As with any other industry, graphic design is also evolving. Gone are the days when brands pay $1,000 for a logo design. Nowadays, you pay less than that in exchange for unlimited graphic design. And in this article, we’ll put two unlimited graphic design companies in the limelight: Penji vs Superside.
So what makes these two on-demand graphic design services comparable? And why should clients bother subscribing to unlimited graphic design? Read this comprehensive Penji vs Superside review to learn more.
Want to give Penji a shot? Use code SUPER25 at checkout for 25% off your first month!
Brand Recognition
First, let’s review both company’s brand recognition. Brand recognition can often include a wide variety of metrics to calculate. For a digital brand, traffic to the website is a good indicator of the brand’s appeal. To calculate Penji and Superside’s brand recognition, we relied on data from Uber Suggest estimating monthly website visitors.
As of today, Superside’s monthly traffic is 66,712 visitors per month. Penji is estimated at 101,717 visitors per month. Based on this data, Penji has quite a considerable amount of traffic compared to Superside.
Penji’s Traffic Forecast
Superside’s Traffic Forecast
Penji vs Superside: What Makes Both Services Unique?
Due to the changing consumerist culture, the dawn of digital marketing urges brands to move their advertising to online channels. And with consistency being the key for brand recognition, companies may need designs day in and day out.
Because of this, the conventional way of getting graphic design has changed. Before, businesses hire in-house designers or freelance designers. Entrepreneurs and marketers found out that these methods are more tedious, unproductive, and expensive.
That’s why unlimited graphic design services such as Penji and Superside became the popular choice. But what makes these two graphic design companies unique?
There is but one common denominator. As long as there’s an internet connection, anyone who subscribed to the service can access the platforms anywhere. Aside from that, here are the Penji and Superside similarities:
- Cloud-based services
- Subscription-based models
- No contracts
- Clients can cancel anytime
- Flat monthly rate
- Unlimited designs and revisions
- Full copyright ownership
- Bespoke platform
And that’s why we’ve created this Penji vs Superside review. We’ll review both on-demand graphic design companies in terms of cost, portfolio, onboarding process, design submission, turnaround time, work quality, completed project storage, and overall communication.
Cost
When it comes to graphic design, the flat monthly rate is already an upper hand over other graphic design services. It all boils down to how competitive the monthly fees are. So which one is more affordable in terms of cost: Penji vs Superside?
Let’s break down each service’s monthly packages.
Penji only offers three various plans. These plans are best suited for startups, small businesses, merch sellers, marketing teams, and agencies. You can choose between:
- Pro Plan
- Team Plan
- Agency Plan
Moreover, Penji’s monthly rates are more affordable than Superside. Here are Penji’s offers:
Superside’s packages are categorized into three:
Design Essentials
Design Full-stack
Concept & Creative Full-stack
Take note that Superside’s rates above are computed on an annual payment basis. That being said, their pricing is relatively steeper compared to Penji’s or any other on-demand graphic design company. While there are many packages at Superside, many of those services come standard at Penji.
Although clients can get discounts for opting to bill annually, Superside’s monthly rates are still higher. This is why it’s common for customers to seek out Superside alternatives. If you’re looking for more affordable rates, go for Penji.
Portfolio
When choosing between Penji vs Superside, clients instantly check each service’s portfolio. This is extremely crucial as it gives clients an idea of which one is a better fit. Clients can browse through the various categories and see if the designs are what they’re looking for from a graphic design company.
Penji has a more extensive and versatile portfolio list. Here are all the services and designs that Penji provides:
- Advertisement (digital ads, typography)
- Branding (logos, packaging and labels, stationaries)
- Custom illustrations
- Marketing (Infographic, pitch decks, sales sheet)
- Print and promotions (books and magazine, business cards, promotional materials, t-shirts)
- Social media content
- UX/UI (app design, website design)
Here’s a sample of Penji’s portfolio:
Some of Penji’s clients are Boxing Club, AWeber, Upenn, Lyft, Express, King’s Hawaiian, Reebok, and more.
Here’s a sample of Superside’s portfolio:
Onboarding Process
Entrepreneurs and marketers undeniably run on hectic schedules. Some of them don’t have time to go through searching and interviewing freelance graphic designers. This is one of the reasons why they prefer a quick and uncomplicated onboarding process.
Compared to Superside, Penji’s onboarding process is preferable when it comes to user experience. It takes out all the fluff, and the forms are also more straightforward. For instance, the sign-up page has all the details of your plan. Here is Penji’s sign-up form:
You’ll need to fill in your name, email, and password. It also shows which plan you chose and the total amount you’re paying. Plus, you can choose to be billed annually or monthly.
If you have a promo code, there is also a field at the bottom, so the discount will be applied. Lastly, if you decide to change your plan at the eleventh hour, there is a “Change plan” option on the same sign-up page. After creating an account, you can now proceed to Penji’s platform to start requesting designs. Here’s how it looks:
Last but not least, Penji has a demo page where they can watch a video explaining the services. Here’s what Penji’s demo page looks like:
Due to Superside’s many packages, some clients get confused on what plan suits their business best.
Once you finally decide what plan suits your needs, you can then create an account. This is what Superside’s onboarding page looks like:
Overall, Penji’s onboarding is perfect for decision-makers who have a lot on their plate. This is because the demo invites all the other members of the team to see first-hand how Penji works. Schedule a demo with Penji to learn more.
Submitting a Design Request
Now comes the fun part of this Penji vs Superside review — the designing platform. One of the benefits of subscribing to on-demand graphic design is the remote team does everything for you. You get a dedicated project manager who will monitor each design project. The process is also streamlined from the design submission to file downloads, making the platform worthwhile.
Penji’s interface is more innovative. Active projects show you the image snippet, project title, and the designer’s and project leader’s pictures.
Penji’s dashboard:
When creating a design project, Penji’s list of options is more streamlined as well. Penji also stores the most recent project templates on the top of the dashboard so it’s easier for you to click on the same template for the next similar project. Otherwise, click on the “+New project” tab and fill in the design details.
Penji’s ‘create a project’ page:
Superside’s ‘create a project’ page:
In terms of revisions, Penji makes it easier for clients by letting them point and comment on the designs. This method is quicker than any other means of communication like emails. Here is an example of how Penji clients can request for revisions:
Once clients are happy with the designs, they can now download the source files. Plus, both companies let clients have 100 percent ownership of all designs.
With Penji, the last step to submit another design request is to mark the current project, “Complete.” The platform then automatically moves the project in the Completed section. Then you’ll have the option to write positive or negative feedback.
The upper hand of choosing Penji is doing everything on the platform. From submitting designs, downloading to writing feedback, you no longer have to leave the platform and open another one. Ultimately, this can save a lot of time toggling between three to five apps at a time.
Turnaround Time
Since companies must run on schedule at all times, turnaround time is also essential for a seamless work process. And this is what draws the line between on-demand graphic design services and freelance designers.
With freelance graphic designers, deadlines can take days, depending on their client priority. This is why more marketers opt for SaaS-like graphic design services to prevent delays in their marketing strategies.
So which company is better in terms of turnaround: Penji vs Superside?
Simply put, both have a similar turnaround time compared to other graphic design services. Penji delivers in around 24 hours, regardless of the plan you choose. However, with Penji, intricate designs are delivered around 24 to 48 hours to ensure quality output.
Quality of Work
Subscribing to either Penji means you’ll have an entire creative team working with you. Whenever you submit a design request, the project manager picks the right designer suitable for the job. This ensures that you get the specialized skill needed for the project.
Penji has a strict recruitment process when it comes to hiring graphic designers. Only the top 2% of aspirants are hired. Once they get in, they undergo rigid training to make sure that our customers get only the best.
Penji’s team of graphic designers also has varying specialties. We’ll make sure that you’ll get the best designers for the job. For instance, a web designer may not be as well versed in custom illustration, and vice versa. With the multitude of talents Penji has, you’re sure to get the exact design you need.
In terms of design quality, we’ll leave that to your judgment by comparing both samples side by side. Here are Penji and Superside’s work samples in various design types:
Penji’s logo work sample:
Superside’s logo work sample:
Penji’s web design work sample:
Superside’s web design work sample:
Penji’s business card work sample:
Superside’s business card work sample:
Penji’s packaging work sample:
Superside’s packaging work sample:
Penji’s magazine work sample:
Superside’s magazine work sample:
Check out more of Penji’s work samples here.
Storing Completed Projects
Since both graphic design companies use their customized platforms for designing and revising, storing completed projects is a breeze.
Both platforms are streamlined for their customers. Every completed project is stored in the platform, making it easy to monitor or put it back in the queue. All you have to do is log into your dashboard. Go to the “Completed” section of your dashboard and browse the finished designs there. However, Penji has a more straightforward process.
Plus, with Penji, you can even group all completed projects according to categories. This makes it easier for you to browse and check back on the finished projects if necessary.
Here’s a look at some of Penji’s completed projects:
Overall, Penji provides a quick system when it comes to storing completed projects. Since you’ll be requesting unlimited designs per month, Penji makes it easy to track designs — whether it’s 10 or 30, you can access all designs easily on the platform. Try Penji’s easy platform for 15 days.
Communication with the Design Team
Another requisite when choosing on-demand graphic design services is how clients and design teams communicate. Communication is vital to ensure the design process is on the right track.
Penji lets you communicate with the project manager and graphic designer on the platform. In fact, you can communicate with them on each design card. This way, it’s easier to know which designs you’re referring to, especially if you have several active designs. Here’s a look at Penji’s message board:
What Makes Penji Unique?
More than anything, there is one thing we here at Penji are proud of—that of being a community-driven company. We aim to be the best in what we do, but we are also aware of our social responsibilities.
We see to it that our community, wherever we are in the world, gets a helping hand. Our team members come from all over the world and we strive to lift up those around us. We pledge 10% of our monthly profits to help those who help others.
In addition, we offer our full service to qualified non-profits and social-impact startups at a discounted rate. Our mission is defined by these five values we live by:
- Love thy customer
- Give generously
- Be dependable
- True to oneself
- Quality above all
And that’s what makes us stand out.
Wrap Up
There you have it. Both top on-demand graphic design companies go neck and neck with their superior service features and benefits. Try out Penji for yourself and experience what on-demand graphic design is all about. Use code SUPER25 at checkout for 25% off your first month!
