Why Should Payments and Communications Go Through Designs Orbit?

Why Should Payments and Communications Go Through Designs Orbit?

Everything that happens on a project — payments, messages, file deliveries, feedback — needs to go through the Designs Orbit platform. This isn’t a bureaucratic rule. It’s what makes the entire system work: your money is protected, your IP rights are documented, and if anything goes wrong, we can step in and help. The moment a transaction moves off-platform, we lose the ability to protect either party.

I. AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

We are not a payment service provider

Designs Orbit is a design contest platform, not a bank, e-money institution, or payment service provider. We are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the Payment Services Regulations 2017, and we do not hold an e-money licence.

What we do is facilitate payments between Clients and Designers through regulated third-party payment processors. When a Client pays a contest fee, that payment is processed by our payment partner — a licensed payment service provider — not by Designs Orbit directly. We act as a commercial intermediary: we collect the Client’s payment, hold it until a winner is selected, and then pay the Designer their fee.

This means your card details are handled by PCI DSS-compliant payment processors, not by us. We never see or store your full card number.

II. WHAT ON-PLATFORM PAYMENTS PROTECT

For Clients

• Your money is held until you’re satisfied. Contest fees are collected upfront but not released to a Designer until you select a winner. If no winner is chosen in a Standard Contest within 60 days and no finalists have been selected, you can request a refund.

• Refund rights are enforceable. When payment goes through the platform, our Terms and Conditions and your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply. If you pay a Designer directly via bank transfer or PayPal, we have no record of the transaction and no ability to issue a refund.

• IP transfer is documented. The Design Transfer Agreement — which assigns copyright from the Designer to you — is triggered by on-platform payment confirmation. Off-platform payments leave no verifiable trail, which means your ownership of the design could be disputed.

For Designers

• You get paid. Because we collect the Client’s money before the contest opens, payment is guaranteed when you win. No chasing invoices. No “the cheque is in the post.”

• Dispute resolution is available. If a Client is unreasonable, unresponsive, or tries to use your work without paying, we can mediate — but only if the project ran through the platform. Off-platform disputes are between you and the Client alone.

• Your work history is on record. Completed projects build your profile, ratings, and portfolio on the platform. Off-platform work is invisible and does nothing for your reputation here.

III. WHY ON-PLATFORM COMMUNICATION MATTERS

The message trail is your evidence

If a dispute arises — about what was agreed, what was delivered, or what the brief required — the only evidence we can review is communication that happened on the platform. Messages sent via WhatsApp, email, or any other channel are outside our visibility.

Keeping communication on-platform means:

• Brief changes are documented. If the Client changes direction mid-contest, the original and revised briefs are both on record.

• Feedback is timestamped. We can see when feedback was given and whether the Designer responded. This matters if a dispute reaches our mediation team.

• File delivery is tracked. Source files uploaded through the platform are logged with timestamps. This proves what was delivered and when.

• Confidentiality is maintained. Platform messages are covered by our Privacy Policy. Personal email addresses, phone numbers, and social media handles shared off-platform are not.

IV. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GO OFF-PLATFORM

Designer doesn’t deliver — On-platform: Refund available. Off-platform: You chase it yourself.
Client doesn’t pay — On-platform: Payment already collected. Off-platform: You have no guarantee.
Dispute over brief scope — On-platform: We mediate using message history. Off-platform: No evidence, no mediation.
Copyright ownership questioned — On-platform: Design Transfer Agreement on file. Off-platform: No documented assignment.
Designer’s work is plagiarised — On-platform: We investigate and enforce. Off-platform: Not our jurisdiction.

Arranging payments or work off-platform is also a breach of our Terms and Conditions and the Designer Code of Conduct. It may result in account suspension or permanent removal.

V. WHAT IF SOMEONE ASKS ME TO GO OFF-PLATFORM?

If a Client asks a Designer (or vice versa) to communicate or pay outside the platform, decline politely and report it to us at [email protected]. You will not be penalised for reporting — the person who made the request is the one in breach, not you.

Common warning signs:

• “Let’s continue this conversation on WhatsApp/email.”

• “I can pay you directly — it’ll be cheaper for both of us.”

• “Send me your bank details and I’ll transfer the money.”

• “Let’s cancel this contest and I’ll hire you privately.”

These requests may be well-intentioned, but they remove every protection the platform provides. The answer is always: keep it on Designs Orbit.