04 May 5 Ways Your Graphic Design Skills Can Make Money Online
5 Ways Your Graphic Design Skills Can Make Money Online
Graphic design is a significant skill that is on the rise in the online job market. Considering the various possibilities that digital media provides for up and coming designers.
Right from the thumbnails of the thousands of videos that are uploaded to Youtube every day, to vector illustrations for companies, graphic designing is stretched far and wide as a career option online.
But that is only if you’re willing to put in the time and effort into making it a career. If you have the knack for it, graphic design can be the right career option for you, working right from the comfort of your home.
Here are a few options that you can look at, to venture into improving your graphic design skills, building your career as a graphic designer.
Freelancing
Instead of being stuck doing one job over and over, freelancing allows you to try out various things at your own pace and get paid for the same.
With more and more people wanting to work for themselves than others, this serves as the perfect stepping stone in solidifying your career.
Let’s explore a few websites that give you the option to freelance for others.
Upwork
Upwork is a client and freelancer friendly website, aimed at making the connection a little easier.
Clients can post their requirements for a project on which they would like you to work. They can either post an open advertisement or approach your specific profile.
Their choice will be based on an earlier project that you upload on the website.
You need to fill in your details with as much information that you can provide about the type of graphic design skills that you have and add any previous projects that have done. This way, you can carve a niche for yourself for boosted requests in your area of expertise.
You can also add your certifications and skills that you might have related to graphic design. Don’t forget to link your social media handles so that it will help Upwork in finding the right type of clients for you.
The job listing can be extremely varied. For example, making logos for smaller companies, adding graphics for the packaging tapes of marketing agencies, and website design for companies trying to get off the ground.
Besides, you can try options like video and photo editing for Instagram based influencers and brands, tee-shirt designing, making book covers for authors, and can even be as crazy as helping fashion designers to digitalise their creations.
Payment can be through two routes, a fixed-price contract, and an hourly-based contract. As the name suggests, some jobs ensure that once you achieve a particular milestone, you get paid a direct amount, which you can withdraw after five days. Hourly basis payment happens on the number of hours you log on to the sheet, and as per your client’s convenience.
Freelancer
Freelancer, as a website, works based on bids. Create a profile that enlists your specific graphic design skills and expertise with a professional photo to go along and undergo the verification to add you as a freelancer to the website.
You can then access the various bidding lists that are available. Choose the job most fitted to you by optimising the filters and choose the one you’d like to work for. You need to submit a bid application, based on the brief given by the client. The client can look through all the bids for the project, and if they deem you the best for the project, you will be selected.
Usually, the jobs range from company logo design, website design to making banners, and creating mobile apps.
Payment happens through two methods. One is the Milestone Payment System. The client can set aside funds that will be transferred to you on the website itself and will be released as the project progresses.
The other method is to move the funds directly to your bank account through online banking, PayPal, etc., but this method cannot be subjected to any resolution by the website, in case of any disputes.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a seller-friendly website that acts as a portal offering several services for buyers. Freelancers can create their portal on the website with their details, listing previous projects, skills, certifications, etc.
The site splits graphic design skills easily into various subgroups, so you can choose the niche you want to be part of.
Jobs include logo design, designing flyers, gaming design, tee-shirt and merchandise making, books and album covers, and so on. They also have a specific category for Twitch design, making it extremely useful for people streaming to have a comfortable experience.
Payment can be through pre-defined Fiverr packages, or through listings that you can add for, based on what you think would be an appropriate price point.
It is necessary to understand that enlisting exorbitant prices for simple tasks would defeat the whole purpose and will end up with nobody picking your services.
Also, you can link your PayPal account or a debit card account to receive your payments within 14 working days.
Print-On-Demand Services
Print-on-demand is an option to use your designs into making merchandise for other companies, or individual customers.
The products might be coffee mugs, notebooks, shirts, home decor, phone covers, and so much more. It offers an opportunity for the world to let your designs into their everyday life, increasing your reach as a designer.
Let’s look at a few websites that provide the opportunity to print on demand.
RedBubble
RedBubble makes merchandise that includes tee-shirts, phone cases, stationery, accessories, and wall art. You can upload your designs onto the website, and the site gets the right to sell merchandise with that design.
The pricing works on a percentage basis. RedBubble has a standard base price that they sell the products on. You can choose what products you’d like your designs to be on, and also select a percentage called the markup. It’s usually 20 per cent.
The artist margin, which is the money you get, is the markup times the base price of the cost. So, the more the product sales, the higher your income.
Swag Swami Art To Money
The Swag Swami Art To Money(ATM) is a program from upcoming designers and artists to list their designs in a store for the world to buy their designs from. All you have to do is create an account, upload your designs, and you’re good to go. You will be paid for the design’s royalties.
The royalties usually stand at a fixed 10 per cent of the value of the product. Your money gets credited to you 15 days after the transaction of the product. At the end of every month, the funds are transferred to your bank account through NEFT transfer. For more information, visit the Swag Swami website.
TeePublic
TeePublic specifically produces designed tee-shirts, crew neck shirts, kids’ clothing, etc.
Apart from their apparel collection, they also produce stickers, mobile cases, and wall arts, all of your design.
All you have to do is create your profile, upload your designs, and let the magic unfold. One of the advantages of TeePublic is their 24×7 customer support for designers.
Their pricing chart is fixed per product and is listed on their website. They have over 75 products that you can have your design, and you can get paid accordingly.
Creating Online Graphic Design Skills Courses
Several websites offer Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) to learn various skills and improve your abilities.
As a designer, you can provide back to the community by sharing your knowledge through these websites like Udemy, Skillshare, Pluralsight, and so on.
The companies require you to submit an audition video so that they can evaluate your skills and if they are marketable. Once signed, you can record videos and instructions and edit them to stitch the perfect video course.
Payment happens on a contract basis with the company and wildly varies from person to person. The significant factors are how much traffic or demand your course warrants and the royalties percentage that you have signed for with the website.
All in all, it’s a great start to monetising your graphic design skills.
Uploading Vectors and Graphics
Several websites offer a paid-only service for vector designs and graphics. Sites such as Shutterstock, 123RF, Istockphoto, etc. give the option to upload your vector designs, graphics, or photos.
These designs are then available for the world to buy for their usage whatsoever. You might not own the images directly anymore, but the website will pay you with the due royalties.
The amount paid is directly proportional to the number of downloads. So the more in trend your design is, the faster your career will skyrocket.
Payment usually happens through your PayPal account every 15 days, on Shutterstock. There are several payment tiers that you can fall under based on your license and entirely depends on the individual.
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
Amazon Kindle allows you to explore your graphic design skills and earn revenue from it. There are two ways in which it can work.
The Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program offers for book covers and to make books that are intended for sketching, creating mandalas, and so on. Sketchbooks have been on the rise, especially how it helps with stress, so designing such books can boost your sales very quickly.
There are different methods and payment plans available, with up to 70 per cent royalties as listed on the KDP website.
Conclusion
With all that included, the graphic design world online can be an overwhelming territory.
The steep competition and the multitude of options that are available to do can be stressful. But it is essential to believe in your graphic design skills, stand your ground and make an effort by taking up jobs, however menial, into giving you a big break in the industry.
