Do you want to work with a reliable graphic design partner? One of the best options in the market is Penji. If you want to give Penji a try, here’s our review of the unlimited graphic design service!
About Penji
Penji is an unlimited graphic design service. This service allows you to request design projects for one flat fee! Founded in 2017, Penji has been one of the top graphic design services in the market.
What is Penji used for?
Penji is your one-stop shop for all things graphic design. You can subscribe to Penji and get designs within 1 to 2 days. Once subscribed, Penji gives you access to the Penji platform to request designs anytime! From there, you can submit a design brief, talk to designers, collaborate with your team, and download your designs in one handy platform!
Is Penji worth it?
Penji is worth it if you need designs regularly. You can request everything you need in one platform without looking for designers per project!
How much does Penji cost?
Penji plans start at $499/mo. You can scale up or down based on your budget!
Penji Design Categories:
Penji has an extensive list of designs they can create. Customers can request designs from any of the 120+ designs they offer. Here are design types you can request on the platform:
- Digital ads
- Social media ads
- 2D animation
- Logos
- Business cards
- Magazine covers
- eBook covers
- Illustrations
- Merchandise
- Presentations
- Email templates and graphics
- Flyers
- Social media posts and banners
- App design
- Landing page
- Web design
- Web graphics
Penji Pricing
Here are Penji's pricing plans:
- Starter Plan: $499/mo. Request over 80+ design types. This includes branding, ad creatives, and illustration designs.
- Marketer Plan: $995/mo. Everything in the Starter plan, with 100+ design types to request. Plus, this includes web designs and presentation designs.
- Agency Plan: $1497/mo. Everything in the Marketer plan, with 120+ designs to request. It includes motion graphics.
The Starter Plan has a 1 to 2-day delivery turnaround. Meanwhile, the Marketer and Agency plans have a same-day turnaround.
Summary of the Sign-up Process:
Penji offers three tiers of subscriptions - pro, team, and agency. You can pay monthly at the base rate or pay quarterly or annually to get larger discounts.
The sign-up process was short and easy. First, you start by choosing which plan you’re subscribing to.
I chose to test the monthly Team (now, Marketer) plan, which I believe has the most value. It offers everything in the Pro (now, Starter) plan while also giving you custom illustrations and web/app design for only $100 more. Other firms also offer custom illustrations and UX/UI, however usually as an extra add-on that costs significantly more. At $499/m, you’re getting a lot of value.
My account was fully set up and ready to use seconds after payment was completed. This was a surprise, since I’m used to waiting to get on an onboarding call before I could create my first project.
Upon logging in, I was greeted with Penji’s onboarding process. The first step showed a 5-minute video walk-through of the service teaching me the ropes. One thing I didn’t like is that if you miss this video here, you’ll never see it again. After logging in, there’s no help-desk where you can find this tutorial video.
The following step asked for more detailed information about me and my business. This is likely what will be used to pair me with compatible designers. For the purpose of remaining anonymous, I went undercover as a digital marketing agency called Encore Media that’s helping a client called Kemewahan Villa, a resort in Bali, with their branding and marketing.
Here’s how it went.
Creating my first project
I can request designs directly from their platform by filling out a guided form. The form is intuitive, straightforward, and has lots of on-page tips to help me write a better brief. I liked how they gave a “what to include” on the side to provide detailed design instructions if I forgot something important. I requested a logo design for the first project and asked the designers to design using 100% custom illustrations to test if paying $100 more for the Team plan was worth it.
Afterward it asked me to choose which Adobe products I want it to be designed in. I chose “any” as I wasn’t actually going to be using this design. The last step on the form asked me to create a Brand folder to organize my projects. Usually creating a brand is its own process. I like that Penji integrated it into the project creation form. Creating a brand is useful and saves me time from repeatedly explaining the brand and uploading assets.
I created a brand for Kemewahan Villa and completed creating my first project.
Here’s what the communication from start to finish looked like while communicating with the designer to receive my design.
Overall thoughts on Penji’s Designs
Logo Design
Total Delivery Time: 48 hours
- I was impressed with how Penji transformed my idea into a logo. My designer provided two versions of the design without asking. They went out of their way to give a design similar to the references I provided and exercise creativity by delivering a different design that still followed the instructions. It took about two days to reach the final version.
Magazine Ad
Total Delivery Time: 22 hr
- For the magazine ad, I made a mistake when requesting the design by failing to provide a reference. As a result, the design didn’t turn out well. It seems to receive the best design on Penji, being detailed is necessary. Overall, the magazine ad design was delivered in under 24 hours.
Final Thoughts
Pros:
- Quick registration and onboarding
- Allows you to add brands that are great for if you’re an agency with different clients or have multiple projects, you’re working on.
- Have a proprietary platform, which makes requesting designs easy and organized.
- Built-in revision tool lets you leave feedback directly on the design.
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Delivered on their 1 to 2-day promise
- Penji is exceptionally involved in helping the community.
Cons:
- Plans except for agency plans allow only one active project at a time. Maybe an inconvenience if you need multiple designs worked on at once.
- Missed directions for one of the projects, which cost some time.
What Sets Penji Apart from Other Graphic Design Services?
Penji is known for its innovative platform, where you can request designs, talk to designers, and manage brands. One notable feature that Penji has is the point-and-click revision tool. Plus, you can switch designers anytime!
Who is Penji Best For?
Penji is ideal for small businesses, marketing teams, and agencies.
Rating:
Quality of Designs: 5 stars
- Designers followed instructions while also adding their creative touch to the designs I requested. As a result, there was barely any need for revisions.
Turnaround time: 5 stars
- Penji kept its word to deliver designs within 24-48 hours. However, they delivered earlier than promised for one of the designs.
Communication: 4 stars
- The designers understood what I was looking for and followed my instructions for the most part. Unfortunately, I took one star off because the designer missed one of the revisions I wanted initially. However, the misunderstanding was quickly resolved, and the final design was received in 48 hours.
Customer Service: 4 stars
- I reached customer service using the ‘help’ button. Their response went to the promotions tab, and I thought they hadn’t responded. However, when I responded, they were very responsive and responded in minutes. It felt as though the customer service team cared.
Ease-of-Use: 5 stars
- Penji was VERY easy to use. Their platform made the process so organized. There was minimal learning curve necessary which made getting started requesting designs fast and straightforward.
Total Score: 4.3/5
I was overall satisfied with the experience with Penji. Their process from signing up to receiving your final design is simple and effective. I especially recommend Penji if you’re a team or an agency and require working with multiple clients or users to be using the platform simultaneously.
Sign up for Penji with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plus, get 25% off with our Penji promo code: SERVICE25LIST
Also, check out our full list of unlimited graphic design services.
