14 Passive Income Ideas for Designers [2024]
![14 Passive Income Ideas for Designers [2024]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.starterstory.com/stories/social_shares/000/102/156/original/open-uri20230329-2-15xm2hv?1680070857)
If you are a designer, you can easily monetize your creative skills and start a passive income business that generates a steady income stream.
Passive income has become a popular buzzword in the world of finance and investment. It refers to money earned without direct involvement in day-to-day operations. A great way to generate passive income is by starting a business capitalizing on your skills and talents.
In this blog post, I will share some ideas for how Designers can make passive income. Stay tuned for tips on how to get started!
1. Print on demand business
A print on demand business is a great fit for designers as it allows them to showcase their creativity and design skills by creating custom designs for various products such as t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, and more. Once the designs are uploaded to the platform, the products are printed and shipped automatically, allowing for a truly passive income stream. Designers can also promote their designs on social media to increase sales and earnings.
A print-on-demand business involves selling customized products without upfront inventory costs.
The business model utilizes dropshipping production and fulfillment services to print custom apparel, home goods, phone cases, and other merchandise one order at a time.
By leveraging online marketplace platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy as virtual storefronts, print-on-demand sellers can focus on designing trendy and unique products while reaching global audiences.
With minimal startup costs and the freedom to run operations from home, launching a print-on-demand model empowers aspiring founders to monetize their creativity and build ascalable business at their own pace.
How much you can make: $200 — $3,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Founder Roy Kirchner shares how he started an eCommerce business specializing in 3D printing with an initial investment of $65,000, which now averages monthly gross sales of $330,000 and has partnered with international manufacturers and local businesses while offering technical support and education.
2. Start a wordpress developer business
With the rise of the internet, WordPress has become a popular platform for website creation, making it an excellent opportunity for designers to create a WordPress development business. Designers can build and customize WordPress websites for clients, set up payment gateways, and optimize the website for search engines. By charging a monthly maintenance fee, designers can earn a passive income stream from their clients.
How much you can make: $4,800 — $18,933,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
ThriveWP, a WordPress Maintenance Service based in the UK, shares how they started a $3.5k a month business providing website management, maintenance, hosting, and support services to various customers, with a focus on customer-centric service and a non-jargon approach.
3. Become a tutorial video creator
Designers can create tutorial videos on platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, or Skillshare to teach others how to create designs or use design software. By creating high-quality, informative videos, designers can attract a large audience and earn money through ad revenue, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing. Additionally, designers can create courses and sell them on platforms like Udemy or Teachable for a passive income stream.
A tutorial video is a subcategory of instructional videos that share knowledge and interact with viewers. Different forms of tutorial videos include:
- Presentation: common among college professors and teachers
- Niche videos: short 10-15 minutes tutorials covering a wide range of topics
- Training videos: teach candidates the skills they need to perform better at work
Creating tutorial videos is not a difficult task. With a proper strategy, you can make a tutorial video. Invest in a professional camera for your business and start creating a tutorial video. Then, outline the video contents you intend to create and create scripts.
How much you can make: $1,700 — $375,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $109 (?)
How long does it take to build: 18 days (?)
Better Sheets is a Google Sheets tutorial providing screencasts to small businesses, earning $2,291 from 134 sales in May, with sales being mainly driven by AppSumo.
4. Sell digital products
Designers can create and sell digital products such as stock photos, vectors, fonts, and graphics on platforms like Etsy or Creative Market. Once the products are created and uploaded to the platform, designers can earn a passive income stream from sales. Designers can also promote their products on social media to increase sales and earnings.
Digital products are top-rated. They’re easy to create and share and a great way to build a business.
Digital products can be software-based, like an app or game, or information-based, like an ebook or course. They can also be something else entirely—like a membership site or a community. The possibilities are endless!
So what makes digital products such a great way to build a business? Well, first of all, they’re effortless to create. You don’t have to hire anyone else to do it for you; you can do it yourself! And because there’s no risk of having inventory sitting around in your garage, digital products can be sold directly from your website without worrying about moving merchandise.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $1,766,666/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 58 days (?)
Contrarian Thinking is a premium membership community that teaches its 1.5 million members how to implement cash flow strategies to achieve financial freedom, with a current run rate of $3 million and a goal of $50 million ARR in five years.
5. Become a blogger
Designers can start a blog to share their expertise, reach a wider audience, and promote their work. Designers may draw readers to their blogs and generate income from advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing by producing high-quality material. In order to generate a passive revenue stream, designers can also offer their digital goods or courses on their blogs.
Are you looking for a business idea you can start from home? One great option to explore is to start your own blog.
With the flexibility of location independence, you can work on your blog from anywhere in the world!
What’s amazing about blogging is that anyone can start with just a computer and the internet! Besides, you don’t need any special talents or previous experience to start.
It’s an open field that welcomes anyone who has a passion for writing and sharing their thoughts with the world. The best part is that it can be one of the most rewarding passive income business ideas you can start.
How much you can make: $2,500 — $25,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $199 (?)
How long does it take to build: 6 days (?)
The Money Maniac is a personal finance blog started by Daniel Anderson, generating over $2,500 per month in recurring revenue through SEO, content marketing, and consultation services, with a mission to educate and help people achieve financial freedom.
6. Start a digital ebook business
An eBook on design-related topics such as typography, color theory, or branding can be a great side hustle for Designers. By selling the eBook on platforms like Amazon or Apple Books, designers can earn a passive income stream from sales. Additionally, designers can promote their eBook on social media or their blog to increase sales and earnings.
How much you can make: $100,000/month
This case study highlights how a female founder made over $26k in just one week through her digital business training company, inspiring indie entrepreneurs to turn their passions into six-figure bank deposits.
7. Start a digital marketing consulting
Designers with experience in digital marketing can offer consulting services to clients looking to improve their online presence. By providing expert advice on website design, social media marketing, or email marketing, designers can earn a passive income stream from ongoing consulting contracts.
How much you can make: $4,500 — $1,250,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,000 (?)
Pricing I/O, a pricing consultancy for B2B software companies, doubled their team size and tripled revenue in only their second year in business, helping 106 SaaS companies all during a pandemic without any marketing spend.
8. Start an affiliate marketing business
Affiliate marketing can be a great passive income opportunity for designers who have a large following or audience. By partnering with companies that offer design-related products or services, designers can earn a commission on every sale made through their unique affiliate link.
Are you looking for a side hustle to pay you a passive income? Affiliate marketing is one of those side hustles that will pay you well over the long term. It is a way to earn money online by promoting other companies' products and services. You will be paid a commission for each sale you make as an affiliate marketer.
To get started, learn how to find the right product and brand to partner with. For example, you may prefer becoming an affiliate marketer for an eCommerce store, partnering with a manufacturer, and marketing their products for a commission.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 55 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
9. Start a youtube channel
A YouTube channel can be created by designers to showcase their design skills, share tutorials, or review design products. A large audience can be attracted and money can be earned through ad revenue, sponsorships, or affiliate marketing by creating engaging and informative content.
For anyone looking to start a successful YouTube channel, there are plenty of YouTube channel success stories that can be used as inspiration and encouragement. In addition, YouTube has an established monetization system and boasts incredible popularity, making it a potential platform for revenue generation.
In this article, we'll look at different approaches you can use to help promote your channel and grow your viewers. While there's no quick and easy way to success, you can take these tips to build your own YouTube Channel Success story. If you love content creation, you can capitalize on YouTube's popularity to earn extra income.
If you want to join the Youtube partner program to monetize your channel, you will need to reach a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months.
How much you can make: $800 — $4,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 48 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Learn how this entrepreneurial couple made $5-7k a month by helping others find legitimate work from home jobs and creative ways to make money online through their blog and YouTube channel, as well as offering two flagship products designed to help beginner freelancers and new bloggers accelerate growth.
10. Start an online courses business
Designers can create and sell online courses on design-related topics such as graphic design, web design, or UI/UX design. By creating high-quality, informative courses, designers can attract a large audience and earn money through course sales or subscriptions. Additionally, designers can promote their courses on social media or their blog for increased visibility and earnings.
If you're a mechanical engineer, you can share your knowledge and make money by creating an online course.
Start by picking a specific area in mechanical engineering that you know well, like designing cars or understanding how engines work. Make your course interesting with videos, assignments, and helpful materials. Create a user-friendly website where people can access your course, and use social media and emails to tell others about it.
When people enjoy your course and find it helpful, they'll spread the word, and your business will grow. As you gain experience, you can even add more courses or explore other engineering topics to expand your online teaching business.
How much you can make: $500 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Solopreneur Justin Welsh built a knowledge business through social media with over $2M in annual revenue and no full-time employees, offering flagship digital courses with a monthly revenue of $80K and $45K respectively, through LinkedIn and Twitter growth as well as organic and affiliate marketing.
11. Start a custom app development service
Mobile apps can be created and sold by designers on platforms like the App Store or Google Play. A large audience can be attracted and a passive income stream can be earned from app purchases or in-app purchases by creating useful or entertaining apps.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $700,000/month
How long does it take to build: 80 days (?)
How a self-taught engineer built a software development studio, Materialize, into a 18-person team with a revenue of $125k per month, by leveraging his technical expertise and establishing well-defined processes to build products efficiently and cost-effectively.
12. Start a podcast
Designers can create a podcast on design-related topics such as trends, tips, and inspiration. By attracting a large audience, designers can earn money through sponsorships, ad revenue, and affiliate marketing. Additionally, designers can promote their digital products or courses on their podcast for a passive income stream.
The podcast business involves creating and producing audio content that people can listen to online.
It’s a popular form of entertainment and information-sharing.
To start a podcast business on a budget, you'll need a few key steps.
First, choose a niche or topic that you're passionate about and that has an audience.
Next, get basic recording equipment like a microphone and headphones.
Then, find a free or affordable hosting platform to publish your episodes.
Finally, promote your podcast through social media, online communities, and word of mouth to build an audience and potentially attract sponsors or advertisers.
How much you can make: $400 — $1,020,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 2 hours/week
A successful podcast production company that grew from one client making $15/hour to a team of 10 contractors producing over 30 shows per week with revenue of over $10k/mo, primarily through referrals and with a focus on providing high personal touch and being picky about working only with clients who are a good fit.
13. Start a stock photography business
A passive income stream can be earned by designers through the sale of their photographs on platforms like Shutterstock or Getty Images. Buyers who need images for their projects or websites can be attracted by taking high-quality photos of objects, people, or places. Furthermore, designers can increase sales and earnings by promoting their stock photography on their blog or social media.
Stock photography is typically sold on an exclusive basis to one buyer for a single usage fee. Stock photos are often available in different sizes, resolutions, and file formats. Businesses most commonly use stock photos for marketing purposes.
Stock photography is the supply of photographs often licensed for specific uses. Stock photos are the perfect marketing and advertising resource for website owners and bloggers.
You can build an impressive portfolio and earn a passive income by uploading high-quality stock photos.
To start a stock photography business , invest in some good photography gear and learn how to take stock photos. An excellent online presence can help you sell your stock photos faster and at profitable margins.
How much you can make: $1,200 — $45,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Pro Photo Studio founder Tsour Lee Adato shares how she turned a $5k investment into a business that services over 500 clients annually and makes approximately $350k per year with plans to expand and become a 7-figure business while offering advice to fellow entrepreneurs to always be innovating, learning and growing, and not to undervalue themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you build passive income as a designer?
Yes, designers can build passive income streams by selling digital products like stock graphics, fonts, or design templates on platforms like Creative Market or Etsy. They can also create and sell design courses, write design books or blogs, and license their designs to companies.
How to make passive income as a designer?
Designers can make passive income by creating and selling digital products like fonts, graphics, and design templates. They can also create and sell design courses, write design books or blogs, and license their designs to companies. Another option is to create and sell design merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, or stickers on platforms like Redbubble or Society6.
Is passive income for a designer truly passive?
While passive income streams for designers require upfront work, such as creating digital products or design courses, they can generate income without continuous effort or involvement. However, designers may need to update or refresh their products occasionally to keep them relevant and attractive to buyers. So, it's not entirely passive but can be a reliable income source over time.
Conclusion
Online passive income is an excellent option if you are a Designers looking for ways to make some extra money. Several options are available, and many of them can be started with little to no investment.
Do your research, find something that interests you, and get started! You may be surprised at how quickly those extra dollars start adding up. What have you got to lose?
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
