Acquiring high-quality graphic design can be a daunting task, particularly for new business owners. The plethora of options available often leads to a hit-or-miss situation. However, if you're looking to hit the bullseye on your first try, consider Flocksy. This platform, favored by seasoned entrepreneurs and marketers, offers a hassle-free experience. Here's our Flocksy review for 2024:
What is Flocksy?
Flocksy was founded in 2016 by three brothers: Sam, George, and Charles Ryan. The creative service initially offered graphic design and web development, but now features copywriting, voice-over, and motion graphics services.
Based in Groton, CT, the service does use a global talent pool. However, they’re one of the few design services out there with a US daytime team, even for lower-level subscribers. For this Flocksy review, we’ll be focusing on their design service.
How unlimited is Flocksy? - 5/5
Scope of services
Flocksy’s graphic design service includes, among other things:
- Packaging
- Print
- Cover art
- Stationery
- Simple GIFs
- Apparel
- Logo design
- Landing pages
- Email
- PowerPoint
- Blog graphics
- Digital ads
- Infographic
- Social media
Other services Flocksy offers, in addition to graphic design, include:
- Copywriting
- Illustrations
- Video creation/editing
- Voice-over
- Motion graphics
- Web development
How long does a design take?
While Flocksy advertises 24-48 hour delivery on all their services, they also claim an average turnaround of 8 hours. That might sound too good to be true, but in my experience, updates came at an impressive clip—sometimes in as little as 2 hours.
Are there any limits on Flocksy’s service?
Not really! They cover a broad spectrum of 2D graphics and illustrations. The only major thing that the lowest tier doesn’t cover is branding guides—which, to be fair, are a fairly high-demand category.
Still, I can definitely say that Flocksy fits the true definition of unlimited.
Flocksy Pricing, Design Package, Refunds - 5/5
Pricing plans
Like many creative services, Flocksy has a three-tiered pricing model:
- Silver Plan: $499/mo. Includes unlimited graphic design and illustration.
- Gold Plan: $995/mo. Includes design, illustration, copywriting, video editing, motion graphics, and audio.
- Platinum Plan: $1695/mo. Includes all services plus web development, Canva & Figma delivery.
Each plan comes with 24-48 hour turnaround, USA daytime team members, a dedicated project manager, Zapier integration (with a Zapier account), unlimited users and brand buckets.
What’s included in a Flocksy design package?
Volume of designs may vary depending on the project. I submitted a fairly complex one and didn’t get any variations on it, but logo designs, for instance, may come with a few alts.
For more complex designs, you can expect to be updated every step of the way, with unlimited revisions to fit your vision. Final delivery comes with source files—mine were Photoshop files.
Does Flocksy offer refunds?
Yes. Flocksy has a 14-day money back guarantee policy on all plans. To redeem it, you’ll have to contact support (which you need to do in order to cancel your subscription anyway).
They tried to convince me to stay at first, which I didn't mind, but after I responded they canceled my subscription with no further trouble.
Flocksy user experience - 2/5
How do you sign up for Flocksy?
Like many design services, Flocksy’s sign-up process starts with filling out some basic information, then selecting a plan. I like that Flocksy doesn’t require a ton of information to sign up—the only things you have to fill out are your name and email.
This is a slight nitpick, but I did think this toggle for the phone number section was funny.
Once you log in, you’ll be introduced to your project manager and given an optional tutorial of Flocksy’s platform.
The Flocksy platform
Relative to other services, Flocksy’s platform has a lot going on. Just on the dashboard, it’s got:
- My team
- Trending project types
- My project activity
- My project manager
- My plan
- Zapier integrations
A lot of the information on this dashboard is conveyed in an unclear or redundant way. For instance, here’s a chart in the “My plan” section that I couldn’t make head or tail out of.
In hindsight, I think this is saying that I have 1 active request slot on my current plan, but I could have as many as five. Still confusing!
Zapier integrations
Also on the dashboard, you’ll see a list of popular Zapier integrations, such as:
- Posting new projects to Slack
- Creating Trello cards for new projects
- Saving attachments to Google Drive
These automations can be super helpful for teams, and I think Flocksy does a good job of making them accessible. However, you’ll need to create a Zapier account to use them, and free Zapier accounts cap at 100 tasks per month.
Project request form
The Flocksy project request form isn’t as confused as the dashboard, but it still has issues with its hierarchy of information. The order of operations it presents is:
- Select a project type
- Invite or exclude team members
- Select a brand bucket
- Describe your project.
Personally, I would make the project brief take up the bulk of the page, with the team member and brand bucket options being small menus rather than full sections.
There’s also the bizarre “One custom illustration” option at the bottom—a mandatory multiple-choice question with only one answer. Is this just to remind people what they should expect from their designer?
Template library
We’ll get into Flocksy’s communication features in a bit, but one other feature they promote is their template library. It’s a small collection of free files that Flocksy users can download, complete with links to the profiles of the designers that made them. This is a neat feature, but it does take a while to load.
Bottom line: Flocksy’s UI/UX is a mixed bag. It’s fairly usable at the end of the day, and even has some features that make it more accessible than competitors. But the platform is clunky and glitchy, with buttons that don’t work and notifications that don’t go away. It’s rife with clutter, it often takes a long time to load, and there’s no hierarchy of information.
Flocksy communication - 5/5
Customer support
As soon as you sign up for Flocksy, you’re introduced to your dedicated Project Manager. Many services only offer this at higher-level subscription tiers, but Flocksy has it for all plans.
There’s a dedicated tab on the Flocksy platform that allows you to communicate with your project manager (and your designers!) at any time. There’s also a feedback section, a phone number for issues, and consistently strong response times for email support.
All told, Flocksy has some of the best, most accessible customer support I’ve seen.
Chatting with designers
As I mentioned, you can chat with your designer(s) directly in the Project Manager chat window—confusing from a UI perspective, but convenient!. You can also, as usual, talk to your designer within the project itself, with a functional-if-cluttered chat feature.
There’s also a button to record a video message to your designer, but as far as I can tell, it doesn’t work.
How to cancel your Flocksy subscription
Unlike many services, Flocksy doesn’t have an in-app option for changing or canceling your subscription. When it was time to wrap up my trial, I emailed support@flocksy.com and asked to take advantage of the money back guarantee. They tried to address my issue first, but after a second email they processed the refund with no further trouble.
Bottom line: Flocksy’s communication is only slightly disturbed by issues with the platform. In general, they have all the avenues you need to chat with your project manager, designer, or customer service, with quicker response times than the competition.
Flocksy designs - 3/5
For this trial, my test project was a sticker campaign featuring a chibi version of Slapshot, the lion mascot for minor-league hockey team, the Reading Royals. My designer broke up the project into four parts:
- The character redesign
- Sketches of the poses
- Final poses
- Final stickers
Mascot design
The initial design of the mascot wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but I sort of blame myself for specifically using the word “chibi'' when I really envisioned something more generically cute.
I asked my designer to brighten the shadows, make the hands more paw-like, make the pupils bigger and put something on the hat. They returned an improved design alongside some sketches of the four poses I asked for:
- Heart eyes
- Celebrating
- Playing hockey
- Eating a cheesesteak
They didn’t change the hat until the final design, but they did get to it eventually.
Sticker designs
The designer followed my instructions exactly, with mostly solid results. At one point, I floated the idea of having emojis on Slapshot’s hat to reflect their mood in each sticker, but they ultimately opted for the Royals logo.
I like a lot of the choices my designer made here. I was the one who suggested replacing the baseball cap with a helmet for the hockey playing sticker, but the purple-and-orange confetti was all them. I always love the little floating dot on top of the hat.
One nitpick: I would speculate that my designer hasn’t experienced a Philly cheesesteak before. They ended up giving Slapshot this vague cheesy appetizer that doesn’t really look like anything in particular, but definitely not a cheesesteak. If we’d had more time, I’m sure we could’ve sorted it out, but it’s a cultural barrier you run into when you outsource your graphic design.
Bottom line: These designs are decent in quality, but not exactly what I had in mind. I can’t totally blame my designer for that, but it ended up being a complicated project when what I really wanted was a simple, minimal, cute design.
The lack of variation or creativity outside of my instructions also brings the overall score down here. However, I do like that my designer laid out a clear roadmap for the project and delivered on schedule with quick turnaround.
Final thoughts on Flocksy
What sets Flocksy apart from other design services?
The biggest difference between Flocksy and competitors is that they offer a wide range of services beyond design, such as copywriting and video editing. This allows them to offer full-service graphic design on their entry level plan, where many competitors need to paywall some of their services.
The main perk is USA daytime designers on the entry-level plan, which come with a dedicated project manager and quicker turnaround.
Who is Flocksy For?
Flocksy's versatility is its strength, making it an excellent choice for a wide range of businesses and individuals. Whether you're a small business owner, a freelancer, or a large corporation, Flocksy has something to offer. Here are a few groups of people who would find Flocksy's services beneficial:
- For small business owners and entrepreneurs, Flocksy is a game-changer. Whether you're running a startup, a small business, or a freelance venture, Flocksy is your go-to resource for all your visual assets. From logos to web designs and social media graphics to marketing paraphernalia, Flocksy empowers you to create a strong visual identity for your business.
- Marketing agencies, digital marketers, and advertising professionals can use Flocksy to get a steady stream of creative content. Flocksy's platform gives them convenient access to designers who can help them execute their marketing campaigns effectively.
- eCommerce stores and businesses that need constant branding, product images, and promotional materials can appreciate the services of Flocksy. Its all-in-one design and branding solutions can help them maintain a cohesive identity across various platforms.
- Influencers and content creators will benefit well from a design service such as Flocksy. Bloggers, vloggers, and social media influencers can get illustrations, graphic designs, or blog cover images from this platform.
- Non-profits and community organizations with limited budgets can benefit from Flocksy. Since Flocksy's business model makes graphic design affordable, making it ideal for these organizations.
Flocksy pros and cons
Pros:
- USA daytime designers
- Super fast turnaround
- Useful features
- Dedicated project manager
- Affordable unlimited plans
Cons:
- Poorly designed platform
- Middling design quality
- Can’t change or cancel your plan manually
Scorecard
How unlimited is it?: Very! Their lowest-tier Silver plan includes the whole spectrum of graphic design and illustration for just $499/mo. They consistently delivered projects within a few hours, and they have a no-strings-attached 14-day refund policy. 5/5
Value: Flocksy’s other services allow them to offer the total graphic design package in their $499/mo plan. This plan comes with same-day turnaround, a dedicated project manager, unlimited users, and easy integration with your existing workflow. While not flawless, it’s one of the best deals on the market. 5/5
User experience: This is where Flocksy falters the most. Their platform has a ton of great functions and features, but it’s just too clunky, slow, and confusing to give high marks. It’s a shame because if they streamlined their web app, they’d probably be the #1 design service out there. 2/5
Communication: I already took points off for the platform’s quality issues, but it does get in the way of communication as well. Despite this, Flocksy offers tons of accessible avenues to talk to designers, project managers, and support, with email responses in as little as 1 hour. 5/5
Designs: In terms of quality, Flocksy’s designs weren’t the best I’ve seen, and they weren’t quite what I had in mind for the project. Still, my designer laid out a clear roadmap for the project and kept me updated every step of the way, meeting all of my instructions pretty closely. 3/5
Final score: 4.2/5 🎊
