Graphic Designers are, without a doubt, people passionate about their career. They can often be heard to say that they don't do it solely to make money, it’s about doing something they love. That is both noble and pure.
It certainly vital to personal happiness to do work one loves, but why not do work you love and make some extra money while you’re at it?
Lots of people do that, even designers.
You are not compromising your principles just because you are making lots of money, so figure out which of these following ideas will work for you, and go for it. Here is an exploration of this topic, in the hopes that you will gain some perspective and decide that you could be one of those few who makes it.
1. Sell Digital Files Online
One way to get a name for yourself is to start selling digital files. If you can create images, textures, or fonts, you can sell the digital files online. There are a few ways to sell the images. You can either join a marketplace where the company will promote your files for you or you can run your own site, optimize and sell your files for 100 percent of the profits. People and companies will buy rights to use the image and you can make a passive income for years after you’ve designed the image.
2. Take on Projects as a Freelancer
One of the most difficult things about being a freelancer is finding clients. There are plenty of clients who need a designer to create a logo, an ad, or art for their web page. One way to get regular work by promoting your design portfolio is to sign up for a freelancing website where you can show off your talents and get matched to clients who are just right for you.
On the best freelance websites, you can add some of your past designs, set your own rates, and request reviews from past clients. You may take on small projects to start, but with a comprehensive portfolio and positive reviews, you can make a decent living. Some of the popular freelancing sites include Fiverr, Upwork, 99Desings, oDesk, Elance, Freelancer, Microlancer, PeoplePerHour, and 48HoursLogo.
If you want a professional logo or website, CLICK HERE and order it for you
3. Get Hired by a Design Company
You can make money on the side as a designer, but you can also earn a living getting hired on as a designer with a design firm or a corporation. Most employers that are hiring a designer in-house are looking for someone who has a large portfolio or a degree. If you do not have much experience designing on a professional level, completing a formal degree program might help you get a foot in the door.
By taking a graphic design training program, you can learn about the principles of design and what types of software you will be working with. Being artistic by nature is important, but to really succeed you need to have more than just a creative mind. Enroll in a certificate program or an undergraduate program and you can start applying for in-house graphic design jobs.
The first step to making a living as a graphic designer is to build a portfolio. The portfolio is like a resume for designers to showcase their skills. Every time you finish a project that you are proud of, adds an example from the project to your portfolio. With the right training and the right marketing skills, you can make extra money on the side doing something that you really enjoy doing.
4. Write eBooks
Writing ebooks is one way you can sell your skill and knowledge as a graphic designer – write a step by step guide to graphic design for beginners. Or create a beautiful guide to product branding.
Another, more fun way is to design coloring books that will allow you to show your design skills in full glory. The adult coloring book trend surprised the world in 2015 when over 12 million books were sold, with some sellers making even up to $329,000 that year. Now in 2018, while some say that the trend is gone, Forbes argues that it may not be entirely true.
Adults and kids alike still enjoy coloring, but instead of buying from traditional publishers, people today prefer to shop from small self-publishers. Their sales numbers aren’t always reported precisely, yet with all that, it is known that as much as 60% of hobby books today are sold by indie self-publishers.
What I’m saying is:
Coloring books are a product taken over by small sellers, which is a great opportunity for new sellers because markets that are not dominated by big players are much easier to enter. Printable coloring e-books are therefore the perfect product for freelance designers to sell.
If you want a professional created eBook from scratch, CLICK HERE and order one!
5. Charge what you are worth
If you've already done some spec work for a client and now they want to hire you for a job, don't be shy about charging the rate you know you're worth. Many designers, especially young ones, don't charge enough, or rather, they undervalue the price of their work. Don't do this. Charging more is also a way to help maintain a high level of quality cliental.
Remember: Clients aren't just paying for your hourly time, they're paying for your expertise, experience, training and equipment. Stand by your pricing and you'll be better off for it, guaranteed. if you haven't started blogging, start now! Blogging costs you time, but it can pay off big. Use your blog to share design advice for businesses or publish helpful design tutorials.
Having a place on the web that hosts your insights and knowledge can be incredibly valuable for positioning yourself as an expert, creating new relationships with other designers and, of course, attracting referrals. Now that you've started blogging, here's one really effective way to drive traffic back to your site: Give away free and, of course, beautifully branded downloadable resources like templates, themes and graphics.
Because people love to share awesome free stuff, this segment has created great brand exposure for DesignLoveFest. It has also opened up a lot of collaboration opportunities as Emery will often team up with another designer or artist for a Dress your Tech post.
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