Got some graphic design skills you could make some money out of? There are all kinds of freelance projects you could take on to earn some extra cash. Below are just a few different freelance graphic design money-making ideas to consider.
Logos
Companies, charities and bands all need logos. Many of them hire freelancers to handle this task. If you’ve got experience using Adobe Illustrator or a similar program, designing logos could be a great way to make some extra cash. Guru is a great platform for finding clients looking for a logo. To help you win over business, consider designing a few example logos or volunteer your services to build up a portfolio.
Book covers
Every book published needs a cover. Even e-books need covers to be able to be listed on most e-book stores. Many authors and publishing companies hire freelancers to design a cover. Consider whether this could be a line of work to get into. Many graphic designers use programs like InDesign and Canva to produce book covers. The likes of Guru and Upwork are similarly great places to connect with clients.
Social media graphics
Businesses and influencers will often pay freelancers to design graphics for their social media channels. This could include basic social media page graphics like banners and profile pictures. Alternatively, it could include content including adverts, infographics and event posters. This could be another great source of freelance work to look into. You can pick up clients on sites like Upwork and Fiverr, or find work through agencies. Setting up your own social media page and using this to test out different graphic ideas could be a great way to build up a portfolio, which could help you secure this type of work.
Educational graphics
Visual content can be essential for educating students. This includes infographics, educational posters, flashcards, maps and timelines. Such educational resources are often produced by graphic designers. Consider whether this could be a form of content worth exploring. You can sell graphics for educational purposes through sites like Classful. To make sure that your graphics sell, do your research into subjects currently being taught in the curriculum and identify topics that don’t have many resources available. If you have experience teaching, you may have already identified some areas where there is a lack of educational resources.
Product labels
Another venture to consider could be product label design. This could include labels on bottles, jars, fresh produce or clothing. Labelling is typically related to packaging and you may be able to find freelance work through packaging design agencies. Alternatively, you can use the popular freelance gig sites like Upwork and Behance to find clients. Having experience with packaging and understanding labelling laws could be important when getting into this niche. You could even buy your own machinery for printing labels and start a product labelling business.
Business cards
While digital marketing may be the most effective form of marketing in 2024, some forms of traditional marketing like business cards are still very effective. There are many websites that offer DIY business card design, however some professionals still prefer to hire a freelancer in order to create something unique. This could be a great avenue to consider. Sites like Guru are great for picking up business card design work. You could even buy a card printer so that you can design and print cards to order.
Flyers
Flyers are another form of traditional print marketing that are still popular and effective. If you have experience with print marketing, designing flyers as an extra form of income. Flyers are typically designed on programs like InDesign. You can pick up work on sites like Fiverr, or even promote your service to local businesses using social media. Setting up a website and acquiring a printer (along with ink and silk paper) could allow you to launch your own full flyer/design printing service.
Restaurant menus
Most restaurants still give out physical menus to customers or have menu boards. These are typically produced by a graphic designer. Consider whether you could make some money as a menu designer. Projects like kids menus can be particularly fun as they typically require a lot of illustrations and puzzles. Use sites like Behance to connect with clients. Offering your service for free or for cheap to local restaurants could help you when building up some experience to put in your portfolio. Consider the fact that menus will need to be printed off – you can either let clients handle this, outsource a printing company to do this or set up your own printer to print off menus for clients.
Explainer videos
Explainer videos are a popular type of video content that often use animations to help explain complex subjects. If you have experience in animation, consider whether this could be a type of freelance work to get into. You can often get a lot more money per explainer video than you would for many other one-off graphic design projects. The likes of Adobe Animate are typically used to produce this content, while you can find clients through sites like Upwork.
YouTube graphics
A lot of people with YouTube channels hire graphic designers to create thumbnails, profile pictures and video intros in order to make their videos look more professional. If you have experience with digital illustration or animation/video editing, consider whether this could be a form of graphic design worth delving into.
Stock illustrations
Like stock photos, stock illustrations are in high demand. While there are many free stock illustrations out there, a lot of businesses are willing to pay for more unique stock illustrations. You can sell stock illustrations through platforms like Getty Images and Shutterstock. To help create stock illustrations that are in demand, consider images relating to niche industries where there may be a lack of available images.
Photo editing
A lot of people have photos that they would like to edit in some way to make them look better. Many of these people are willing to pay someone to edit these photos for them. If you have experience with Photoshop, charging people for photo editing services could be a great side hustle. Platforms like Guru are great for finding clients.
Stanley
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