15. What sparks light up your business?

Sep 04, 2020

EPISODE 15: I have spent over twenty years in design education and seen irreversible changes to the industry as a whole. These changes are due mainly to the introduction of the desktop computer and the Internet. The Internet has allowed for the outsourcing of design services, in most cases to developing countries. The resulting tide of templates, free fonts and cheap solutions undermine the quality of professional design services. But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

The Internet may have facilitated the devaluing of design and photography but it is also the saviour of the creative entrepreneur. The ease with which designers can service clients anywhere, and payment gateways which allow us to sell anything to anyone, has never been as convenient as it is today.

The way forward for the creative industries as a whole is for us to express creativity through our unique point of view. Finding ways of demonstrating innovation, authority, vision and strategy has always value-added creative practice. You may have rockstar layout skills, great taste, software proficiency, and client service to die for, but these will no longer sustain a business model. Without the addition of a unique viewpoint, the role of the creative will devalue to the point where they can easily be replaced.

In today’s podcast episode, you will discover:

16 ways to make money from your creativity online
Why you should plan to use the Internet to expand your business
How to choose between offering products or services
Why your business focus should be on expressing your unique point of view
How you can light up your business online
Strategies for discovering your creative spark
How to get clear on ways to monetise your creativity in the future
The importance of getting clear on your niche.

Resources from this episode

Custom logo design

Claire Coullon
Sergey Shapiro

Illustrative design

Marian Bantjes
Kelli Anderson

Tactile and handmade design

Yulia Brodskaya
Stefan Sagmeister

Write books

Ellen Lupton
Steven Heller

Self-hosted courses

Paul Jarvis how to freelance
Caroline Kelso learn hand lettering

Skillshare

Mary-Kate McDevitt
Jon Contino

Curate resources

Fabio Sasso started his blog Abduzeedo

Write about what you know

David Airey

Publish magazines

Janine Vangool UPPERCASE magazine

Software and Apps

Scott Belsky's Behance

Sell products

Simone Legno Tokidoki

Run conferences

Semi-Permanent

Sell templates

Graphic River
Creative Market

Behave like an artist

David Carson

Crowdsource

Jake Nickell and Jacob DeHart Threadless

Crowd-fund

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