What is chat?
Chat is an async messaging channel where you can send messages, share files and images, and coordinate directly with Design Pickle team members.
While your account chat works like an instant messenger for channel users online at the same time, Design Pickle team members are actively supporting multiple accounts during working hours, so responses may not be immediate. See expected response times below.
You can find your chat in the left navigation above your requests tab.
👤 Who can use the chat feature?
Every Design Pickle account with a platform + creative service subscription or a graphics premium, pro, or power account will have access to one channel.
If you have a production coordinator, you will communicate with your production coordinator in chat.
If you do not have a production coordinator, you will communicate with customer support in chat.
*Only 4+ hour Design Pickle plans include a production coordinator, unless you have a professional service subscription
👥 Accessing chat depends on user roles within the account:
Role | Can view | Can send messages | Can manage added users |
Admin | Yes | Yes, if joined | Yes |
Manager | Yes | Yes, if joined* | No |
Member | Only if added | Yes, once added | No |
How to join chat (admins and managers)
Managers and Admins can automatically join the channel or be invited.
Find Chat on your left navigation
If you’re not added, you’ll see this message at the bottom of the screen
If you want to start sending messages, click “join [channel name]”
Once added, this message will confirm you’ve joined the conversation.
Members will not see the channel, channel history, or contents unless invited by an admin.
How you should use chat
Your platform chat should not be used for official request directions. Use chat mainly for ongoing conversation, collaboration, and additional context.
Good examples:
Asking a question before you submit revisions
Asking a question about request statuses
Sharing a reference or thought
Flagging something conversationally that does not warrant a revision direction
Coordinating with teammates on your account who are also submitting or reviewing requests
🚨Note: Sending messages in the chat about requests will not change their status and is not a replacement for the request form.
In order to officially send requests or revisions for a designer to work on, you still must create and submit a design request or formally submit your revisions.
Here's how to use both:
| Request Directions | Platform Chat |
What it is | Your project brief. Upfront instructions for the designer under a specific request | Async back-and-forth with your Design Pickle team for your entire account |
Changes request status? | Yes, on submission | No |
When to use | Start of a request, or to update core instructions, make official revisions, or send a request back to your designer | Questions, check-ins, mid-production feedback, clarifying instructions |
Who sees it | Assigned designer | Added customers on the account, production team, and support, all in a shared thread. |
Tone | Instructional | Conversational |
Timing | Set before work starts | Use as your projects evolve |
TLDR: Request Directions are your official briefs. Platform chat is your back-and-forth.
How to send a message
Note: You will not see your company's channel if you are a member. If you need to access the chat, please contact your account admin.
Open Design Pickle and find Chat in the left navigation, above Requests
At the bottom of your chat, start typing your message in the open space.
Tag users in the channel by typing @[insert user name].
To ensure users receive dedicated notifications, do not send a message without adding a tag. You can only tag users who have been added to the channel.
Attach images by clicking attach file, below the message box:
Hyperlink your text by highlighting the designated text and then clicking the chain icon:
Expand your view by dragging the bottom right corner of the message box.
When your message is ready, hit Send.
Editing your message:
Hit the overflow menu on a send message and click “edit message”
Attaching files
To attach a file to your message, click “attach file” at the bottom of your message.
From there, select a file from your local desktop. You can attach the following:
Documents: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, plain text
Design files: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Figma, Sketch, After Effects, Premiere
Video and audio in any common format
Archives: ZIP, RAR
Fonts
There is a 25MB cap per file. If you have a larger attachment, we suggest sharing a public folder link, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
Every upload is virus-scanned before it becomes available to download.
Tips for using chat effectively
Send one complete message instead of multiple short ones to keep notifications manageable for everyone in the channel.
Always tag a teammate when a message is relevant to them specifically.
Reference the request number or name when asking about a specific project so your team can pull it up quickly.
Use threads to keep conversations focused when you have a follow-up on a specific message. It keeps the main feed clean and makes it easier for everyone to follow separate conversations at once.
Create a request or submit revisions within a design ticket for anything official, and save chat for questions and context. It ensures nothing gets missed or acted on out of order
If your question is urgent, don’t use chat. Email [email protected] or launch the “?” in the main navigation of your account.
Average response time
Messages are delivered in real time, but Design Pickle team members respond during their working hours.
Your platform chat is async. Messages may not receive an immediate reply.
For time-sensitive changes that affect the direction of a request, use request directions and contact [email protected].
Chat notifications
If you have joined your account's channel and are online when another user messages the chat, chat messages will pop up instantly.
If you are offline, unread counts will appear within the left navigation.
Every new chat message triggers a notification to the other people in the channel. Notifications land in four places:
The left navigation panel in-app (always)
Email (ONLY if the recipient hasn't already read the message within 2 minutes)
(Coming soon) A connected Slack workspace channel, if you have set up the integration.
💬 Mentions
You can only @mention users who are already in the channel.
View all of your mentions by clicking the notification icon in the global navigation.
From there, you'll see a full history of tags and can jump directly to the channel where you were mentioned.
✉️ Read/unread messages
Every new message that hasn't been seen by you will count as an unread message. Your message count will clear automatically the moment you open the channel.
You can mark your messages as “unread from here" if needed. Use the overflow menu on a single message:
System events like "someone joined" don't add to your unread count, but they do bump the channel in the sidebar, so recent activity surfaces.
Unread counts update live across devices, no refresh needed.
How to manage chat users
See all users invited to the channel by clicking the top right person icon with a number by it:
You'll see the list of added Design Pickle team members as well as your own team members.
🟢 How to add members
If you need to add members, simply click "+ Add people”:
As an Admin, you also have the ability to leave the channel or remove team members
Note: Managers and members will see "+ Add people" disabled, with a tooltip that reads "Only admins can add members."
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Slack instead?
You cannot add Design Pickle team members to your personal or business slack channels. However, Design Pickle has a native Slack integration you can activate to receive delivery notifications and request status updates in your Slack workspace. Learn how to activate it →
Is there a limit on how many users I can add to my channel?
You can add as many users as you have seats on your Design Pickle account.
Is chat connected to my requests?
No. Messages in chat do not trigger updates to the direction of a request, nor should they be used to submit requests.
How quickly will I get a response?
This depends on whether you have a Project Coordinator or not
Who’s in my channel?
If you’re on a 4+ hour plan, you will communicate with your accounts production coordinator. If you’re on a 2-3 hour plan, you will communicate with a customer support representative.
Can I leave a channel?
Yes, you can leave the channel through the members window. Keep in mind that at least one person from your account must remain in the channel at all times, so if you're the last one, the option to leave won't be available.
Need further help? Email us through [email protected], or click the chat button on the lower right-hand side of this window to chat with us.