Graphic design is a skill and profession that is still in high demand almost everywhere, It’s a great skill that always in demand. If you want to know how to make money as a graphic designer, this guide is for you.
There are many online platforms that can help you learn skills like YouTube and Skillshare to get graphic designing skills.
You don’t need a college degree to start your career. I learned graphic design online and applied what I learned in the last 7 years to the real world and my journey is just beginning.
If you want to know how to become a freelance graphic designer, read my personal information to learn more about my experience in the industry. It is definitely one of the most lucrative jobs for those who want to work from home or while traveling.
What is Graphic Design?
Before answering the question of how to make money as a graphic designer, it is important to understand what graphic design is. From Flayers and logos to food packaging these all are graphics design.
In simple words, graphic design is the creation of visual solutions designed for a purpose, such as design to make someone buy a product, watching a TV show, or attending a large event.
Graphic design covers almost every visual aspect of life, and there are many graphic design skills that you can specialize in, such as packaging design, layout design, branding, logo design, resume design, book cover design, business card design and even typography. Each of these skills is in demand even though some of these skills even pay more.
Graphic Designer Tools
If you want to know how to become a graphic designer, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have the right tools.
Many of these items are readily available online, but starting graphic design is an expensive business and you will need a computer, laptop, or desktop first of any brands.
Most professional graphic designers prefer Apple products and desktop computers over laptops. Here is two top Graphic designing tools that you must have:
1. Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop was released in 1988 and became the must have tool for designers. Imagine a program that confidently introduces your art style to the digital world, a program that complements your art style.
Photoshop is very powerful software for printing and template creation, bringing the best world of design to life. It gives graphic designers a variety of options, tools and settings to create new possibilities and create more original designs.
With Photoshop for Designers, you can:
- Gain confidence in your design skills
- Create a digital image of your project
- Step-by-step instructions for learning, A great way to quickly learn and remember your project
- Speed up idea implementation
2. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator provides 2D or 3D graphics processing to enhance the performance of the design process. Designers, including professional graphic designers and digital artists, can use Illustrator to create a variety of digital products.
Adobe continues to provide Illustrator with great features such as variable fonts, fast document creation, easy image cropping, a collection of text designs, improved reliability, and the best user experience to deliver the most intuitive graphics.
Adobe Illustrator is best for designing:
- Logo Designing
- Business card design
- Social media graphics
- Blog post images
- Posters flayers and many more.
10 Ways To Make Money As A Graphic Designer
Regardless of the niche you are interested in, there are many ways to make money as an online graphic designer! If you want to become a graphic designer, take a look at this list and start selling or creating.
1. eBooks & Resume templates
Although many people still read printed books, digital publishing is becoming more and more popular in the social media world. According to Statista, user penetration is expected to reach 15.9% by 2024.
This suggests that you must have an eBook. As a graphic designer, one way to market your skills and knowledge is by writing an ebook. Create step-by-step graphic design guides for beginners or great product branding guides. No matter how you sell, eBooks always sell like pancakes.
If you look at online markets like Creative Market and Etsy, you can see that the demand for eBook templates is very high. Influencers, creators, social media creators – entrepreneurs from different backgrounds sell at least one as part of a brand.
So, providing pre-built templates is a great way to generate passive income. In addition to selling eBooks online, you can also try out resume templates. Resume designing is also very popular because today’s job seekers have a greater impact on their resume.
2. Offer A Service
If you have a variety of graphic design skills and you are not selling products, becoming a freelancer may be a good choice. If you enjoy a variety of gigs like social media posts and illustration design, Upwork can be a potential source of income.
With hundreds of jobs by skill, Upwork is the largest freelance website in the world. Once registered, you can easily filter your graphic design work using the search function. Upwork adopts essential graphic design tips to help you find the right job quickly and easily.
Self-employment isn’t the safest way to earn a steady income, but it’s a great way to build a reputation and get positive feedback. For example, you can work part-time while working on another project and use the feedback you receives from Upwork to plan your next goal.
3. Teach Graphic Design
Don’t want to sell a product or artwork? If so, online training can help. If you like encouraging people, why not share your passion with them? The rise in online tutoring is due to a growing interest in learning new skills from the comfort of your own home.
In the past, I tried to balance my busy life with my schedule by registering for classes near my home. Now that online tutors are available to everyone, people no longer have to fight the times. You can learn at your own pace.
Therefore, professional graphic designers can emphasize this by selling online courses through learning platforms such as Udemy, Teachable, and Skillshare. Clients will appreciate this opportunity to study in their spare time.
4. Publications Illustration
The independent publishing industry allows almost anyone to sell thousands of books. Due to the availability of free stock photos, similar book covers are often used. So this is your opportunity: use it to your advantage and provide private photo shoots or unique illustrations.
Nowadays, most authors want to make sure that their book covers are unique and not nearly exact copies of others. However, illustrative publications are not limited to book covers.
You can also draw illustrations for magazines, comics, and even fictional characters and world maps. So if this is what you want to do, please consider becoming an illustrator on a free market like 99designs or Behance.
5. Create & Sell Templates
This may be one of the most profitable ways for graphic designers to earn passive income. With this method, all you have to do is create any type of template that can be used for e-books, posters, invitations, or Pinterest graphics.
Then sell the template online. Many small business owners and bloggers who always have trouble with time or are unable to create their own designs from scratch like to buy these products because of how easy it is to customize them.
If you set up your own template store and start working, you don’t need to do much to make money other than marketing your products.
6. Sell Stickers
Due to the popularity of TikTok, the number of small sticker stores is increasing recently. To create a sticker, all you need a Photoshop or Canva to create a text based sticker or an iPad for designing sticker.
The advantage of designing stickers is that you can use drop shipping. This means we are not responsible for packaging and shipping. Manage all your sales and get more money in your pocket at the end of the day.
The best places to sell stickers are Etsy, RedBubble, and Society6. You can also consider hosting your website on Shopify with your own design.
7. Business Branding
Recently, the brand has become more popular. Entrepreneurs and startups don’t always have a designer, so they need someone with talent and insight to build a strong visual identity.
From logos to business cards, designing the components of a new brand is a great way to harness your talent and sales.
Not only will you have a good portfolio, you will be guaranteed similar opportunities in the future. Brands can be emotionally rewarding, especially when they become famous around the world.
Thousands of people are amazed by your design work. So, why not jump into this potential source of income and sell your services on sellfy?
8. Merchandise
Online selling has quickly become one of the most popular ways to make money in recent years. Perhaps the main reason is to form an entrepreneurial vision. Not all entrepreneurs sell a product, but most will think about it.
According to Statista, by 2024, online accessories and apparel could sell for up to $194.4 billion. Now it’s really easy to open your online store, upload your print files and design the products you want to sell.
You can sale online:
- Tank tops
- Leggings
- Stickers
- Accessories
- T-shirts
- Sweatshirts
- Mugs
- Tote Bags
- Jackets
9. Wedding Stationery
You can also use your graphic design skills to sell wedding stationery locally. The chance of success in this business is quite high; whenever a wedding is held, there is always a demand for beautifully illustrated wedding invitations.
Selling wedding stationery is a relatively low-cost business that can be operated part-time until it makes a profit. If you decide to take the traditional route, you can use the help of a local printer or start making hand-painted wedding cards.
You should also make sure you have a portfolio and website where people can order or pay for your artwork.
10. Design Consultation
Design consulting is one of the best forms of passive income for designers in 2021. Today, without a website design, a company cannot prove its existence. In addition, they need an attractive website to stand out in a crowded market.
To make money online use your graphic design knowledge. All you need is to start consulting a parallel business. Start to charge consulting fees at affordable prices. There is no upfront cost for you, but your knowledge and skills.
Bottom Line
Now that you understand the many ways to make money as a graphic designer, the next step is to choose a product or service and open your online store. Then start making money through graphic design.
Sellfy is an excellent platform for graphic designers and other creators; you can build your store in a few seconds and truly sell any digital product.
The best part? Sellfy has useful built-in tools, such as email marketing and upsells, to help you market your business and attract customers.
More Useful Reads:
- How To Choose The Right Graphic Designer For Your Business
- 10 Free Online Graphic Design Software 2021
- 50+ Creative Ways to Make More Money
Author: StreamGamers
