Graphic Design is one of the most popular home-based businesses you can think of starting without spending an arm and a leg.
All it will need is a bit of effort to sharpen up your skills and you are ready to make use of the many online opportunities.
In this article, I will answer some of the questions you might have regarding Graphic Design in order for you to see if it is something you will be interested in.
- What does a work from home Graphic Designer do?
- Become a Graphic Designer
- What qualifications do you need to be a Graphic designer?
- What skills do you need to become a Graphic designer?
- Who will need Graphic Design services?
- How does a graphic designer make money?
- How much does a Graphic Designer earn?
- The difficulty level of starting a Graphic Design business from home
- Is Graphic Design competitive?
- Must-read books on Graphic Design
- Software Resources you can start with for free
- Graphic design – Conclusion
What does a work-from-home Graphic Designer do?
As a work-from-home Graphic Designer you do exactly what other Graphic Designers do except you do it remotely and as part of your own online business.
A Graphic Designer is someone who creates images by hand or digitally with the objective of turning them into a visual experience that will attract consumers. A successful Graphic designer can make these visuals inspire potential buyers into buying a product.
Graphic Designers work hand in hand with clients in developing a visual experience for their product designs, marketing campaigns, and online presence.
Become a Graphic Designer
Most work from home Graphic Designers will have some kind of artistic ability in them that will motivate them into the world of Graphic Design. Luckily with technology, you do not need to have that kind of ability but will rather depend on your creativity.
There are plenty of Graphic Design Software packages on the market that can make the least artistic person look good. All you have to do is to select one that matches your needs and then teach yourself how to use it like an expert.
If you are not going to use freelancers then it is best that you learn as much as you can about Graphic Designing. Even when using freelancers for your work from home Graphic Design business you will still need to have some sort of knowledge in order to give clear work instructions.
If you want to develop specialist skills I would advise that you learn graphic design from the experts online. There are plenty of free and paid courses online that will help you develop graphic design skills quickly.
What qualifications do you need to be a Graphic designer?
If you are going to work for a big corporate company you will probably need some sort of certification in Graphic Design or else a Bachelor’s Degree. That is the beauty of working for yourself from home as a Graphic Designer.
All you need is passion, drive, and a creative spirit. Everything else happens over time and can be self-taught. The main ingredient of a good Graphic Designer is good communication with their clients.
There are plenty of online Graphic Design courses that will teach you what you need to know. My advice is to wait until you know which graphic design skills you need then go learn them.
To become a work-from-home Graphic Designer you will only need to develop a few necessary skills and the rest will be up to experience.
It will not be long for you to find your corner of the market and you can start earning an income. It does not happen overnight especially if you are a beginner in Graphic Design.
What skills do you need to become a Graphic Designer?
When it comes to Graphic Design and running your own business from home then you will need to separate skillsets. One is a skillset based on creativity while the other requires some good business skills.
You can build your skill sets on both fronts as you start and develop your own online business. With the gaining of experience, you will pick up valuable skills that you can apply to any online business idea you might aim for now.
To develop your skills quickly as a work-from-home Graphic Designer by finding good relevant tutorials on Google Search Engine. If you want to do some paid courses I would certainly recommend Udemy or even Fiverr.
Hard skills required to become a successful Graphic Designer
- Design
- Editing
- Financial
- Software
- Social Media Marketing
- Marketing Research
Soft skills required to become a high earning Graphic Designer
- Effective Communication
- Resourcefulness
- Problem Solving
- Business Etiquette
- Time Management
- Emotional Intelligence
- Innovation and Creativity
- Motivation and Initiative
- Confidence
- Integrity
Who will need Graphic Design services?
Graphic Design services are in great demand in the private sector and online. Starting your own Graphic Design service from home will open up a new world of opportunities for you and will make working from home a viable business in the long term.
The most popular areas to source business from for a work from home Graphic Designer are:
- Web Design – All web pages need some sort of graphic to grab the attention of visitors
- Advertising – Advertisers will always need graphics to promote their products or services
- Social Media – To be noticed on social media platforms graphics will always play a major role
- Entertainment – Posters and venue advertising require a lot of attractive visuals
- Bloggers – There is always a strong need for banners and logos
- Health and Food – The visual need to make a healthy lifestyle look attractive
- eBooks – Every book needs a good cover to sell
Basically anywhere you see a picture or graphic design becomes an opportunity for business. If you can identify a niche to focus on as a beginner the rest will follow as you grow your business online.
How does a Graphic Designer make money?
By offering their skills as a freelancer to anyone who needs to get a visual presence on or offline.
Often these freelance services revolve around a full-blown Graphic Design, Marketing, or Publishing agency. It all depends on how far you want to take it and how much effort goes into your venture.
Graphic Designers working from home can also make money from:
- Making online courses about Graphic Design or other aspects of the business
- Affiliate Marketing for the tools, consumables, and software they use
- Starting their own brand of consumables
- Setting up a blog then monetize with Adsense
- Creating online digital content for other creators
How much does a Graphic Designer earn?
How much a Graphic Designer can earn is only limited to the vision you have for your home-based business. Some designers working from home prefer to just make an income with which they can have a comfortable lifestyle without the pressures of corporate.
In this case, the preferred method is freelancing and anything between $2500 and $8000 a month will be good enough for them.
Others who don’t mind building a bigger business from home will put in a huge effort to at least make more than they would’ve if employed by a corporate which can be as high as $60000 to $100000 a year.
Once again there are many factors that will influence what income you can generate from working at home.
For the inexperienced beginner with no graphic design experience, it will take longer to start seeing a regular income so it is good to start right now and build your skills and business.
A Graphic Designer’s salary will usually depend on the industry they are targeting and the ability of their clients to pay top prices for top design work.
The difficulty level of starting a Graphic Design business from home
3/10
Graphic Design services are one of the easiest online business ideas to start from home because of the accessibility to work online and the ability to market yourself on various platforms.
The most difficult challenge is to build your skill set up to a level where you can accomplish the more difficult tasks with comfort and confidence.
The more complicated the task the higher your hourly rate will become and over a period of time you should be able to build up a sustainable income.
As a work-from-home Graphic Designer, you have one thing in your favor and that is to have multiple clients that can boost your income.
Is Graphic Design competitive?
In graphic design, the competition is very high but it is still the best market to enter for beginners. Being competitive in this market as a beginner you have to find a micro niche that you can target and build up an impressive portfolio.
Potential clients respond to perception and if you can show you are competent they will pick up on it.
Do not try and compete at a level that is saturated with very experienced Graphic Designers unless you have the experience. Aiming at the wrong target and failing can give you a bad reputation which will kill your dreams as a Graphic Designer. High-level Graphic
Designers will target different clients. As a beginner, it is your job to feed off the scraps and make a good living as there are plenty.
Must-read books on Graphic Design
Software resources you can start with for free
When you start as a total beginner with no resources and no cash it will be necessary to find the correct software to make it happen. I have tested many free software packages but settled on the three that suit the needs for the needs I’ve chosen which is Print on Demand.
My decision was based on user-friendliness, ease of learning and producing quality results.
- Gimp – Photoshop clone but have a lot of powerful stuff that can be used for creating stunning designs or editing your photos for online use
- Inkscape – Vector design software I use the most because it is both simple to use and easy to learn. Creates the perfect files for POD.
- Canva – Online graphics software that has a free version which is good for beginners. I use it to create promotional materials only. It is quick and easy so I don’t waste time that can be better spent on content creation.
As with any other business, your needs will increase as your business grows. Only then you might consider spending some of the money you’ve earned. This can be spent on paid resources such as:
- Paid software such as Photoshop or the paid version of Canva
- Getting assistance from freelancers on Fiverr
- Fonts and other creatives to help with your designs
Graphic Design – Conclusion
Becoming a graphic designer working from home is an easy start-up for beginners. that is if you can learn some minor skillsets quickly.
The demand for graphic designers is huge because of all the online content generated. This leaves a gap in the market for any beginner wishing to start small and grow a business.
Starting with the small dollars can quickly be built into an online income stream of note. The secret is in the micro-niche market where demand is high but competition is low.