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Sketches

The gig economy, drawn by hand

Pencil sketches that explain how earning platforms really work: where your money goes, what the work looks like, and how to stay safe. Each one is drawn stroke by stroke, the way an illustrator fills a field sketchbook, and every platform in the directory has its own sketch built from its real listing.

33hand-drawn explainers
992platform sketches
53platform types
200countries
Where the money goes on a freelance marketplaceFreelanceSites sketchbook
$$100100Client pays $100$100ESCROWheld until the work is approvedfeesplatform keepsfee, e.g. 10% = $10You get $90payoutyour bankOne $100 job, start to finish

Finished sketch: 6 stages, 116 pencil marks

Featured sketch

Where the money goes on a freelance marketplace

A sketch of one $100 job on a freelance marketplace: the client pays, the platform holds the money in escrow, takes its fee, and releases the rest to you, who then withdraws it to a bank.

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Money and fees

Where the money goes: fees, holds, payouts and what you really keep.

9 sketches
Where the money goes on a freelance marketplace A sketch of one $100 job on a freelance marketplace: the client pays, the platform holds the money in escrow, takes its… How fees take bites out of a $100 job Follow three imaginary fee monsters taking bites from a $100 job, then learn how service, processing and withdrawal fees… From job done to money in the bank Trace a payment through review, a clearance hold, available balance and withdrawal, and see why finishing a job does not… How a rideshare fare splits into different pockets Open a rideshare receipt to separate driver earnings, the platform service fee and other charges, with tips taking their… How a video view becomes a creator payout Follow a video from camera to views, ads and shared revenue, then through an earnings dashboard and payout threshold, wi… Why a small balance can be too small to withdraw Watch an earnings jar fill past an example payout line, and learn why microtask and survey workers should check the mini… The hops between a USD payment and your local bank Trace a client payment through a platform, payout service and currency conversion to a local bank, checking the possible… How a pile of surveys becomes a little cash Most survey attempts end at the screener. A few qualify and finish, points pile up, and cash arrives only after a thresh… A campaign, a goal, and the fees after Backers fund a goal before a deadline and pick reward tiers. You need the whole goal, or you keep what you raised. Fees…

On the job

What the work looks like, from a courier's run to a tutor's desk.

12 sketches
What a delivery pays after your running costs Build an example delivery payment from base pay, tips and promotions, subtract running costs, then divide by all working… One courier run, from accept to the next order A top-down map of one delivery: accept the offer, ride to the restaurant, wait, ride to the door, photograph the handoff… The kit a bicycle courier rides with Labelled callouts on a courier bicycle: bag, phone mount, lights, helmet, lock, rain jacket, power bank and a reflective… A rideshare car, checked before the shift A pre-shift walk around the car: tyres, lights, belts, a clean seat, a mounted phone on a charger, and the licence, insu… An online tutor's desk, ready for the lesson The desk an online tutor sets before a call: eye-level camera, light on the face, a headset, a quiet wall, a stable link… A seller's packing table, from order to post The packing table in order: match the order, wrap the product, weigh it, tape the box, print the label, add a note, and… Turning a rental over between guests The hours between guests: wash the linens, clean, restock, check for damage, reset the lock, photograph the rooms, all i… From a photo to a royalty share Shoot, add keywords, pass review, wait in the library, then earn a royalty share when a buyer licenses the file. The sha… Your design, their printer, your margin A design goes on a shirt or a mug, a customer orders, the printer ships it, and you keep price minus base cost. The numb… A local job, from the ping to the stars A task booking hits your phone, you travel, do the work, photograph it, get paid in the app and collect a rating. Agree… Pet and care sitting, visit by visit A care booking runs from the request and a meet-and-greet through visits, photo updates, payment and a review. Many plat… Training an AI, one judged task at a time AI training work is rating answers, writing examples, checking facts and following a rubric, usually after a test, paid…

Getting started

Sign-up, verification and the kit you need before the first job.

7 sketches
Give future taxes a jar of their own Split gig receipts into a spending pot and a separate tax reserve, keep records and mark deadlines, then check the rules… A home desk set up for remote work An ergonomic remote desk: screen at eye level, a separate keyboard, side light, headphones, and cables tied so you can s… What identity verification actually asks for See how an ID photo, a selfie and sometimes address or tax details help a platform check your identity before work or pa… Job board or marketplace: who hires and who pays? Compare job boards with freelance marketplaces: applications and direct employer pay on one side, proposals, held funds,… The anatomy of a useful freelance profile Build a clear freelance profile with an honest photo, specific title, useful overview, relevant samples, a considered ra… How a first review can build freelance momentum A first small job can become useful evidence: an honest review, more confidence, new conversations and larger projects.… Pack your freelance starter kit before applying Pack essentials for platform work: identity documents, a supported payout account, suitable equipment, useful skills, el…

Staying safe

Scams, red flags and how platforms protect (and do not protect) you.

3 sketches
Job scam red flags: do not take the bait Spot common job scam bait: upfront fees, off-platform messages, fake cheques and overpayment refunds. Pause, check the o… What you risk when a client pays off the platform Taking marketplace payments outside the platform can remove escrow and dispute help and may cost you your account. Keep… A safety routine for gigs that happen in person For task, care and delivery gigs, share plans with a trusted person, arrange a public introduction when possible, keep b…

The big picture

How the whole gig economy fits together, sketched on one page.

2 sketches
A town map of the ways platforms pay One sketched town holds eight ways people earn on platforms: rides, delivery, rentals, freelance, selling, creating, tut… Where a platform actually lets you earn Online work can be open in many countries, rides and delivery run city by city, and payout options decide who can really…

Any platform, sketched

Every platform in the directory has a sketch of how it works, drawn from its listing: its fee, minimum payout, payout speed and sign-up rules.

Platform types

Each type sketched with its typical work, what it takes to start, and what the busiest platforms charge.

Professions

Your line of work, sketched with the platforms to try first.

Countries

Where you live decides which platforms take you. Each country sketched by the platforms open to its residents.

How these sketches are made

The explainers are drawn by hand in a small drawing language, in stages: faint construction lines, outlines with a light wash of colour, the details, pencil shading from a light on the upper left, and a handwritten caption. Numbers inside a drawing are examples and are labelled as such; the real fees and payout terms sit beside each sketch, straight from our listings. Platform sketches show only what the listing says, with the platform's real name and never its logo. How we research.