Through Freelancing - http://bit.ly/cW2MMr

How to avoid your Creativity Burnout - http://bit.ly/aWO55z

Reasons Designers Fail to Remain Motivated - http://bit.ly/b0aD80

Maintaining Existing Clients - http://bit.ly/9lKUU6

How To Build Your Reputation And Authority As A Designer- http://bit.ly/cG4TmS

Logo Design & Branding

What’s Brand? - http://bit.ly/dlTq51

15 Fresh Logo Design Processes That Teach Volumes - http://bit.ly/bogE5I

5 Branding Basics Every Logo Designer Should Know - http://bit.ly/5qgWOo

Web Design

Your New Wordpress Website Step By Step. Beginner's Guide - http://bit.ly/dhzsgl

Taking Small Steps for a Better Website - http://bit.ly/cV5uww

How to Critique Web Design - http://bit.ly/9pgeF6

40 Useful Tools for Web Designers - http://bit.ly/9N3Qa7

12 Tips for a More Accessible Website - http://bit.ly/9D3igC

The Art Of The Web Background - http://bit.ly/bvjG9x

Tips For Calling Visitors To Action - http://bit.ly/923eFQ

Typography

The Philosophy of Typography - http://bit.ly/bIHTpR

60 Breathtaking Examples Of Beautiful Typography - http://bit.ly/bEkEtz

Infographics

InfoGraphic Designs: Overview, Examples and Best Practices - http://bit.ly/avnwZd

14 Visually Stunning Animated Infographics - http://bit.ly/d5jrbK

Design Tools & Basics

The Icon Designer’s Toolkit - http://bit.ly/8YFZGm

Free Graphics and Audio Editor: Aviary - http://bit.ly/bogE5I

Adobe Illustrator: All the Basics - http://bit.ly/cTpIGJ

Content Aware Fill In Photoshop CS5 - http://bit.ly/bpOLZ3

20 Free Fonts for Fresh Corporate Designs - http://bit.ly/aG3HBm

40 Fresh New High Quality Icon Sets - http://bit.ly/9Mf74z

The Total Newbie’s Guide to jQuery - http://bit.ly/9QsFmh

Design Essentials 2: Originality - http://bit.ly/axwNLb

Techniques for Squeezing Images for All They’re Worth - http://bit.ly/cMEzRr

The Total Newbie’s Guide to jQuery - http://bit.ly/9QsFmh

Code a Modern Design Studio from PSD to HTML - http://bit.ly/cR1tC2

Design Inspiration

The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci - http://bit.ly/bEVxbJ

50 Inspiring Logos you Have to See - http://bit.ly/ax5WPZ

30 Logo Designs with Creative Use of Negative Space - http://bit.ly/bsNceP

74 Simply Stunning Line Art Logos - http://bit.ly/b2jCwu

44 Awesome Business Card Designs - http://bit.ly/c2e2vy

25 Ultra Modern Websites Using HTML5 - http://bit.ly/al7BEd

30 Blog Designs with Killer Typography - http://bit.ly/d9crkS

30 Amazing Typographic Movie Poster Designs - http://bit.ly/caS8tY

30 Incredible Epic Movie Posters & Related Trends - http://bit.ly/a3NaqG

High Speed Photography : Frozen In Time - http://bit.ly/aiyXRy

40 Creative Guerrilla and Ambient Advertising Campaigns - http://bit.ly/9DveYj

53 Creative and Exquisite Package Designs - http://bit.ly/96WK7J