Side Hustle Methods for Graphic Designers
Not every graphic designer is satisfied with the amount of work that he or she has. There are days when you end up with too much free time on your hands. And instead of wasting that time doing nothing, you would much rather work on something and make extra money.
If the situation sounds familiar to you as well, you should look to create a passive source of income or look for new opportunities that require your graphic design skills. Here are some suggestions that ought to help you.
Method #1 – Edit Photos
If you have people who work as professional photographers, you must have heard about some of their struggles sitting and editing pictures. It is a tedious job, and not everyone is willing to go through with it.
Looking at some ecommerce platforms best suited for selling photos, you would notice that a lot of photos were edited as well. So whether it is intended to sell online or edit photos personally, there is no avoiding it.
Being a graphic designer means that you have a lot of experience with visuals and tools that professional photographers use as well. You could take some of the workload off the shoulders of photographers and start editing photos. Even if the job is quite monotonous, it is still a good side hustle.
Method #2 – Sell Old and Unused Designs
Image source: Burst.Shopify.com
After working for a while, you should end up with multiple design pieces that have not been used. And unless you are going to sell them on specialized platforms actively, those designs will continue to be useless.
It is another quick method that will make you money. The idea itself is not sustainable as there are limits to designs that are not used. However, if it brings you money, it would be a waste not to sell them.
Method #3 – Teach Others
Nowadays, there is no need to stand in front of a live audience to teach them. Sure, that is still an option if you can find a place that would accept you as a teacher. But creating courses and selling them on Skillshare or Udemy sounds like a better option.
Creating video tutorials on YouTube could also work, though it might be too difficult to build a channel on YouTube from scratch.
The demand for online education continues to grow as people are looking to learn new skills or even make a career switch. And thanks to the internet and so many people understanding the English language, now it is easier than ever to share the experience as a graphic designer with others and make money from it.
Method #4 – Start a Blog
Image source: Burst.Shopify.com
Starting a blog is not something that comes to mind if you are a graphic designer looking to make extra money. However, you can still make money from it.
The biggest advantage going into this would be your skills to create great visuals, such as infographics. Not a lot of readers are keen on going through a dry text. On the other hand, if the information is laid in the form of appealing visuals, you stand to gain a great readership quickly.
As for the monetization, you have an option to run ads, create a crowdfunding page, add affiliate links, and even accept guest posts from other bloggers for a pay.
Method #5 – Write a Book
Publishing a book has never been easier, thanks to Amazon’s self-publishing program. You do not have to deal with annoying agencies that are a hindrance and reject most of the proposals.
The book can be about your experiences as a graphic designer and what is needed to become good at your job. Of course, that is not the only idea for a book. You can think of something else. And once you are finished with writing, make sure that you design an attractive cover and spend some time on marketing.
Method #6 – Sell Merchandise
Image source: Burst.Shopify.com
A print on demand store could be one of the best ideas as there is no ceiling to how much money you can make. An ecommerce project like this can be scaled, and it will come down to how much resources you can invest.
You start with finding the right platform to sell and pick the merchandise. Most begin with t-shirts, but there are other options, such as hoodies, mugs, calendars, phone cases, or bags.
The designs are going to be the main selling point. You need to put something interesting, unique, and attractive to make people purchase the merchandise. And being a graphic designer gives you a big advantage.
A print on demand store could also be a joint venture. Having a partner who would be in charge of marketing and other business-related matters would leave you more time to work on creating designs.
