How Redbubble Helps Graphic Designers Create a Personal Brand
Published on November 8, 2021 at 9:56 p.m.
by Amelia McGowan.
Graphic design is a field that has grown tremendously popular over the last several years. With the rise of digital marketing and advertising among all types of companies, graphic designers and their skills have become essential components to any marketing team. In 2020 alone, there were 400,258 businesses working within the graphic design industry, and freelance designers accounted for almost 90% of the total industry’s participation.
Due to the competitive and seemingly oversaturated nature of the graphic design industry, it can be difficult to gain experience as a young professional and stand out from the crowd. Creating a personal brand as a designer can help both students and professionals grow in their skills and hone their craft.
One way for designers to develop a personal brand is through creative websites that give them the freedom to try out new styles and media. Students can promote their designs in portfolios for future job interviews, and professionals can use the website as a creative outlet or conversation starter for future clients. One of these websites is called Redbubble.
Redbubble has emerged as an online tool that helps graphic designers and other artists hone their personal brands. Users also gain real-world experience and get paid to do it. Founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 2006, Redbubble has become a popular online marketplace for artists to showcase their work on products ranging from home décor to stickers. According to Gabby Horne, an advertising and graphic design student at The University of Alabama, Redbubble has been incredibly helpful in gaining real-world experience while also maintaining a side income.
Horne has been designing and uploading her work onto Redbubble since 2017, when her mom asked her to design stickers for her and her friends. “I made a bunch of designs, and people started buying them, so I thought, ‘Oh, OK, you can actually make a little side income,’” she explained.
Horne revealed one of the perks of working with Redbubble versus other websites is that the artist is only responsible for the design; Redbubble takes care of production and shipping, so any royalties that the artist receives are considered profit. “Since I’m not responsible for producing anything, I make about 22 cents on every sticker, and I’ve sold around 500 designs since I started,” Horne said.
Horne continues to utilize Redbubble as a college student to gain experience and try new things within her craft. “If I’m feeling bored, I can design something, post it on Redbubble, and see what happens,” she said. “It’s a nice thing to do on the side to train yourself to be a little better over time.”
Redbubble is also used as a tool for current graphic design professionals. Kelsey Haver, owner of Kelsey Haver Designs, reached 20,000 sales on Redbubble in 2020. A graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Haver now works as a designer on the marketing department’s creative team for Thirty-One Gifts. She discovered Redbubble as a college student and has been using the website as a source of “passive income” for years.
Since graduating and joining the workforce, Haver has continued to use Redbubble as a “creative outlet” to promote her own designs and personal brand. “It’s easy to put yourself out there, and once you put in the work of making and uploading the design, you don’t have to do anything,” Haver said. “The design keeps selling for itself.”
Redbubble has evolved into an outlet for graphic design students and professionals alike to hone their craft and make money at the same time. Through the promotion of their personal brands on the website, artists have the freedom to create and expand their horizons in new ways.
