Passive Income for Designers

Learning to cast a wide net.

It feels like I’ve been hearing a lot more about passive income since the pandemic. I’d say it’s understandable considering how much things have changed and how expensive things have become. I personally started selling digital design resources in 2018. The idea of selling something online was exciting to me. I could work the job I had at the time and make money online?! It felt rewarding to know others found value in something I had made. To be honest the first year was rough but that’s a story for another day.

I want to take this newsletter to quickly discuss how making and selling digital design assets could be a positive for any designer who might need extra income, a change of pace, or a new creative outlet.

Online Marketplaces

This was my first splash into passive income. I first started out by joining Creative Market which was the main online marketplace I was aware of at the time. By the end of the year I was lucky if I made $20. Still, I was happy to be there learning to create and sell what I was working on. Today I have over 2k sales and counting. For any designer starting out with passive income I would recommend the following marketplaces as a starting point.

• Creative Market

• You Work For Them

• Yellow Images

• Design Cuts

• Behance

Print on Demand

This is a popular but saturated option. While I don't know of anyone personally who has succeeded in this area, I've read of online success stories. The good thing is if you are sitting on many unused designs you can easily upload them to these sites. 

• Red Bubble

• Society6

• Threadless

• Printful 

• Amazon Merch on Demand

Ebooks and Newsletters

If you're a designer with a lot of time and experience in a specific area of design perhaps you can share advice and knowledge through ebooks, courses or newsletters. Today there are many people from all types of industries taking this approach and it is one that can be profitable while also helping the creative community.

Places just like this platform make it easy to share your knowledge to anyone who is willing to listen. Over time, these readers can turn into those who are willing to pay for your valuable insight. You can sell eBooks through Payhip or Gumroad for example. 

Licensing

This option stems from creating and selling digital products. From time to time, if you have products for sale online anywhere, companies may contact you directly inquiring about licensing. I've had that happen to me numerous times bringing in a significantly higher income from the normal rate my products sell for. Not to mention it's pretty cool to receive a physical copy of the item your asset was licensed for. 

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“If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” -Warren Buffett

I can’t say I’m quitting my day job because of passive income. Like many of you I am still chipping away as a full time designer from 9-5. What I can say is the extra income does help. Not to mention the additional opportunities it has afforded me. It’s worth taking the time to create something that will earn money for you while you’re sleeping. Plant the seed today and bear the fruits in the long run.

Thanks for reading.