Tips On How To Make Money As A Graphic Designer

by KEN

In the world of technology, there are more and more businesses that are created online, graphic design as well. Also, in 2019, the graphic design industry alone generated total revenue of $15 billion in the US. So there’s no wonder that the new generations are more and more interested in such perspective jobs.

More to it, graphic design is closely related to technology – which motivates more and more young generations to learn graphic design. The first step is to learn how to do it, but the real work begins when you need to figure out how to make money off it.

You probably see yourself working with clients, but at first, you’ll have to find them and look for other ways to earn money from your graphic design skills. You can take advantage of Printify – print on demand Shopify app, you can also open a virtual shop, participate in contests, and participate in bundle deals. We’ll go in more detail about each way of earning money from graphic design in this article.

Starting A Print On Demand Business

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If you haven’t heard about print on demand business, we’ll explain the basics so you get a better idea on how it works. A print on demand business is very similar to dropshipping. The main difference is in the word “print”. This type of business involves all kinds of different print on various objects like t-shirts, hoodies, smartphone cases, mugs, pillowcases, and so on.

If a person wants to start a business like this, all he needs to do is choose a platform like Printify, that will be making, let’s say t-shirts, for this person and sending them directly to the customer who has ordered a specific t-shirt design. It’s a pretty popular type of business because it requires nearly no investments. All you have to pay for is mainly advertising.

So now you might want to ask – what does it have to do with graphic design? Well, in fact, a lot. Because you need to create some original designs for your phone cases, mugs, and t-shirts. It’s a great way to earn some extra money with almost zero effort.

And again – don’t forget to advertise. As a graphic designer, you should probably have profiles on websites like Dribbble and Behance – it’s a great idea to promote your print on demand business and designs there because you already have a community that is following you.

Opening a Virtual Shop

By opening a virtual shop, we mean a shop of pre-made logos, fonts, product mockups, icons, patterns, stock photography, and anything else that you enjoy designing. This way, you can easily sell your digital art online to your potential customers. And who knows – if the client really likes your work, they might even offer you a long-term deal.

Surely you can create a website of your own if you wish to do so, but remember that it’s going to become an extra investment. The best idea is to use marketplaces like Freepik or Flaticon that are free to register. It is also better to use a marketplace like this because it already has popularity and an audience of its own. This way you will cut the costs of advertising.

On the other hand, if you decide to go with your website after all or if you think that it’s a good idea for later, then there’s another great opportunity for you. You can start selling prints of your designs – as posters. Or you can even start your own line of merchandise, like beautifully designed workbooks, postcards, and similar – it’s up to you.

Participating In Logo Contests

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Logo contests like 99designs, LogoContest, 48hourslogo, and similar creates a great opportunity to earn some extra money from making logos and gives you some extra visibility. And hey, what company doesn’t need a logo? To learn more about the essence of creating a logo, you might find this article on Entrepreneur useful.

It’s not difficult to start participating in these contests. What you need to do is register, find a listed contest that you are interested in, read the brief of the design, and start creating. If you need to, you can communicate directly with the company that needs a logo and ask questions. After the contest is finished, the company chooses a winner – this might be your lucky day.

Participating in Bundle Deals

Some examples of bundle deals websites are MightyDeals, Dealjumbo, and InkyDeals. The name pretty much explains itself – you can upload to the marketplace and offer your potential clients a bundle of wedding photo overlays, print templates, Photoshop brushes, and many others. These are only a few examples – you can visit the mentioned websites to get more inspiration on what you could make. Each time you make a sale, the website earns a commission and you get your share of profit.

All in all, there are many ways you can earn money from graphic design and surely there are many interesting projects waiting for you. Although if you struggle to make enough money from graphic design, you might consider checking out these money making apps that are free to use – it might help you out at the beginning.

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