Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Images play a big role when creating a blog. Of course, this really depends on the type of content you create. Still, is using something like Penji for your blogging images practical?
After all, not everyone is skilled with a camera or has any sense of graphic design. Unless you use royalty-free images, design platforms like Penji may serve a purpose.
What is Penji Graphic Design?
Penji is an outsourcing design platform full of expert graphic artists to deliver virtually any kind of imagery you need for any kind of project, including blogs. From photograph elements to illustrations, there is very little these people cannot handle.
Essentially, Penji is a platform that gives you access to a variety of graphic design work without needing in-house professionals.
From the business perspective, it’s a lot cheaper to outsource with Penji than to hire someone directly.
What Can You Expect Out of Penji?
I’ve been using Penji for a little over a year now for my client. I simply get on, tell them what I need, and they send the files back the next day.
So, what are some things I’ve observed in this time?
Quick Turnaround in Comparison to Others
The reason why my client decided to go with Penji is because the last graphic design group just wasn’t producing visuals as quickly. In some cases, it would take nearly a week just to get a simple blog header.
With Penji, the designs are usually done the next day. This is great because I can’t publish a blog post until I have the headers and graphics ready.
The best part is that I rarely have to send in revisions as the designers are good at intuitive designs based on the text and topic.
Overseas Work?
It seems like a lot of graphic design organizations hire people that are overseas from the United States. This means a lot of the workload and such happens during my night time.
Although some of Penji’s artists seem more responsive during the day, most are not. This isn’t too big of a deal if you’re not desperate for immediate images.
I simply submit what I need and it’s ready for me the next morning. Well, in most cases, anyway. There have been a few that took an extra day or two. But, it is still a lot faster of a turn-around than our last designer.
Plenty of Quality Designers
For the most part, it seems Penji hires some incredibly talented individuals. Of course, there are a few that I’m not completely thrilled with using. But in general, some of the designers blew me away in terms of quality.
I just wish I could assign specific graphic designers in Penji. Unfortunately, I cannot find an easy way to do this.
In some ways, it reminds me of a graphic design version of Textbroker, just without being able to submit Direct Orders.
Easy to Add Projects
The ability to add projects to Penji is quite straightforward and simple. You pick what you need, add any notes you want for the designer, choose the file format you want back, and that’s pretty much it.
The project then goes into the queue waiting for a designer to pick it up.
You have the option to have illustrations, branded imagery, upload sample templates, and more. It’s quite easy to use and gives you control over exactly what you want from the designer.
Works Well with a Team Environment
In our instance, we have three people who usually submit requests to Penji on a regular basis. This includes our social media expert. The way the system is set up, it works incredibly well within a team environment.
Of course, I have to remind others that work is in the queue that is finished. Still, it alleviates stress on me as I don’t need to submit every image the company needs.
Jobs in the Queue
Speaking of the queue, you’re only allowed a specific number of available jobs open at any given time. You can submit as many as you want, but the designers will only work on a certain number of available projects.
I am assuming this is so the designers don’t get overloaded. After all, the project could need immediate revisions.
My client requested an expansion to do three simultaneously, as doing them one at a time was simply not fast enough for what we do.
Unlimited Brands
Penji doesn’t merely work for companies or bloggers who need unique imagery. In fact, you can create an unlimited number of brand folders if you’re an expert freelancer or handle images for a variety of organizations.
For example, let’s say part of your freelance writing includes unique headers and social images. You can create a folder for every client while saving those graphics from Penji.
A Wide Assortment of Graphic Files and Elements
One of the things I like most about Penji is the number of files and elements that come with each job. For example, I can have designers send me AI or PSD files as well as the finished product.
This means I can import them into my own graphic design software and make adjustments if necessary.
Too Expensive for My Taste, But Great for Businesses
The Pro version of the Penji app will run you about $399 per month. And this is the cheaper of the three available plans.
For a simple blogger like myself, that is just too much. Even as they offer unlimited projects, brands, and users, I cannot justify the expense.
But from a business perspective, that is still much cheaper than hiring an in-house designer. Especially since you can feed as many projects into the system as you want.
Penji doesn’t charge you per project as many professionals would. It’s a flat fee every month regardless of the number of graphics you request.
Complete Historical View
Another great feature of the platform is the complete historical view of all your projects. At any time, I can go back and pull completed images should I need them. I also have the option to reactivate the project if I need a new variation.
I’ve actually used this a few times recently as someone either lost an image or wanted a sample to compare.
Would I Ever Use Penji for My Blogs?
Because my blogs are pretty small, I really don’t see the need to get a Penji account. The price is just simply too high for a simple blogger who doesn’t see more than 10,000 visitors per month on any given site.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good system and has worked wonders for my client. But from a blogger’s perspective, it’s just not worth the monthly fee.
Especially since other stock photo sites are a lot cheaper.
Not to mention the fact that I would rather take my own photos if possible. But, I do have a penchant for using royalty-free stock photo sites.
Then again, all of the images you get from Penji are unique. And there is something to be said about having graphics that are not found anywhere else on the Internet.
I would, however, recommend the platform to any other business clients I get in the future. Between quality work, fast turnaround, and easy-to-use interface, I know several companies that would benefit from the system.
And it would reduce my workload on any given project.
Remember, Images Matter!
Images can greatly influence how well any piece of content will perform. And having something well-designed can easily boost traffic from social media.
If you run a medium to large business, Penji may be a good choice to consider. Especially if you have a large number of projects that need graphic work.
But for the average blogger, it’s pretty expensive.
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