How to go from 0 to $1000 monthly income as a designer?

👋🏼 Hi, this is Aayush with another publication of the Joy Of Creation newsletter, where I piece together my way of stumbling at success in the design industry. I wish you a very Happy New Year 2024!

Today, we cover:

How to go from 0 to $1000 monthly income as a designer?

I chose presentation design as my niche because of the leverage it gives me.

It’s a modern profession that allows me to work with CEOs, travel to new places, and handle all kinds of pressure.

And it also allows me to charge the actual worth for my work.

The leverage is new-found though. It wasn’t always like this.

Design is hard. Converting the right customers is hard.

You’re giving it all, but you’re failing to see the results.

There’s probably lots of pressure on you to get more customers as well.

Recognizing this for a lot of aspiring designers, for the past few weeks I’ve been narrowing down on what helped me do better. How did I go from 0 to $1000 per month?

Take note of these, try and follow them. Turns out, these are repeatable strategies that have worked for many designers in my network.

TL;DR

1. Create “before - after” case studies. Something so obvious yet we miss it. It’s the single most trust building factor for a prospective client and it increases website conversions.

2. Each collateral has a different value or worth to it. Designing social media posts, for example, might not earn you as much as pitch presentation decks.

3. Solve an existing need before trying to create demand. Pitch to companies that already have a design requirement posted online.

4. Charge hourly and for each task. Bill the minutes you spend moodboarding, actual designing, meeting the client, handing over editable files, data management, etc.

5. Offer a solution instead of offering a service. Engage in dream selling rather than deliverable selling.

6. Present your work in online forums, and optimize your online profiles in a way that shows your authority over a certain niche. Just “designer” won’t cut it.

7. In addition to point 4, follow a value-based pricing. Your hourly charges need not be fixed. Charge more for high-value designs.

8. Build free digital products for fellow designers. Create color swatches, typography combinations, presentation templates, icon repository, and always be collecting emails.

Furthermore…

A website that doesn’t understand customers kills businesses.

Make sure your website not only understands its customers, but communicates to them in a way they remember you.

My website recognizes its customers. Our customers are brand managers seeking top design and communication services, with an emphasis on presentation design. The site takes them through why INK PPT is the right choice for them, by supporting our work with numbers, past project videos, and brand names we have worked with.

SEO takes time, but it’s still worth investing in, even in 2024. 80% of our smaller projects come from new website visitors.

However, it is important to write content that not only speaks to your customers and aligns with your SEO, but also has a standard a notch higher than those in your competition.

Study western design firms and their communication style. Duarte, Ogilvy, and Bright Carbon are my top recommendations.

Good research skills go a long way. Study how Slack, Drift, and Squarespace positioned themselves against their competitors. Then publish your study in the form of a case study blog.

Such tactical approaches to write great content is a must in a hyper competitive space.

To wrap it up

👉 Case studies are a must.

👉 Some niches are more high-paying than the others.

👉 Charge for everything. No freebies.

👉 Build digital products.

👉 Have a website worth remembering.

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Have a great day and year!