Top 27 Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Creative Design Minds

Design professionals can explore a multitude of lucrative career avenues.

This guide compiles an extensive list of entrepreneurial ventures to pave the way for your career journey.

It delves into market scope, income potential, start-up expenses, target clientele, and the distinct advantages presented by each idea. Additionally, it offers insights on how to kick-start these ventures, requisite training, certifications, and examples of thriving entities in each domain for inspiration. Here’s what’s instore.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

1. Designer’s Digital Course Hub

The ever-increasing demand for digital design expertise is remarkable, with an anticipated growth rate of 23% up until 2031. Moreover, the online course sector is projected to burgeon to $198 billion by 2030.

Furthermore, a significant 87% of managers emphasize the hiring of UX designers for their teams.

• Income scope: Annual earnings vary from $19,500 to $135,000, with an average of $69,900.
• Digital marketplaces of note: Platforms like Udemy and Skillshare lead the online course landscape.
• Approximate start-up costs: Expect to invest anywhere between $8,000 and $36,000 initially.

Identifying Your Audience and Value Proposition

Forge ahead by creating and monetizing online courses rooted in your design mastery. Consider five distinct course types:

1. Animation Design Courses

Animation courses can range from $85 to $600, offering quick ROI for students with the high earning potential of animators.

2. Product Design Instructionals

Courses in product design vary from $85 to over $4,000, catering to an actively hiring market.

3. Graphic Design Tutorials

Courses for aspiring graphics designers can be priced at $85 to $15,000, depending on their depth and complexity.

4. UI/UX Design Courses

UI/UX online courses typically fetch $85 to $2,500 per enrolment, providing students with high-income skills.

5. Fashion Design Classroom

Fashion design courses can be priced from $40 to $4,000, leading students into a high-earning fashion niche.

Launching Your Enterprise

To get your online design course platform off the ground, embark on the following path:

1. Isolate a simplistic yet needed course idea
2. Course blueprinting
3. Development of an inaugural module
4. Build a landing page and engage in marketplace communities
5. Crafting a gratitude page for enrollees
6. Creation of targeted marketing emails
7. Officially unveil your course offerings

It’s not uncommon to be stuck in the concept phase; instead, opt for a straightforward course based on your expertise and promptly launch.

Essential Training, Certifications, or Licensing

Different course marketplaces have unique education stipulations; review the publisher requirements of the choicest platform for your course.

However, design courses generally do not necessitate formal certifications to begin.

Exemplary Companies in the Domain

A glimpse into entities excelling in offering design courses:

Renowned courses by Louay Zambarakji and the Motion Design School.

2. Graphic Design Services for Physical Stores

Graphic design for brick-and-mortar establishments is a promising entry point for designers. These establishments leverage graphic design for varied marketing materials to connect with their audience.

An ever-growing requirement for designers propels the constant expansion of the global graphic design market, currently valued at approximately $43.4 billion.

• Income scope: Ranging from $35,000 to $66,000 per annum with an average $47,921.
• Prominent marketplaces: Platforms like Fiverr and Freelancer.com are notable for their graphic design opportunities.
• Estimated initial costs: Commencing costs range from $2,000 to $10,000.

Target Audience and Value

Provide graphic design services for numerous small businesses, such as:

1. Ice Cream Parlors

Predominant Fiverr designers charge approximately $25 to $260 for projects concerning packaging designs and logos.

2. Landscaping Services

Landscaping businesses often seek graphic designers for custom 3D landscape designs for client properties, with charges approximating $180 per project.

3. Catering Ventures

Logo designs for catering businesses on Fiverr range from $5 to $450, making it a lucrative niche.

4. Mobile Food Services

Food truck and trailer wraps designed by professionals earn between $25 to $100 per project.

5. Pet-Centric Businesses

The significant ownership of pets in the U.S. presents a fruitful business opportunity. Logos and marketing materials for pet related services often see rates between $5 and $100.

Embarking on Your Venture

To initiate your graphic design business, undertake the following:

1. Offer pro-bono designs to build your portfolio
2. Devise a name for your venture
3. Establish a foundational website
4. Create social media profiles
5. Engage in prominent graphic design marketplaces
6. Nurture your email list and run advertising campaigns

Training, Certifications, or Licenses Necessitated?

To commence a graphic design business, specific certifications and licenses aren’t mandatory. However, acquiring credentials such as Adobe Certified Associate can enhance your market credibility.

Business Pioneers in the Arena

Businesses making waves in the niche:

Landor & Fitch and Polar stand out distinctly in this sector.

3. Graphic and Animation Coaching Business

If you are well-versed in designs and have a passion for mentoring, establishing a graphic design and animation coaching business might be a rewarding venture.

The professional field for special effects artists and animators is predicted to expand by 5% from 2021 to 2031.

• Revenue potential: Coaches can expect an average compensation of $79,153 annually.
• Prominent digital platforms: Online educational platforms like Udemy and Coursera are teeming with opportunity.
• Probable initial costs: The cost can be negligible if you plan to mentor from home or can go up to $15,000 if choosing an office setting.

Target Audience and Value

Here’s what you may provide as an animation coach:

1. One-on-One Training and Counseling

Personal coaching in graphics and animation is a sought-after service. You can sell your expertise on your platform for a rate starting at $650 for a three-month session.

2. Team Coaching for Design Companies

Corporates often hunt for training services to upskill their in-house design teams. A figure like Austin Saylor, for instance, boasts earning up to $10,000 from his training programs.

3. Online Course Creation

If direct coaching is beyond reach, resort to digital courses as an alternative. Animation courses could fetch around $20 to $139, signifying a healthy market.

Launching You

To embark on your graphic design and animation coaching enterprise, proceed as follows:

1. Acquire professional know-how
2. Formulate a business plan
3. Cultivate your coaching courses and certification standards
4. Settle on fees
5. Plan your finances
6. Conceive a brand identity
7. Forge a robust online presence
8. Engage in marketing strategies

Are Training, Certifications, or Licenses Mandatory?

Transferable skills are enough to operate a coaching business in this sphere without special certifications. However, obtaining recognized training can empower you with the confidence to teach.

Options to look into include:

• Parsons Motion Design and Animation Certificate
• Montgomery College Digital Animation Certificate
• The University of Tokyo Interactive Computer Graphics

Leading Entities in this Space

Established businesses in the design coaching realm:

Austin Saylor and Iveta Karpathyova Studio are key players, among others like Falcon Visuals.

4. Crafters of WordPress Themes

Specializing in creating WordPress themes and website templates is a promising niche due to WordPress’s controlling interest of about 65% of the CMS market share, powering 43% of all websites.

• Earnings capacity: Ranges from $12 to $12,000 per theme or template.
• Principal marketplaces: Marketplace giants like Envato set the global standard.
• Approximate initial expenditure: Procuring premium builders can cost approximately $99 to $200.

Target Audience and Value Proposition

In this specialized sector, you could explore:

1. Development of WordPress Themes

Top WordPress themes on platforms like Themeforest range from $39 to $69, though pristine models ascend to $6,000 to $12,000 in price.

2. Crafting of Site Templates

Best-selling site templates are available between $12 to $49, with luxury versions escalating from $200 to $1,000.

3. Origination of Landing Page Templates

Landing page templates embody a lucrative niche due to their high demand for lead generation, pricing at $12 to $118.

Your Launchpad Sequence

To introduce your WordPress theme business to the market, consider:

1. Identifying a profitable niche
2. Building a business plan
3. Developing and testing your themes or templates
4. Enlisting on marketplaces
5. Complementing with a promotional strategy

Prerequisite Training, Certifications, or Formalities

These aren’t typically necessary for successful theme creation. Familiarity with some builders even eliminates the need for coding knowledge.

Businesses Shaping the Industry