How To Actually Make Money As A Designer

Okay strap in, this is going to be a good one.

If you’re just starting out, making money as a designer can be a painful process.

Here’s a perfect example - my very first client ghosted me after I’d already invested hours of work into their design project (and it still hurts to this day).

But now I’m extremely grateful to say that I’m making some good income from graphic design, and it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t help you guys to achieve the same thing.

So with that in mind, let’s talk about the REAL ways to make money as a designer.

P.S This will not be a generic list of income streams you can find on Google, this is all based on my real-world experience of what has actually worked for me. I hope you find it valuable :)

 

1. Diversify Your Skillset:

This is without a doubt one of the best pieces of advice I can give to anyone looking to start making serious money from design.

Let me explain. 

When I first started freelance design work, I was only offering to create album artwork or poster designs. In other words, my “skillset” was restricted to one area of design work.

This is a fairly niche offer: most unknown musicians don’t want to pay for artwork, and many successful musicians already have artwork designers they work with consistently. 

Of course this is a general statement, you can absolutely still make money from album cover art and poster design, but it’s not easy.

Then I decided to learn video editing. 

This one additional skill significantly expanded the scope of potential clients.

Not only did it help to grow an audience through Instagram reels and video content, but it allowed me to gain the interest of larger companies that have no need for album/poster design.

On top of this, my social media content allows me to indirectly showcase my video editing, which has led to many inbound clients looking for video content.

However, if you want to diversify your skillset, it doesn’t have to be video editing.

Here’s some examples of other creative skills you can use to increase your leverage with potential clients:

• Photography
• Animation
• Copywriting
• UI/UX Design
• Web Design:
• Digital Marketing Design (social media campaigns etc.)

I’ve also landed clients looking only for typography work too, which is another great example of expanding your creative skillset.

Now go out there and learn something new ;)

2. Personal branding

This was another huge one for me.

Here’s the thing: clients buy from people they trust.

I know people who are getting consistent clients from Instagram with only 1,000-2,000 followers. 

How?

They are posting videos of themselves on their profile, as well as behind-the-scenes photos and videos of their design work. 

In short: they are actually speaking to their audience, and by extension, their potential future clients.

Sometimes we build trust by simply hearing someones voice, or seeing someone working on a design project.

If you’re a faceless, nameless designer on Instagram, how can a client trust you’ll deliver on your promises?

So if you’re posting your designs to social media already, don’t be afraid to play a bigger part in your social media profile. Try getting in front of a camera, or even add voiceovers to your reels: anything to build trust and connection with your viewers.

I know it feels cringe, I felt the same too.

But this one tip transformed my entire career, and I’m hoping it’ll do the same for you!

3. Income streams

There are various ways to give yourself some financial security in the months where client work is lower than usual.

While your main projects may pay the bills, side projects can be a great way to not only experiment with new concepts and ideas, but also generate some additional income too.

Design Templates and Resources: 

I often find myself creating the same types of assets repeatedly (icons, textures etc).

It’s fairly easy to turn this routine into a financial opportunity by crafting design templates, icons, vector graphics, fonts, or even mockup templates.

You can even host them completely for free on sites like Gumroad!

Print-on-Demand

Print-on-demand services handle production, shipping, and customer service, allowing you to focus on the artistic aspect.

I’ve only tried this with posters, but you can create online stores for clothing and various other items.

Online Courses and Workshops

Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, and Teachable allow you to create and sell educational content.

I am actually working on my own course at the moment for Adobe Photoshop. When that’s completed, I’ll give you guys the rundown of exactly how to make money using this method ;)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a beautiful day.

George

Instagram:@waveindex