How to Make Money as a Graphic Designer

In an increasingly digitized society that seems to always be in a rush, the role of graphic designs is becoming relevant now more than ever. This is because visuals help to communicate the intended message faster than words. Besides, visuals are more eye-catching hence they tend to be ingrained for longer in our memory.

What is graphic designing 

Graphic design is the use of images, colors, and fonts to convey ideas/ messages. Since there is now one way of doing all this together, there are about eight different types of graphic designs to cover each. A graphic designer may choose to specialize in one or several related types. However, the more skills you have the higher your chances of being able to make money from graphic design. The different types of designs include; 

Virtual Identity Graphic Design

This is one of the most common types of designs. It involves creating logos, choosing fonts and color pallets for websites.

Marketing and Advertising Graphic designs

This might involve creating flyers and postcards, creating ads, creating banners and posters, and making PowerPoint presentations amongst other projects. Great marketing helps businesses to influence buyers purchasing decisions. 

User Interface Graphic Design

This influences how a user interacts with a device. Projects under this type include; web page design, app design, game interface, and theme design amongst others. 

Publication Graphic Design

This includes books, magazines, catalogs, and newspapers. Graphic designers working on this have to work in collaboration with editors and publishers since the designs have to align with the illustrations, themes, and photography. 

Packaging Graphic design

Purchased products need some kind of packaging to protect them during shipping. Graphic designers working on this niche need to be flexible to the demands of the client and should be in the loop of current trends. 

Motion Graphic Design

This includes animated logos, advertisements, Tutorials, GIFs, and Banners amongst others. 

Environmental Graphic Design

These designs connect people to places virtually. Examples include murals, office branding, retail store interior, and museum exhibitions. 

Art and Illustration Graphic Design

This includes motion graphics, t-shirt design, stock images, comic books, and album art amongst others. 

How to make money from graphic design

Business Branding

Branding is a key element of any business regardless of size or the nature of the business. Recently, more business owners have come to appreciate the power of branding hence creating a viable business opportunity for graphic designers. 

There are many ways in which a graphic designer can make money from business branding such as creating a company logo, making brochures, and designing business cards. Working on such projects can prove to be so rewarding in the long run as it might help you land similar jobs in the future. 

Selling merchandise 

The fad of having customized items has hit everyone hard making it a good source of income for a graphic designer. As a graphic designer, you can create your designs and have them available for print on a variety of merchandise such as t-shirts, pillows, mugs, water bottles, printable wall art, tote bags, etc.

All you need to make your business successful is unique designs, a reliable company to provide drop shipping services such as Printful and Printify, and a fan base. 

Teach Design

This is perhaps the most foolproof method of earning money as a graphic designer especially now that most people prefer online courses. Websites that can be great for this include Udemy, Skillshare, and Teachable. 

Likewise, you can choose to create your own YouTube channel where you will be uploading tutorials. With time, you will gain traffic and will be able to monetize your channel. Another option is to start a blog that solely focuses on graphic design. With a blog, you could upload training courses that interested people can purchase. You could also earn passive income from the blog by monetizing it. 

Freelancing

The demand for freelancers is predicted to increase in the future. Already there is a lot of work being put out thanks to freelancers. As a graphic designer, freelancing is a good way to showcase your skills to a variety of clients and get some positive feedback. Freelancing is especially good if you have a variety of skills and are not interested in selling merchandise or teaching. Examples of reliable sites to land well-paying gigs include Upwork, Fiverr, 99Designs, and Freelancer.com. 

Nevertheless, freelancing is not your best option if you are looking for a steady source of income. Freelancing jobs include designing logos, websites, creating advertisements, or making presentations. The greatest advantage of freelancing is that you get to set your rates and can choose which projects to work on and which ones not to. 

Creating GIFs (Graphic Interface Format)

GIFs have been around for ages but are now gaining more popularity due to the rising popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They are used to express emotions as well as tell stories.

On Instagram for instance, brands use GIFs to create attractive adverts hence more and more companies are in a constant search for unique GIFs to help with their communication. For a designer skilled at making animated GIFs, this is a great opportunity to make money with graphic design.

Start a Consulting Business

This should probably be the ultimate goal for every graphic designer. Having tried the above name ideas and garnering enough experience and skills, you are all set to start working as a graphic design consultant.  

Create an outstanding business profile, have your portfolio in check and start marketing and selling your services to businesses, start-ups, brands, and even to students who would want to learn about graphic designing. 

After building your client base, making money from graphic design consultation should be easy. People will only be required to pay a consultation fee to get advice from you which you can either charge per project or the hour. Being your boss is not a bad idea. 

Bonus Points

Other ways to generate income as a graphic designer includes; 

• Creating illustrations for publications
• Writing guest posts for related blogs
• Designing and selling WordPress themes
• Printable party decorations
• Writing and selling an Ebook about graphic design

In Conclusion 

There are a lot of money-making opportunities with graphic design. All you need to remember is to be creative and unique; nobody likes a copycat. Never stop learning, it’s the only way to grow. Also, invest your time and effort into your work and it will pay off well.