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Elan Creative Co.

whimsical graphic design

11 Passive income streams for designers

January 11, 2017

Passive income streams for designers and creative bloggers - featured image

There are two ways to monetize your creative blog or to create a passive income stream if you are a designer: by using ads on your blog or by creating e-courses.

This is a very common misconception in the creative blogging and design world. Ads and affiliate links are not what they used to be and you usually need a large audience to earn a living.

I’ve also noticed that when a lot of entrepreneurs talk about digital products and passive income, they only talk about info products (ebooks, e-courses).  Courses are a great passive income stream and you can build a business around them. But they are not as passive as some people think. They take a lot of time to create and a lot of time to promote. You have to be ready to go above and beyond to sell your courses.

If courses and affiliates are not for you, here are 11 other passive income streams for designers and creative bloggers:

1. Clip-art and illustrations

If you love to draw, no matter if you are a digital artist or like to use watercolors, you can turn your artwork into vectors or individual PNG files.

You can make clip-art packs that others use for scrapbooking, card making, or even print as stickers.

2. Patterns

Patterns make the world pretty. You can use them on anything from your website to stationery to wrapping paper and even print them on fabrics and wallpapers.

And the good thing is that it’s easy to use your vector illustrations and turn them into patterns.

3. Premade logos and logo kits

If you are a graphic designer and make custom logos for your clients, you can also make premade logos for those that want a designer logo but can’t afford a custom one.

You can also create logo and branding kits starting from your illustrations and premade logos. People love to make their own logos, so create a branding pack that has vector illustrations, color schemes, free fonts, and patterns.

4. Cards & posters

Another great way to recycle your artwork and create a passive income stream is by using your illustrations to create cards and posters. You can sell physical art in your Etsy shop or create digital poster packs and sell them on Creative Market.

If you are a creative person but don’t have the skills to make your own illustrations, you can purchase commercial license vectors and use them to make your own greeting cards.

5. Fonts

People are always looking for new fonts. They are the best selling items on websites that sell design goods and font bundles sell like crazy.

Fonts, especially script fonts, take a long time to create. But if you are a lettering artist, you should definitely sell your fonts in a design marketplace or upload them to a font library.

6. Stock photos

I know many bloggers and designers that take amazing photos, especially the styled destock photos that are popular right now on blogs and Instagram. There are also many bloggers that share those photos as a freebie. If your photos are popular you should think about selling photo bundles on sites like Creative Market or on your own website.

If you are a professional photographer, I’m sure you have a lot of photos sitting on your hard drive. You can also sell them on stock photo websites or on your own site.

7. Mockup kits

If you are a photographer and a Photoshop expert, you can create mockup kits for bloggers and designers. Scene creators and product mockups are very popular on design marketplaces because many people need them and they don’t have the time or skills to make their own.

8. Printable planners & worksheets

Printable planners, worksheets, and calendars are very popular and can be used as freebies to attract more subscribers or as a passive income stream.

You can even design and sell your own physical blog planners that will help your customers grow their blogs.

9. Image templates

Blog post and social media image templates are great for helping bloggers and business owners create beautiful images that will help them increase their followers. You can use Photoshop or Illustrator to create them.

Image templates help speed up your workflow and keep a consistent style.

10. Website templates / WordPress themes

If you are a developer, you can create templates for WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace, or even HTML/CSS templates. You can create themes that have a lot of options or themes that are suited for certain niches.

This is not as passive as other income sources because you will have to keep your templates up to date. You’ll also have to help your customers set up their sites and help them fix errors. But this is a great way to make money and it might become your main source of income.

11. Plugins

If you are a coding wizard, you can also create premium WordPress plugins. As the blogging world changes, we are always looking for new plugins or plugins that are better than the existing ones. This is another income source that’s not very passive because you will have to keep up with WordPress updates and spend time on customer services.

How do you generate passive income for your business? Do you know other passive income streams for designers and bloggers that are effective?

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About Cristina Silvia

Hey there! I’m Cristina, and I’m a self-taught graphic designer and illustrator. With an everlasting love of all creative endeavors, I found joy in sharing with others what I’ve learned over the years and helping bloggers and entrepreneurs bring their dreams to life through beautiful designs.

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Comments

  1. kristin mccarthy says

    January 14, 2017 at 4:38 pm

    I am learning that unfortunately passive income is not my thing. These are some new ways I have never even thought of.

    • Cristina Silvia says

      January 15, 2017 at 1:43 pm

      Maybe you haven’t found the best passive income source for you. I can’t see myself creating e-courses, even though they work so well for other bloggers.

  2. Dara says

    January 14, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    Hmm…I am going to look into some of these 🙂 Thanks for the tips.

    • Cristina Silvia says

      January 15, 2017 at 1:24 pm

      You’re welcome, Dara! Hope you find something that suits you.

  3. Lisa V in BC says

    May 13, 2017 at 6:19 am

    You’ve included a few suggestions that have been running through my mind – it’s good to get confirmation that they are valid ideas!! Thanks for a great article!

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