99designs Launches Localized German-Language Site at 99designs.de

SAN FRANCISCO & MELBOURNE, Australia & BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--99designs, the largest online graphic design marketplace in the world, today launched a localized German-language version of its site at 99designs.de. The site is 99designs’ first non-English language offering and comes one month after its acquisition of German creative design marketplace 12designer and the establishment of its European headquarters in Berlin.

“99designs’ Berlin-based team worked closely with our product and development teams to create a site that will enable German-speaking customers and designers to interact more effectively and efficiently. This is a key step in our efforts to provide a truly localized service to one of our most important markets.”

“The launch of 99designs.de marks a major milestone in our company’s continued focus on international expansion through localization,” said 99designs President and CEO Patrick Llewellyn. “99designs’ Berlin-based team worked closely with our product and development teams to create a site that will enable German-speaking customers and designers to interact more effectively and efficiently. This is a key step in our efforts to provide a truly localized service to one of our most important markets.”

Germany is 99design’s largest non-English language market, its fifth-largest market overall and one of its fastest growing. The company’s European headquarters in Berlin will provide support in German to both customers and designers via phone, chat and email.

"By combining the strengths of the world's most advanced graphic design marketplace with the benefits of localized German-language content and support, we expect the new 99designs.de to provide a superior experience for German customers and more local work for German designers," said Eva Missling, General Manager of Europe for 99designs and founder of 12designer. “This is the first of several of local-language sites we’re looking forward to introducing across Europe in the months ahead.”

99designs has hosted more than 160,000 graphic design contests for small businesses, startups and other organizations around the world since its founding in 2008. In the same period, the company has paid out more than $40 million to its community of 180,000 graphic designers around the world.

In conjunction with the introduction of its German site, 99designs announced it has signed its first business partnership in Germany with the establishment of a strategic agreement with Jimdo, the Hamburg-based global free-website builder that has helped users create more than six million websites in 11 languages. The companies have agreed to cross-promote their complementary services and develop further integrations in the coming year to enable small businesses to launch custom-designed websites quickly and cost-effectively.

About 99designs

99designs is the world's largest online graphic design marketplace, connecting businesses looking for design work with more than 180,000 graphic designers from 192 countries around the world. Businesses can source graphic design work quickly and affordably by launching design contests to the community, working 1-on-1 with individual designers, or purchasing design templates from 99designs' readymade logo store. The company was co-founded by serial entrepreneurs Mark Harbottle and Matt Mickiewicz (SitePoint, Flippa), and is backed by Accel Partners and angel investors Michael Dearing (eBay, Harrison Metal), Dave Goldberg (Survey Monkey), Stewart Butterfield (Flickr, Tiny Speck) and Anthony Casalena (Squarespace). To learn more about 99designs, including where the company is hiring, visit www.99designs.com.