Getting Started as a Designer

Welcome to CHIPS

CHIPS is a marketplace where your design skills earn real money. No bidding wars, no race to the bottom. Claim projects, deliver great work, and get paid.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Sign up with your email or Google account. You start at the Fresh tier -- a supervised onboarding period where you can take on small projects with zero commitment deposit required.

Step 2: Browse Available Projects

Projects appear based on your tier level. As a Fresh designer, you will see projects valued at 100 CHIPS or less. As you level up, you unlock higher-value projects and more concurrent claims.

Each project listing shows:

• Project description -- what the client needs
• Budget -- how many CHIPS you will earn
• Deadline -- when the work must be delivered
• Client Trust Score -- a number indicating the client's reliability

Step 3: Claim a Project

When you see a project you want, claim it. It is first-come -- no bidding, no proposals. The first qualified designer to claim wins the project.

When you claim a project (after graduating from Fresh):

• A Commitment Deposit is locked from your wallet. This is a percentage of the project value (10-30%) that depends on your tier. It is returned when you deliver on time.
• Your identity and the client's identity are revealed to each other.

Step 4: Submit Your Work

Complete the project and submit your deliverables before the deadline. The client then has 48 or 72 hours to review your work.

Step 5: Get Paid

When the client approves your work (or the Auto-Approve Timer expires), you receive 79% of the project value in CHIPS. Your Commitment Deposit is returned to your wallet.

You can convert your CHIPS earnings to cash anytime using Instant Cashout -- a 24/7 conversion to USDC at a 1:1 rate. No invoicing, no waiting 30 days.

The Fresh Tier (Your First 5 Projects)

As a new designer, you start in the Fresh tier:

• Zero commitment deposit -- you do not risk any CHIPS
• 1 project at a time -- focus on quality
• Projects up to 100 CHIPS -- smaller scope to build your skills
• 5 projects to graduate -- complete 5 successful projects to move to the Common tier
• 3-strike policy -- 3 failures within 30 days results in removal from the platform

Take your Fresh projects seriously. They are your audition.

Building Your Reputation

Your Reputation is a score from 0 to 100 that determines your tier and the projects available to you. It is calculated from:

• Completion rate (45%) -- deliver on time, every time
• Client ratings (35%) -- the quality of your work matters
• Penalties (20% negative weight) -- missed deadlines and abandonments hurt

Your Reputation grows with each completed project, reaching full weight at 20 approved projects.

Commitment Deposits

After graduating from Fresh, you lock a percentage of the project value as a Commitment Deposit when you claim:

Higher tiers earn a Trust Discount -- your proven track record means a lower deposit. Your deposit is always returned when you deliver on time.

What Happens If You Do Not Deliver?

• Miss the deadline -- Your full Commitment Deposit goes to the client.
• Abandon a project -- 75% of your deposit goes to the client, 25% is removed from circulation.
• Lose a Review Panel dispute -- 50% of your deposit goes to the client, 50% is returned to you.