Are you interested in turning your creativity and design skills into a side hustle to earn extra income? Freelance graphic designers are in high demand. Businesses, entrepreneurs, and organisations require graphic designers, but they might not need a full-time resource or be able to afford working with a dedicated creative agency. Starting a side hustle as a graphic designer can provide an excellent opportunity to expand your portfolio, showcase your creativity and generate additional cash.
How to Start Your Graphic Design Side Hustle
1. Define Your Services and Target Audience
Determine the graphic design services you want to offer. For example, logo design, branding, website design, social media graphics or print materials. Identify your target audience based on services offered, industry and design requirements. Understanding your services and target audience will help you tailor your marketing efforts and attract clients.
2. Build and Maintain a Strong Brand Identity
Graphic designers that have a strong, consistent brand will find it easier to attract customers. Utilise social media platforms to emphasize the impression you want your clients to perceive of your graphic design skills, expertise and personality. Remember, content posted and shared on social media has an impact on your branding, from your logo to photos of your weekend.
3. Create Your Portfolio
Design a digital portfolio to demonstrate your skills and expertise. With an online portfolio you can easily display and promote your work, provide information about your services and attract potential clients. Regularly update your portfolio with new projects and testimonials to convey your industry experience and build industry credibility.
There are various options available that you can use to create your digital portfolio. Here are a few examples:
If you are looking for graphic design website templates tailored to create a portfolio website, Squarespace provide innovative options that are easy to use.
Crevado is an online portfolio website that can be used to demonstrate graphic design skills and display your work. Crevado has free templates that make building a professional portfolio quick and simple.
Shorthand provides templates with responsive text and media to exhibit your work in an engaging way. Shorthand is best for writers, designers, photographers, videographers, and animators who want to deliver a more immersive digital portfolio experience for their audience.
4. Gain Experience
Assist friends and family with small projects to develop skills and experience. Research graphic design concepts including design principles, colours and layout techniques. Use design software tools to help you get started. Explore different options and consider which tools are best for your graphic design side hustle.
Adobe Express is a graphic design app developed by Adobe and offers templates for designing almost any type of project including social posts, images, videos and print artwork. Canva is a free online graphic design tool. Canva can be used to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more. Pixlr is one of the newest tools on the market and is a free online photo editor similar to Photoshop. With a diverse range of photo editing tools, Pixlr allows you to swiftly edit and improve photos.
5. Marketing
Marketing is essential for your graphic design side hustle. Marketing helps you build brand awareness, attract potential customers and scale your business. Marketing provides the opportunity to reach your target audience, build credibility with clients and drive revenue.
Marketing Ideas for Your Graphic Design Side Hustle
Upwork is one of the best websites to find graphic design jobs. The jobs are remote, often with a flexible schedule. To get started, create an Upwork account profile and include examples of your work. Once you have created your profile, you can start searching for jobs.
Fiverr provides the opportunity for you to list your services and showcase your skills and expertise. Interested customers will view your profile and contact you if they are interested in your graphic design services. Fiverr is free to join and there is no subscription required or fees to list your services. You keep 80% of each transaction.
Design Crowd is an online creative marketplace that helps start-ups, businesses and entrepreneurs connect with a global network of designers. Design Crowd assists businesses with sourcing exceptional designers at a price that suits their budget.
Social Media Platforms provide the opportunity to showcase your brand, design expertise and share your creative personality. Utilise Instagram and LinkedIn to share your work, engage with your target audience and attract potential clients.
Side Hustle Ideas for Graphic Designers
Logo Design – this is a popular side hustle for graphic designers. When businesses are about to launch or rebrand, they will require a striking and unique logo.Businesses need talented logo designers to create distinctive identities for their company. However, most people find it difficult to develop a creative idea highlighting what their company represents, and they therefore need a skilled logo designer. You can sell your design services to businesses and create their perfect logo.
Website Design – if you are an experienced web developer or interested in learning how to code and design websites, this could be a lucrative side hustle. Opportunities include creating custom WordPress themes, assisting clients with their ecommerce requirements or providing design advice and consultation services for feedback on existing websites.
High-Resolution Stock Photography – this involves taking photos of landscapes, animals, people and objects that you upload to stock photography sites where customers can purchase them. If you enjoy taking photos and have a high-quality professional camera, this is a great way to earn additional money, whilst also building your photography portfolio. Websites to publish photos on include Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Getty Images.
Are you inspired to start a graphic design side hustle? With a graphic design side hustle, you will have creative flexibility and the potential to earn additional income whilst choosing the projects you want to complete. It is important to consider that the industry is constantly evolving and competitive and therefore requires discipline and determination to succeed. However, if you are willing to commit and work hard you can build a successful graphic design side hustle that allows you to earn money and utilise your creativity.
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