Graphic design is skill that is constantly in high demand in this era. Almost everything we do requires the service of a graphic design. In this article we are going to look at the meaning of graphic design, some elements an principles of graphic design, how to make money online as a graphic designer .
There are a lot of definitions for graphic design. Looking at all these definitions, they all convey the same meaning.
Graphic design forms an integral part of our lives, especially when it comes to communication. When organizing an event, you would testify that verbal communication won't be sufficient when it comes to inviting people. You would realize your verbal invitation would get to some people and you may even forget to invite some people. One may say verbal communication can be done through mass media which would be more effective but one has to know that, graphic design also forms an integral part of the mass media.
From all these,we can say, Graphic design is a means of communication which makes use of visual contents. It can also be referred to as visual communication.
Graphic design is used by brands in their logos, marketing collateral, commercials, website graphics, internal documentation, and email interaction. Individuals also makes use of graphic design.
Graphic design makes use of a lot of elements and principles. One can not do without these principles elements when designing. The elements in this case form the basic parts of our design. The elements are:
1. Lines: it can be made by joining two or more dots. It forms the fundamental constituent of form and shape. It may be thick, thin, straight, curved, or have different widths.
2. Shapes:
A Shape has a defined or suggested border that makes it stand out from the surrounding area and can be two or three dimensional. A shape can exist in several locations in space and contain different elements such as a line, color, texture. Shapes also occur in two varieties: geometric and organic.
3. Color: Humans experience color when light waves strike an item and bounce back to the optic nerve in their eyes. Artists utilize color to show and clarify the subject in works of art.
4. Texture: can be said to be the feel of a surface, it may be smooth or rough.
5. Value :
it is a hue(color) or tone's lightness or blackness. Values aid in a design's contrast, depth, and three-dimensionality. It is mostly used for colors.
6. Space : is the area inside or around objects. It consists of both positive space(the space occupied by objects) and negative space (the background or empty).
Principles of design
The principles of design are the rules or guidelines used in designing. They guide you on how to use the elements of design.The following are the principles of design
1. Balance: it is the way a design's visual weight is spread. To produce various effects, it might be symmetrical which is evenly balanced or asymmetrical which is unevenly balanced.
2. Contrast: Contrast is the distinction that separates several components of a design from one another.
3. Emphasis: Certain components of a design stand out from the rest when there is emphasis on them.
4. Proportion: The size of elements in a design in relation to one another is referred to as proportion. Larger features are frequently perceived as being more significant than smaller ones.
5. Rhythm: It is utilized to highlight specific components of the composition and give a piece of art a feeling of flow and connection.
Important Tools for Graphic Designers
Making sure you have all the necessary tools is the first step in learning how to succeed as a graphic designer.
Many of these can be simply obtained online, but keep in mind that starting a graphic design firm is pricey.
A computer is the first item you'll need, which can be either a desktop or a laptop of any brand. Most experienced graphic designers will advise you to use Apple goods and to use a desktop computer rather than a laptop.
Additionally, a subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud is required. Prices vary depending on the package level you select; I advise buying access to all Adobe products because you cannot predict which one a client may require.
Consider purchasing a bundle that gives you access to Photoshop (ideal for making web images) and InDesign (better suited to print design), if you'd prefer to pay a monthly subscription.
While I spend close to $50 a month to get access to everything, students may purchase access for just $19.99.
The final graphic design item I suggest is a ruler, which may seem ridiculous, but it's always useful to have around, especially for print design. In the event that you don't have access to a printer for test prints, you may use this method to obtain a sense of how large the printed object you're designing is.
Graphic Designer Jobs You Can Get for Money
No matter what industry you're interested in, there are a ton of opportunities for graphic designers to generate money online! Consider starting to sell or create some of the goods on this list if you're wondering how to become a graphic designer.
1. Create and market templates.
For graphic artists, this is perhaps one of the most effective passive revenue streams. The only thing you have to do with this strategy is create templates, which may be for ebooks, posters, invites, or Pinterest graphics. Sell these templates online after that.
When your own template store is established and you put in the effort, you may start to make money without doing much more than advertising your goods.
2. Sell stickers
Small sticker stores are expanding as a result of TikTok's recent surge in popularity. You just need Photoshop or Canva to create text-based stickers, or an iPad to create illustrated stickers, to create stickers. Making stickers is wonderful since you can employ dropshipping, which effectively frees you from having to handle the packaging and shipping if you don't want to. You'll still end up with more money in your account even if you engage a third party vendor to handle all of your sales.
Etsy, RedBubble, and Society6 are the greatest online stores to buy and sell stickers. You may also think about using Shopify to host your own website with your own designs.
How to sell stickers online.
You may sell your stickers online in a variety of ways, including by advertising your designs on already established marketplaces. Marketplaces for the arts like Etsy and Redbubble are great for promoting your works to an existing clientele.
The two choices do differ slightly from one another, though. You are required to make your stickers at home, send them to consumers, and handle orders if you use Etsy. You will receive a storefront when you join the marketplace, where you may post your items and have buyers use search to locate them.
There is a $0.20 listing charge for each new item you add to Etsy, which renews on a regular basis. A 5% commission and a transaction charge are also added when you sell something utilizing a free Esty account. Etsy is fairly easy to set up, but there aren't many customizing choices available to make the site stand out from those of other producers. Make sure your storefront is optimized with product descriptions that are interesting and contain keywords, high-quality product images that draw viewers in, and customer-friendly checkout and shipping procedures.
Selling is a simpler with Redbubble because you don't have to produce and mail the stickers yourself. You may post your artwork for free to the shared marketplace on websites like Redbubble. Every time a consumer makes a purchase, the website prints and sends the item to the buyer on your behalf. You just need to cover the product's manufacturing expenses. Redbubble does a lot of the legwork for you when it comes to selling stickers, but you'll have very little say in how they're made or delivered. It could be challenging to distinguish out from the competitors as a result. Your profit margins may also be extremely low because Redbubble will receive a share of your sales in exchange for manufacturing the product and sending it to buyers.
4. Create and sell Fonts
If you're interested in typography, fonts are a terrific method for graphic artists to earn passive cash. Even simply using your own handwriting, you can easily create typefaces that you can sell on platforms like Creative Market, Etsy, Envato Elements, GraphicRiver, for up to $100.
Owning a website is the ideal location to sell fonts online. You won't have to contend with thousands of other merchants, unlike marketplaces.
Additionally, you are in total control of your pricing, layout, and storefront design. Additionally, because there is no intermediary to take a part of your sales, you retain all of the money you make.
You may advertise your unique typefaces for sale on additional third-party platforms and marketplaces in addition to your website.
This will enable you to connect with more potential clients and open up new sales channels, making it well worth implementing. Additionally, it can make licensing and digital fulfillment simpler.
The main drawback is that, generally speaking, sales on third-party platforms won't bring in as much money as those made on your own website. This is due to the fact that the platform typically takes a portion of your revenues. For instance, Etsy charges listing and payment costs in addition to 6.5% of the total sale. You could consider putting your typefaces up for sale in places like, Etsy, Envato Elements, GraphicRiver, Myfonts, Creative Market, and so on.
5. Produce and sell printables
It's simple to generate passive money as a graphic designer if you produce and market printables online using a service like Etsy. You could create handouts for anybody you can think of, including instructors, students, travelers, etc. The best part about printables is that they are digital products, so all you need to do is automate your procedure to deliver a PDF copy of the printable right away once a customer makes a purchase. Shipping is even taken care of for you. Customers can pay a fee to have printables turned into real products via print on demand services, or they can buy and download them to print at home.
Digital printables, such as wall art, daily planner templates, and event invites, can be sold through a variety of outlets, including social media sites like Instagram and online shops on Shopify and Etsy.
A seller's potential earnings while selling printed goods on platforms like Instagram, Etsy, and Shopify might vary. In general, people who are new to the industry and are still building up their storefront can make more than $400 each month. On the other hand, individuals who have well-established stores with a high volume of customers can generate profits of almost $4,000 each month.
Steps to creating printables to sell
While it may appear quite simple to use print on demand services to assist in the design and printing of a wide range of printable items, this is only one aspect of the process. These six stages for creating printables to sell must be followed by ecommerce business owners if they want to have a lucrative organization with long-term development.
* Choose your niche.
When creating a successful printables online company, identifying your product niche is a crucial first step. When considering what designs and product categories to provide, start by thinking about your own unique design talents and interests. Consider producing printable instructional materials like worksheets and classroom posters, for instance, if you have expertise in the education industry. Create easy recipe cards and meal planning templates whether you're a home cook, gourmet or a musician.
* Start designing.
It's time to start working on the star of the show: creating your items, now that you've settled on a product niche. Examine the several printed items you looked at on social media and online shops to determine which design motifs, typefaces, and color schemes are most popular. Once you start choosing the fundamental design elements, don't forget about your target audience. Although you might like a certain font or color scheme, your printables must be simple to read and pleasing to the eye for your audience. As a general guideline, limit your designs to no more than two or three font and color choices to prevent cluttered-looking prints.
When making printouts, be careful to avoid cluttered-looking designs when deciding which photos or graphics to use. Your printables' design will immediately reflect how well your images is done. There is a vast picture library available through stock photo tools like Shutterstock and Getty Images that you may utilize in your designs without worrying about copyright issues.
* Selecting a sales channel.
Once your printed designs are prepared, you must decide which sales channel or channels best suit your needs.
Create a website and domain for your printables brand as your first possible sales channel. In comparison to well-known ecommerce platforms and marketplaces, this alternative gives total design and functionality control but necessitates more marketing and technical know-how.
Ecommerce solutions like WooCommerce and Shopify, in contrast to personal business websites, offer a personalized domain for your company and also include pre-made website themes and technical assistance. Ecommerce platforms are perfect for merchants without website development expertise, but they may have customization possibilities that are restricted and charge monthly platform fees.
* Establish a place of business
It's time to set up your business, whether you choose to open an Etsy shop, created a Shopify website, or began from scratch. Making an account on your chosen network or platforms is the first step in starting to create your storefront. To simplify operations later, don't forget to incorporate any ecommerce plug-ins, such as your accounting and POD software. A unique and appealing store name that fits your brand and product category must also be created during the setup phase. Using a professional designer or design software like Canva or Adobe Illustrator, create a store logo that matches your shop name.
Use the same color schemes and fonts throughout the design and customizing process to maintain a unified brand.
You need to finish a few administrative procedures to complete the shop setup procedure once your graphics are prepared for launch. Determining your numerous shop procedures for product returns, swaps, and cancellations is one of them. The same goes for choosing a desired shipment method and providing general details like time frames and freight costs.
* Create a shop page for your printables.
Let's add the digital printables to your store now that you have your own printables available and a functioning ecommerce storefront. You must supply high-quality images for each of your product listings when adding printables. In order to provide potential buyers a thorough understanding of your products, it is important to offer many images for each product from different perspectives and depths.
To promote product discoverability, you must next create appealing product descriptions.
In addition to the features, measurements, and materials of the product, a good description will also include pertinent keywords like "elementary school homework planner." In order to improve your listings and make sure people can locate your items on search engines and marketplaces, keywords are essential.
The last stage in completing product listing optimization is establishing your prices once your product listings are put up. You must price your printables in accordance with the amount of work and total expenses necessary to generate the item in order to maintain your target profit margin. Competitor analysis is also beneficial for pricing since it enables you to examine how similar items are priced.
* Promote your printables company.
The last thing you want to do while finding a way to make printables sell is to cut back on your marketing efforts. Start by managing your social media accounts and start providing organic posts to attract followers in order to assist long-term company success. You can also use networks like Instagram and Pinterest to run sponsored advertisements to target potential clients who have not followed your pages. Utilizing those individuals to create a list for email marketing is vital after you have a sizable following.
This may be accomplished by directing current social media fans to a business website or a general sign-up form where willing clients can provide their email addresses
6. Become A Professional Consultant In Design
Become a design consultant if you want to work as a graphic designer and sell expensive products to generate money. By doing this, you sell a few hours of your time to someone who needs your advice and ideas on graphic design for their companies. Your hourly rate is determined, and you coach and counsel prospective designers, offering guidance and directing them in the proper path.
Where to Look for Graphic Design Jobs Online.
1. Fiverr
2. Behance
3. Designhill
4. Upwork
5. SimplyHired
6. Dribble
7. PeoplePerHour
8. Guru
9. 99Designs
10. Flexjobs
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