What are your favourite passive income streams?

Jimlad

Jimlad

Well-Known Member
From print-on-demand t-shirt sales to selling courses and brushes, digital artists and designers have many paths open to them to make money while they sleep.

Do you have any favourites?
 
I used to do this stuff years ago - it wasnt' very profitable for me. The market was saturated and a lot of the sites paid pittance.

Are you using any yourself?
 
Hey Jim. I think the only one I've dabbled with over the years is stock illustration, because I had over 20 years' worth of stuff I could potentially put out there.
You never make much but it's nice to see them making a couple of quid each week for doing nothing.

I always wanted to set up an Etsy site to sell a few prints and cards but never got round to it yet.
 
Funny, I have been meaning to do something for years and just never had the time. I think, if you do it, you have to take it seriously and run it like any other business. Then it might make money. I have some stock photos up snd they make a tiny amount. However, I know a photographer who makes a very good living at it. He is very conscientious and runs it as a business.

Think the days of putting a few POD products products up there and making a few thousand a year are long gone. I plan on devoting a fair chunk of time to getting something off the ground. We’ll see how it goes…
 
Jimlad said:
From print-on-demand t-shirt sales to selling courses and brushes, digital artists and designers have many paths open to them to make money while they sleep.

Do you have any favourites?
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I have to be honest. I have tried a few passive income streams for designers and most do not go very far at all, many designers come to the conclusion of selling their own stuff online only to realise there are many, many creatives also doing the same. I tend to find greater success with making extra income by selling physical products in shops. Some of this experience also comes from my background in design in retail.

If I were to invest more in this, I would design products that suit a target demographic, have a decent price point, and are interesting enough for the customer. If you go this far, you are in essence swapping clients for customers. It is not a small undertaking.
 
Il echo what Jimm said. Also tried the passive income stream but from a web and graphic design perspective its very oversaturated.

For me personally one of those passive income streams became so competitive and I had to be so involved in keeping up that it ended up being my first business, once the business was well established I could create passive income on some of the addons based on that business (basically website stuff) but the business needs to run for those things to remain so maybe they aren't really "passive".

In my personal opinion I think especially more towards the digital side of things it was always hard and now with AI + most clients not really caring or knowing about quality it become harder than ever before to get it right.

Not saying its impossible.

The only way I see this working well (making a decent amount of money) is again sort of what Jimm said get very very niche specific with what you do.
 
Jimm said:
I have to be honest. I have tried a few passive income streams for designers and most do not go very far at all, many designers come to the conclusion of selling their own stuff online only to realise there are many, many creatives also doing the same. I tend to find greater success with making extra income by selling physical products in shops. Some of this experience also comes from my background in design in retail.

If I were to invest more in this, I would choose options like trustadvisor. have a decent price point, and are interesting enough for the customer. If you go this far, you are in essence swapping clients for customers. It is not a small undertaking.
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You’ve hit the nail on the head — passive income for designers can feel like trying to sell sand in a desert sometimes The market is saturated with digital products, and standing out is like trying to win a shouting match in a crowded stadium. Your approach of selling physical products in shops is a refreshing pivot, and it makes total sense given your retail design background. It’s like trading the chaos of a digital marketplace for the tangible, tactile world of physical goods — where you can actually *see* your designs come to life and interact with real customers. Designing for a specific demographic with a clear price point and unique appeal is a smart move. It’s like being a chef who knows exactly what their regulars want to order — consistency and understanding your audience are key. And you’re right, swapping clients for customers is a big shift, but it’s also an exciting one. It’s like moving from freelancing to running your own boutique — more responsibility, but also more creative control and potential for growth. If you ever dive deeper into this, I’d love to hear how it goes!
 
I’ve tried earning passive income by selling stock photos and illustrations, but I didn’t get great results — the competition is very high, and preparing materials takes a lot of time. I’ve heard that some people successfully invest in funds or rent out real estate, but I haven’t tried that myself. I think to get stable passive income, you really need to understand the area you choose and put in a lot of effort at the beginning.
 
Cheers for all the quotes!

Hope it was useful. As before, and to build upon what I mentioned. Writing objectively, most designers and design types ( me ) will probably start with "I can design, what can I design or draw to make money?" Yet it could be more beneficial to ask: "What does (a) market want and need? And how can I answer?" Also, consider the supply and demand. Anything with too much supply will lower its value.

Also, the internet is great and accessible. But there are a lot of things on the internet due to them being overly accessible and easy to produce on mass. Some thoughts for Tuesday!
 
Teo Flex said:
You’ve hit the nail on the head — passive income for designers can feel like trying to sell sand in a desert sometimes The market is saturated with digital products, and standing out is like trying to win a shouting match in a crowded stadium. Your approach of selling physical products in shops is a refreshing pivot, and it makes total sense given your retail design background. It’s like trading the chaos of a digital marketplace for the tangible, tactile world of physical goods — where you can actually *see* your designs come to life and interact with real customers. Designing for a specific demographic with a clear price point and unique appeal is a smart move. It’s like being a chef who knows exactly what their regulars want to order — consistency and understanding your audience are key. And you’re right, swapping clients for customers is a big shift, but it’s also an exciting one. It’s like moving from freelancing to running your own boutique — more responsibility, but also more creative control and potential for growth. If you ever dive deeper into this, I’d love to hear how it goes! If you ever dive deeper into this, I’d love to hear how it goes! And if scaling becomes part of the plan, you might want to look into the amazon lending program — it could be a helpful way to boost production or test new inventory without too much upfront pressure.
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Oh, I understand you very much. I once tried to launch a kind of passive income with digital templates, and it felt like I was shouting into the void. The competition is fierce, everyone seems to be doing the same thing, and over time, you start to doubt: “Maybe my idea is not that interesting...” That's why your approach with physical products is a real breath of fresh air. Especially if you have experience with shop windows, packaging, and stores, it's not just “looking good,” it works with real people. And most importantly, you see how someone touches your design, picks it up, reacts. This is a completely different pleasure. And as for the change from clients to customers, I've been through it too. It's more difficult because the responsibility is entirely on you, but at the same time, you have more freedom. You don't wait for edits, you don't adapt to other people's opinions - you create your own. So don't give up We are designers - we will always get out of it!:LOL:
 
Really interesting to read through this thread. I've tried POD, stock illustrations, and digital downloads too, definitely felt like shouting into the void sometimes. Jimm’s point about thinking more like a shop owner than a designer really stuck with me. The idea of creating for a specific market instead of just putting stuff out there makes a lot of sense. Also agree that seeing your work in the real world hits differently. Some great insights here!
 
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