What is the Design Handover and how does it work?

Once a Contest Holder has declared a winner in their contest, a notification is sent to the winning designer. After the designer signs the Design Transfer Agreement and uploads the required file formats of the winning design, the handover process begins. Both the customers and the designer get a 14-days timeframe to review, download and request the final updates/revisions to designs. Till the time the designer does not upload the required file formats, the timer will not start. 

If the customer is happy with the files they have received, they can release the payment to the designer and close the contest.

If you’re the winning designer, here’s what happens next:

1. As soon as you are declared a winner, you will be notified via email and push notification.
2. In the first step both you & the contest holder must sign the Design Transfer Agreement. (The signed copy is also available for download in the Overview tab)
3. Once the design transfer agreement is signed, click on 'Files' tab and upload all the finished design files for the contest holder. This is done by clicking ‘ADD FILES’ and selecting the files you’d like to upload. When you upload your work, please make sure you upload all of your designs in the required file formats. Till the time you do not submit all the required file formats for all the design categories folders, your handover process will not start. So it is very important that you submit all the files as soon as possible to avoid any delays.
   
   

   You can organise all the files uploaded by maintaining there proper status and assigning them a proper design category. This will organize all the files and will help you manage your workflow better. Simply click on the "ADD FILES" button next to each category name to add files under that category folder. That way it will become easier for you and your clients to manage the workflow.

   In the image below, you will find an example of a design handover process for ‘Logo and Brand Identity’ category. In this category you (the designer) need to provide all the required file formats for all 5 design categories. So if you add the source files to each design category, contest holder would instantly know which files to look for.
   
   

   You can group files by status in your design handover to organize and manage the workflow better. Files are now organized into the following groups:

   • Reference - Files which are only uploaded as a reference
   • In progress - Files on which you are currently working on
   • Declined - Files which the contest holder has declined or are unapproved
   • Final Design - Files which are final and require no more changes

   Read this article to learn more about file and workflow management.
   

4. As soon as you upload all the required file formats, a 14-day period will start where the contest holder can review all the files, and may request for small changes, if needed. 
5. You can chat with the contest holder in the 'Activity tab'.
6. Once the contest holder has received all the final files, they can release the payment to the designer by clicking on the green button, "Get Ownership & Release Payment". By default, a contest automatically closes after 14-days and your winning amount will be released to your account unless handover is extended. 
   

7. Once the handover phase is over, you’ll have the opportunity to leave a testimonial for the contest holder and Designhill.

8. Even after the handover phase is over, the Contest Holder can communicate with the winning designer in Activity Chat Window. The Chat facility is available for 10 days for 1-to-1 project. To start a 1-to-1 project with the winning designer, click the ‘START A NEW PROJECT WITH...’ button on the finished handover page.

   Note: You (Contest Holder) can access your finished design files and your signed copy of the Design Transfer Agreement from the Design Handover page at any time by clicking the Handover tab on your contest page and then clicking ‘View handover’.

Can a contest holder close the handover anytime? 

Yes, if the customer is happy with all the file formats and revisions, then they can always close the contest anytime by clicking on the ‘Get Ownership & Release Payment’ button. 

How can a contest holder extend the handover?

If in case the Contest Holder needs more time to review the files they can extend the handover duration by 7 days by clicking on the ‘Extend Handover’ button. Please note, ‘Extend Handover’ button will only appear when there are only 3 days left in the handover phase.