4 Ways To Make Money As a Graphic Designer

Graphic designers are very sought breed these days. And how wouldn’t they be when we are surrounded by graphic design every day? 

From logos to commercials, this profession is so widespread and inclusive that you could only avoid it if you moved to a cabin on a mountain and isolated yourself from the world. 

So how can a graphic designer make money? 

Some say it is as simple as making a tutorial on doing a simple horse drawing for beginners. Others would say it is much more complicated. 

We respect everyone’s opinion, which is why we will help you by compiling a list of the most prominent ways a graphic designer can make money today. 

Printables 

Printables have become all the rage, from home decor and party decorations to printable designs for clothing. 

In this day and age of vastly made short-lived furniture that usually lasts a couple of years, DIY home decorating has made quite a breakthrough since Covid began. 

People want their homes to reflect their current mood, and for once, we are here in full support. 

This means that printable wall art is more popular than ever. Just look at Printful. They sell hundreds of thousands of printable wall art each year. 

Party decorations have become a staple in the past few years as well. Whether it’s birthday parties, bachelorettes, anniversaries, company parties, cake toppers, selfie accessories, and many more have been popular. 

Clothing printables have been around since the 50s. It is even more prominent now, with large brands printing their logos and graphics on the clothing they sell. The demand is high and perfect for startup clothing companies that want to be unique. 

GIFs, emojis, animations, and stickers

With most people communicating through their phones and online, especially during quarantine, it is no wonder that everything related to texting and social media is rising in popularity.

 However, animated images have existed for the past 25 years. The newer additions, such as GIFs, emojis, and stickers, have been gaining favor since introducing them to different social media platforms. 

Each of these graphic designs is tied to a social media platform. For example, GIFs have been trendy on Insta since they were presented and could be added to stories. 

Emojis are Facebooks forte. Statistics show that there are over 65 million emojis sent each and every day through messenger. Twitter has given us branded emojis, with over 250 companies having their personalized emojis available, such as Taco Bell, Coca-Cola, and even Kpop groups. 

Freelancing

This might not be everyone’s favorite, but it could be yours. From UpWork to Fiver, many widespread and popular freelancing platforms are free to use and can bring a good income. 

However, starting might be difficult if you’ve never done any jobs. It will require patience and effort to break through the sea of graphic designers. 

Regardless, it is a great way to gain further experience with numerous different projects, although you might have to lower your prices unless you have a well-built portfolio already. 

Teaching online courses and doing guides and tutorials

Online courses are a great way to earn some bucks, and now is a perfect time. 

There are hundreds if not thousands of websites offering courses in different niches, the graphic design being one of the most popular ones. 

Udemy, Coursera, Skillshare, and Domestika are one of the biggest websites that offer hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people worldwide a wide range of courses they can attend.  

So why is this great? Because every style is different. You will get the opportunity to teach your way of designing and help people achieve their dreams. 

Guides and tutorials are also a very lucrative way to earn money and get started in this business or expand your current one. Many websites now offer collaborations and also have YouTube channels.