Hey there! Today I’m excited to introduce my first guest post, written by Taylor Jennings. If you’d like to write a guest post please get in touch to discuss your ideas.
Working as a designer for a company has its own perks – you get to maintain a secured position while getting the competitive salary mandated by the industry. But, at times, the huge pay check isn’t enough for a striving designer. Luckily, various passive income opportunities are available to designers, from selling designed goods to creating your own website content.
Here are some passive income opportunities you can try:
Any links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means if you buy through them I might get a small commission (that will probably be spent on pretty fonts). This is at no extra cost to you and I only share products and services that I use and love.
1. Design and sell WordPress themes
As a graphic designer, you can create WordPress themes and sell them to budding bloggers. Today, most bloggers are after the unique premium WordPress themes, since free templates are commonly used. You can offer each template for £29.86 ($50). A good place to advertise these themes is at MojoThemes, a website dedicated to theme sellers.
2. Try website hosting
If a client trusted you on designing their website, consider hosting it as well. Reseller hosting is also an option. This Web Host offers reseller hosting packages at an affordable price, which you can sell to your web clients. If you have over 40 clients, and each of them pays at least £10 ($16.75) a month, that’s an extra £40,000 on your annual income.
3. Squeeze in some writing
You can start your own blog and share some tips or simple tutorials. You can also resort to guest posting. Many design websites are willing to pay for top-notch articles, so you have to be wise about the topics you want to share.
4. Author an ebook
Aside from guest posting, publishing an ebook allows you to hit two birds with one stone: you can generate more income, while establishing your credibility online.
5. Create personalised apparel
Whether you’re a web or a logo designer, extract your creative juices and design personalised apparel such as jackets, T-shirts, and caps. Former freelance designers Ugmonk found success by doing this. You can auction your designs on Design By Humans, where members vote what they like. If your design wins, you can pocket as much as £1,044.96 ($1,750).
6. Be an affiliate
In 1996, Amazon popularised the idea of becoming an affiliate, wherein you’ll sell their products and you’ll receive a commission from them. It’s a win-win situation – companies are able to increase traffic and sales while website owners make extra cash. For web designers, there’s a multitude of companies offering affiliate programs such as ThemeForest* (for themes and templates), Fonts.com (for font designs), and Vectorstock.com (for cliparts and graphics).
7. Design a web application
You can make extra cash by designing a web app. Take note that developing an app requires time and money. Before designing one, make sure you decide on its features and its purpose.
8. Sell digital files
These digital files may refer to stock images or Photoshop effects, layer styles, textures, fonts, and actions that can make the life of a designer easier. While you can directly sell these files on your website, you can go to Shutterstock or Graphic River* to market them. They have a built-in customer base which makes it more convenient for them to purchase or download your creations and for you to promote your brand.
9. Consider hosting an event
Consider hosting a party on your design studio by finding a cause and build an experience around it. This is an aspect where the Go Media Open House excels at, which regularly conducts events to give a tour to showcase their office space. Despite the free admission, the company still manages to make passive income by selling merchandise and meeting new clients.
10. Book a speaking gig
A good source of income is by educating newbies about the art of designing. While some conferences invite you free of charge, it gives you the chance to meet new clients. You get more exposure, learn more and maybe inspire others.
There are other opportunities available to generate more income. It is limited to a person’s imagination on how he or she can make ends meet.
About the Author: Aside from being a blogger, Taylor Jennings is also a graphic artist. He hones his craft using various platforms such as Adobe and Weebly. Feel free to follow him on Twitter.
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