Designer Banned from Dribbble Launches Transparent Rival to Empower Creatives
When a well-known designer was banned from Dribbble under its new 2025 terms, he chose a bold response: creating a new platform that prioritizes freedom, transparency, and choice for design professionals.
What Triggered the Ban?
In March 2025, Dribbble updated its terms of service, requiring designers to handle all client communications and payments exclusively through the platform—a move aimed at monetizing services via commissions. Violators were penalized, and prominent designer Gleb Kuznetsov was banned after he shared contact info with clients off-platform.(turn0search2, turn0search4)
The design community immediately reacted on Reddit, arguing that the policy restricts autonomy and punishes professionals for using tools they already rely on.(turn0reddit13)
The Birth of Canvas Collective
Rather than complain, Kuznetsov launched Canvas Collective, a new design network that rejects commission fees and promotes user autonomy. He envisions it as “not a copycat of Dribbble,” but an AI-empowered assistant tailored for creative professionals, offering freedom and tools without extracting a fee on transactions.(turn0search0)
Why This Shift Matters
| Key Issue | Insight |
|---|---|
| Platform Monetization | Dribbble’s shift underscores tension between platform ownership and creator independence, echoing community concerns about control.(turn0search3) |
| Designer Response | Building Canvas Collective highlights how creator communities may bypass restrictive platforms entirely. |
| AI-First Features | Kuznetsov aims to add generative AI tools—not as labor replacement, but to elevate design workflows.(turn0search0) |
What Designers Are Saying
On Reddit, many users lamented Dribbble’s crackdown on communication outside its ecosystem, seeing it as algorithmic coercion disguised as protection. One user wrote:
“Apparently they’ve been scanning messages for contact info and banning users who list email addresses—forcing everything through their system.”(turn0reddit13)
Designers are increasingly valuing alternative platforms like Contra, Behance, and now Canvas Collective, as spaces that respect their autonomy and tools of choice.
Broader Impacts on Design Platforms
Dribbble—once a creative playground turned monetized marketplace—has shifted drastically. Many veteran users believe this strategic pivot may alienate core users, pushing talent toward open alternatives.(turn0search3)
Canvas Collective joins a broader conversation about platform ethics, creator revenue control, and AI-powered design tools that augment rather than replace human creativity.
What’s Next for Canvas Collective
Kuznetsov plans to launch a minimum viable product within a few months, positioning it as an inclusive, fee-free alternative that blends community and AI-based creativity. While he insists it isn’t intended to “kill Dribbble,” it clearly aims to offer designers a viable and empowering option.(turn0search0)
If successful, Canvas Collective might force established platforms to rethink how they monetize and engage their creative community.
Final Thoughts
This story transcends individual disagreement—it’s about how platforms influence creative freedom. Canvas Collective reflects emerging sentiment: that creators should own their paths—not be locked into centralized systems.
As designers shift toward autonomy, those platform policies that restrict flexibility may lose relevance—and innovators like Kuznetsov may lead the next wave of community-first creative tools.
After being banned from Dribbble for sharing external contact details, a top designer is launching Canvas Collective, a fees-free, AI-empowered platform designed to protect creative autonomy.
Canvas Collective Dribbble rival
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