The UX/UI design subscription market has grown rapidly as startups and scale-ups seek access to experienced product designers without the overhead of building internal design teams. The Design Project has established itself in this space since 2019, positioning itself as a design partner rather than just a service provider, with notable success stories including companies acquired by Slack, NVIDIA, and MrBeast.
Understanding how different UX/UI design services work helps businesses make informed decisions about their product development needs. This review examines The Design Project objectively while comparing it to alternative approaches in the market, including services that offer different specializations and pricing structures for various business types.
What is The Design Project?
The Design Project is a Miami-based UI/UX design subscription service founded in 2019 by co-founders Dianne Eberhardt and Alex Prioni. The company operates with 11-50 employees and has worked with notable clients including companies that were later acquired by major tech firms like Slack, NVIDIA, and MrBeast, as well as companies that received FDA approval and raised significant funding rounds.
The service positions itself as a design partner rather than just a vendor, emphasizing long-term relationships and deep product understanding. They focus exclusively on UX/UI design, product strategy, and user research, targeting early-stage to late-stage startups that need experienced product designers who understand both user needs and business goals.
The Design Project operates with specialized teams including product designers, design leads, and customer success managers. They also run a venture arm that provides equity-based design services to early-stage startups, demonstrating their deep involvement in the startup ecosystem and product development process.
The Design Project Service Offerings
The Design Project provides UX/UI design services through their subscription model, covering user experience design, user interface design, user research, product strategy, branding, marketing design, social media graphics, video editing, copywriting, and AI-related design work. Their approach centers on solving user problems while driving business revenue through design.
The service operates through dedicated design teams that include product designers, design leads, and fractional Chief Design Officers depending on plan level. Each team provides specialized focus areas including AI bots, e-commerce, B2C apps, education platforms, dashboard design, and real estate applications.
All subscriptions include dev-ready Figma files, user experience research capabilities, Figma prototyping, user evaluation, unlimited revisions, and integration with platforms like Slack, Jira, and Asana. The company emphasizes their vetting process for hiring business and product experts rather than just visual designers.
The Design Project Pricing Structure
The Design Project operates three subscription tiers with premium pricing reflecting their specialization in UX/UI design and product strategy. Their Essential plan costs $3,290 monthly and provides access to product designers working with 4 customers simultaneously, including basic UX/UI design needs and customer success support.
The Pro plan costs $4,580 monthly and includes end-to-end product design with designers working across 2-3 customers, design lead involvement, and strategic thinking workshops. Their Turbo plan costs $5,990 monthly, providing complex design capabilities with designers focused on 1-2 customers, fractional Chief Design Officer access, and enhanced strategic support.
All plans include unlimited design requests processed one at a time, weekly meetings with design teams, Slack integration, and flexible communication options. Monthly, quarterly, and annual billing options are available, with custom pricing for specialized needs or dedicated talent arrangements.
Delivery and Communication
The Design Project targets weekly turnaround times with 24-48 hour delivery for urgent requests. Communication happens through Slack integration, weekly meetings ranging from 60 minutes to extensive sessions, and direct access to design teams and leadership depending on plan level.
The workflow includes project submission through their design queue, assignment to specialized designers based on product type and complexity, unlimited revision cycles, and strategic guidance from design leads or fractional CDOs. Their agile onboarding process immerses teams in brand guidelines and business goals within 7 days.
Each subscription includes dedicated customer success management, with design teams learning client preferences over time. The company maintains an average NPS score above 82 and emphasizes building strong relationships rather than transactional design work.
How Reel Unlimited Differs
Reel Unlimited provides unlimited design services for agencies, startups, and marketing teams globally including Prentus, Advoc8, Tahdah, and Endrock. Founded in 2021 by Santhiaroo, Reel Unlimited delivers graphic design, video editing, and website development with fast delivery via monthly subscriptions or 30-day services.
Service Focus and Specialization
Unlike The Design Project’s exclusive focus on UX/UI design and product strategy, Reel Unlimited offers both monthly subscriptions and 30-day design services covering broader design needs including graphic design, video editing, and website development. The 30-day design services provide unlimited access for exactly 30 calendar days with no recurring billing, making it an affordable The Design Project alternative for businesses with specific project deadlines or marketing campaigns.
While The Design Project specializes in product design for startups requiring user research and product strategy, Reel Unlimited provides broader design capabilities including marketing assets, video content, and Webflow development for various business types.
Geographic Coverage and Team Structure
Reel Unlimited assigns clients to design teams based on time zones across US/Canada (9am-5pm EST), EU/UK (12pm-7pm GMT), and Asia/Australia/Pacific (2pm-9pm AEST). This broader geographic coverage accommodates international clients beyond The Design Project’s Miami-based operations.
The service operates without specializing exclusively in startup product development, serving agencies, marketing teams, and various business types that need design support beyond UX/UI and product strategy focus areas.
Reel Unlimited Service Scope and Capabilities
Reel Unlimited provides three core service areas that work together to support modern business needs. All work is done by human designers without AI assistance, focusing on quality and personalized attention to each project.
Website Design & Development Beautiful websites and landing pages built on Webflow. The service handles design in Figma plus full development, converting existing designs into working websites with responsive design, custom interactions, CMS, and basic SEO.
Graphic Design & Branding Eye-catching marketing assets including logos, branding, presentations, social media graphics, illustrations, email designs, packaging, and print materials for marketing campaigns and brand consistency.
Video Editing & Motion Graphics Engaging video editing and animated graphics for social media content, product demos, and promotional campaigns, including logo animations and explainer videos that transform raw footage into polished content.
These services are available individually through Graphics or Websites subscriptions, or combined through the Bundle option.
Reel Unlimited Pricing
Reel Unlimited operates differently from The Design Project’s UX/UI specialization model. Instead of product design focus with premium pricing starting at $3,290 monthly, Reel Unlimited offers three clear service options based on concurrent project capacity:
Graphics ($795 monthly) combines graphic design and video editing with 2 concurrent projects. This covers all visual design and video content needs without requiring product strategy specialization or UX research capabilities.
Websites ($1,295 monthly) focuses on web design and Webflow development with 1 concurrent project. Since website projects require more time and technical work, the service provides both design and functional development with predictable delivery timing.
Bundle ($1,995 monthly) combines Graphics and Websites services with 3 total concurrent projects, allowing businesses needing both visual content and web development to access everything while saving money compared to separate subscriptions.
Each service option is available as either monthly subscriptions for ongoing needs or 30-day design services for businesses with specific project deadlines or seasonal campaigns. The 30-day design services provide the same unlimited access without recurring billing.
Reel Unlimited offers a 7-day trial where clients can experience the service quality firsthand before making subscription decisions. The trial provides one project delivery (whichever comes first – 7 days or 1 completed project) with unlimited revisions, allowing businesses to evaluate design quality and communication style.
Service Comparison
Target Market and Specialization Focus
The Design Project targets startups and scale-ups needing UX/UI design and product strategy, with pricing from $3,290-$5,990 monthly reflecting their specialization in product development and user research capabilities.
Reel Unlimited serves businesses of various sizes through accessible pricing and broader design capabilities. The concurrent project model accommodates different business types without focusing exclusively on startup product development or requiring UX research specialization.
Service Delivery and Strategic Involvement
The Design Project provides strategic design partnership with fractional CDOs, design leads, and product strategy workshops. Their approach suits startups needing deep product development support and user research capabilities for product-market fit.
Reel Unlimited uses concurrent project limits with faster delivery times (48 hours for graphics, 3-5 days for websites) rather than weekly turnarounds. This approach accommodates businesses needing marketing assets and web development without strategic product development involvement.
Communication and Relationship Model
The Design Project emphasizes long-term design partnerships with weekly meetings, Slack integration, and strategic workshops. Their model benefits startups requiring ongoing product development guidance and user research insights.
Reel Unlimited provides direct team communication with time zone alignment across multiple regions. The approach accommodates businesses across different industries rather than focusing exclusively on startup product development relationships.
Pricing Models and Accessibility
The Design Project operates premium subscription tiers reflecting their specialization in UX/UI design and product strategy. Their approach suits well-funded startups that can justify premium pricing for strategic design partnership.
Reel Unlimited offers both monthly subscriptions and 30-day design services, providing accessibility for businesses with variable design needs or specific project deadlines without requiring ongoing strategic product development relationships.
Special Offer for The Design Project Customers
If you’re currently using The Design Project and want to explore broader design service alternatives, we’re offering 50% off your first month with Reel Unlimited.
To qualify, simply provide a receipt showing payment to The Design Project within the last 3 months. You can:
- Start your 7-day trial and mention the discount during signup
- Contact us via live chat with your receipt
- Email us with your payment proof
Our team will provide a unique discount code for 50% off your first month with any subscription plan. This lets you compare both services directly while saving money during your evaluation period.
Which Service Works Better for Different Needs
The Design Project works well for startups and scale-ups with significant product development needs, companies that can justify premium pricing for UX/UI specialization and product strategy, and organizations wanting strategic design partnerships with user research capabilities. Their expertise particularly benefits companies building complex products requiring user experience optimization and product-market fit guidance.
The premium positioning and startup focus make The Design Project suitable for well-funded companies with dedicated product development budgets who need fractional CDO access and strategic design leadership rather than execution-only services.
Reel Unlimited fits businesses of various sizes seeking broader design capabilities, companies with variable creative needs or specific project deadlines, and organizations needing both visual content and web development support. The service works well for agencies, marketing teams, and growing businesses across different industries.
The 30-day design services particularly benefit businesses with seasonal campaigns, product launches, or specific project deadlines who need professional design work without ongoing premium product development subscription commitments designed for startup strategic partnerships.
Evaluating Your Options
Both services offer ways to assess quality before full commitment. The Design Project provides their established startup-focused processes with strategic design partnership and UX research capabilities, while Reel Unlimited offers a trial with one completed project and unlimited revisions.
The choice depends on your product development needs, budget capacity, and service scope preferences. Startups with complex UX/UI needs might prefer The Design Project’s specialized approach, while businesses seeking broader design capabilities and accessible pricing might find Reel Unlimited more suitable.
Start your trial with Reel Unlimited to experience our global team alignment and broader design capabilities. The trial includes one project with unlimited revisions, letting you evaluate our work style and communication process before any subscription commitment.
For current The Design Project customers, the 50% first-month discount combined with our trial provides a risk-free way to compare both services and determine which approach better fits your business needs for broader design services versus specialized UX/UI product development partnerships.
