Graphic designing is more on-demand than before, and it’s constantly increasing, and it shouldn’t be hard to make money as a graphic designer in 2021.
The reason is, today the role of the graphic designer is much complex and diverse. Each communication task of the modern market seems to be ‘visually designed’. Therefore the Graphic designers are hired to serve hundreds of job roles in the industry.
The market is already saturated, and it’s hard to get a ‘Graphic Designer’ job. But the reality is that they aren’t hired not because of the saturation but because they do not carry the capacity and attitude to serve the job.
So how can you earn money as a graphic designer in 2021?
There is a key to being proactive and looking for multiple avenues of revenue that other designers are failing to capitalise on. This article is all about how to make money as a graphic designer in 2021.
Table of Contents
Eight solid ways to make money as a graphic designer in 2021
1.Provide Design service.
Becoming a freelance graphic designer is no easy task—but it’s completely worth the effort. Working with clients is a great route to take if you like various tasks to work on.
There are several ways a freelance graphic designer can find their first clients. When I was first wondering how to become a freelance graphic designer, this is where I looked.
I have graded these top 8 freelance job sites to register yourself and start listing your gigs.
| website | Cost or Fees | Customer Support | Job Quality | Job Quantity | Job Availability |
| Upwork | 5%-20% | 9/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 |
| Fiverr | 20% | 8/10 | N/A | N/A | 10/10 |
| SolidGigs | $19/mo | 7/10 | 9/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| FlexJobs | $15/mo | 10/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| FreeUp | 15% | 9/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Freelancer | 20% | 8/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| TopTal | Varies | 8/10 | 10/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| People Per Hour | 3-20% | 8/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 | 6/10 |
These are where you can list yourself as a designer, but are there any other ways to get your first client? Heck ya!
FACEBOOK GROUP
Believe it or not, the Facebook group is the place where I got my first client. There are many nomadic job groups and freelance groups where you can find posts daily of people looking for help.
Several crowds don’t know how to find a designer. Or you can get a job posted by other designers who are looking to lower their workload.
LinkedIn is also a great place to connect with other small businesses, which may require your services in the future.
2. PRINT what people want DEMAND
Print on Demand (POD) is a process where a designer teams up with a supplier to print their designs on white-label products like T-shirts, mugs, or blankets, whenever someone buys them online.
There are tons of online websites available now where you can put design.
This is why super important you know which are the best print on demand websites.
The 6 Best Print on Demand Companies for 2021
01. Printful Ranking: 10/10
02. Printify Ranking: 10/10
03. Redbubble Ranking: 8/10
04. Society6 Ranking: 6/10
05. SunFrog Ranking: 8/10
06. Zazzle Ranking: 7/10
3. Provides ONLINE COURSES.
Online learning is at an all-time high; if you’ve studied graphic design or feel that you know enough about it,
then sell access to online courses, workshops, training, or webinars where you introduce others to the topic who may not know a whole lot about it.
The 10 best platforms to create and sell online courses 2021
1. Udemy for launching your first course.
2. Skillshare for teaching creative skills.
3. Teachable for creating an online school with advanced marketing.
4. Podia for selling digital products and memberships.
5. Thinkific for building a course from scratch.
6. Kajabi for marketing a course on autopilot.
7.LearnWorlds for creating an online school.
8. Mighty Networks for building a paid community.
9. Pathwright for building action-oriented courses.
10. Xperiencify for gamifying your online course.
4.Create your own fonts and sell online
Have you designed a typeface in your spare time? Bring your creations to market with these tips from leading font foundries and retailers.
The 5 best platforms to create and sell mockups 2021
2.FontShop
3.Linotype
4.Monotype
5.P22
You can sell your font for one time and earn multiple royalties.
5. Create and sell mockup images.
Mockups are realistic. It is a perfect opportunity for you to see how all your design decisions play together.
What if the colour scheme does not work with your shapes? Mockup is the way you can have a look at the final product even before the development starts.
Many designers can’t create mockups or lack the skills, so they prefer to buy online mockups to present the work.
The 6 best platforms to create and sell mockups online in 2021
1.ENVATO MARKET
2.FREEPIK
3.Shutterstock
4.Creative Market
5.Istockphoto
6. Pixabay
6. Create and sell TEMPLATE online.
Creating new web designs from scratch can be lucrative, but it’s also time-consuming.
Many sites are willing to sell your templates for you, and some are better than others.
Different sites offer designers a more significant cut of the proceeds or have more traffic to guarantee higher sales.
The 8 best platforms to create and sell Templates 2021
1.ThemeForest
2.Templamatic
3.BuyStockDesign
4.FlashDen
5.SitePoint
6.TalkFreelance
7.Webmaster
8.Your own website
7. Affiliate marketing as a designer.
All you need to do is create an account on these websites, get your affiliate link, and promote their products.
The creative cloud market is widely famous for its wide range of software products. If you’re working on the editing, you need software from Adobe.
So, now what? Where is the way for me to earn a commission from Adobe?
Adobe creative cloud gives you 85% of the purchase amount, every time someone purchases,
There are tons of websites offering an Affiliate program.
Here is the list of referral Affiliate you can participate in making money as a graphic designer.
The 10 best platforms to use Affiliate program 2021 as a designer
1. Adobe Creative Cloud & Document Cloud
2. Snappa
4. Penji
5. Designmodo
6. Designhill
7. WIX
8. Envato
9. Mighty Deals
10. Elegant Themes
If you are a web designer, you can even refer your client to buy a website or domain from your Affiliate link, which will bring you huge money.
If you are a web designer, you can even refer your client to buy a website or domain from your Affiliate link, which will bring you huge money.
8.Be A Design Consultant
A design consultant works in the fields of interior, fashion, and graphic design.
Their primary job is to design interior spaces, build prototypes, digital media, and fashion pieces.
That said, this role requires a high level of experience and expertise within a design consultant’s industry.
Design consultants may work as full-time employees of a company or work for a business consultancy firm.
Either way, their average salary ranges from $35,000 to $120,000 per year, depending on their level of experience and expertise.
Conclusion
Start your graphic design career. If you’re a creative individual, maybe graphic design is something you can get into.
As I mentioned, look at platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork and start making money online today.
Keep the conversation going.
Comment below on which of the options you are going to take. Let us know if you have any questions.
keep the conversation going
Hi, i’m Akash shaw creator of Adsvast agency , Hello, I am a perfectionist with deep love for aesthetics,
a graphics designer with expertise in logo design and branding.
My only goal with Notamartwork is try to help others to freelancers to get jobs and learn how to do freelancing.