It’s time to get to know your Graphics Creator better (this is all about making you an outstanding graphics maker)!
Let’s start here. Do you know about these simple graphics-making design tools INSIDE the Graphics Creator?
Text Styles:Create a solid background to your text (jump to 3:31 when watching if you’d like) as you write… and change the color of just one word in a string of text! Perfect for helping text on an image stand out (look for “Text Styles” in the Text Menu)
Circle Text Generator:Design curved text like this– Add a text circle to your logo design or advertisement (find under “Insert” menu)
Photos & Videos: Add them right from inside the software- No need to leave your design… just drag and drop your selected image onto the canvas. These make social media creation fast and easy (click on the Photos/Videos menu and pop a keyword into the search box)!
Rule of Thirds Grid: Line up text and images perfectly- Stop messing around with trying to manually line up images and text (click directly on the canvas and use the check box to your left)!
Shapes:Choose your desired shape to use as an overlay (watch at 4:00 minutes)- This gives your design a professional look and helps your message stand out. Make sure to use the “opacity” slider to get the right level of transparency for your design (find it under the Insert Menu).
Have you used all of these?! Log into your Graphics Creator account or open your desktop Creator… take a look at what you can do to simplify your design life.
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Cute or Scary? What’s your design style?!
Take a look at these ALL NEW 100% uniqueHalloween graphic backgrounds to use in any of your designs… in any software (they’re high-quality PNGs).
*****
Here’s another way to get more attention AND make your day easier: Drag and drop motion graphics backgrounds into your designs.
When making graphic t-shirts, pricing can be highly dependent on different factors. You’ll need to consider the type of graphics to be created, how much time you will need to create them, the cost of purchasing other materials, and the quantity and quality of t-shirts to be made before quoting a price based on those calculations.
However, for uniform pricing, it’s possible to quickly figure out how much it costs to make a t-shirt.
It costs about $30 to make a graphic t-shirt. This number is the average cost of all the expenses involved, including the price of the t-shirt, graphics to be printed, payment for time spent, and any other extra cost that might come up.
Keep reading to find out all you need to know about making graphic t-shirts, how much they cost, and the best online sites that ease the process of making your graphic t-shirt.
The Price of Making Graphic T-Shirts
The average price for making graphic t-shirts is $30. However, this price applies best to a “Do-It-Yourself” method of graphic design. The price includes purchasing a plain t-shirt, imprinting the intended graphic design on the shirt, adding other elements, and paying for labor, if you plan to sell the t-shirt with a bit of profit.
However, there are few fixed costs in creating and printing graphics, so the price of making a shirt can be highly relative. The cost of making your graphic t-shirt depends on these factors:
The type of graphic t-shirt.
The number of shirts to be designed.
The design method you’ll be using to create the t-shirt.
The quality of graphics to be printed on your t-shirt.
The general cost of materials.
An ongoing cost of making a graphic t-shirt is buying the shirts!
These factors are essential in determining the total price for making your graphic t-shirts. Your choice for each option can either increase or decrease your expenses.
For example, consulting a professional graphic designer for your t-shirt designs is bound to cost more than a DIY graphic design printed on a t-shirt by heat-press printing or transfer.
Also, it may cost more to print a graphic design illustrating a character on a t-shirt than a simple logo since you’ll need more ink and spend more time getting the design right.
How Much Does It Cost To Start a Graphic T-Shirt Business?
Are you thinking about starting a graphic t-shirt business without breaking the bank? I’ve got you!
It costs about $1,000 to start a graphic t-shirt business with a heat press. This price covers the cost of a quality heat press machine, a printer, iron-on transfer paper, vinyl, and other minor expenses.
If you plan to work from home, the best type of graphic t-shirt design method to opt for would be the heat press or heat transfer method. This printing method comes at a relatively low price compared to other types of graphic t-shirt production like embroidery, direct-to-garment, or fabric printing.
With a heat press and the right equipment, you can begin to print your graphic t-shirts whenever in no time and at a minimal cost!
How To Save Money When Printing Graphic T-Shirts
If you need to cut costs further in your graphic t-shirt business, you can use these cost-saving methods to save money while making unique designs.
Make your graphic design from an online visual creator like The Graphics Creator.
You should sell graphic t-shirts for a fixed price of $20 to $30. This price should include an hourly rate of about $10 for labor and the costs of other materials needed.
When pricing your graphic t-shirts, you must consider the time, materials, and labor spent creating such a design. You should also factor in operational costs like shipping and printing and your projected profit.
With all of this information, you can determine the best price to sell your graphic t-shirt. An ideal price should be high enough to offer you a sizable profit for your efforts yet affordable enough to attract customers.
You may need to increase the price of some custom-made t-shirts if the content and style of the graphic design in question prove to be way more detailed and time-consuming. Overall, the best way to become an expert at costing is through experience.
After completing several graphic t-shirts to sell to your target market, it will become easier to know how time-consuming designs will be and how much you should charge for making your t-shirts.
How To Make a Graphic T-Shirt
Making a graphic t-shirt yourself can be super fun if you do it right. There are diverse ways to make a graphic t-shirt. Examples of these design-printing methods are:
Here, I’ll discuss how to make a graphic t-shirt through the heat-press method from the comfort of your home.
Get a t-shirt. You’ll need to buy a plain cotton t-shirt to print your desired graphic on. Cotton t-shirts have better resistance to heat than other materials. Blank t-shirts cost about $1-$5, varying based on quality and brands. You can opt for whatever type of plain t-shirt suits your design needs.
Create your graphic. You also have to create the graphics you want to print on the t-shirt. The graphic design could be absolutely anything – a logo, character illustration, picture, or even random words. You can also create a design by using an easy, straightforward tool like Laughingbird Software’s Graphics Creator.
Print your graphic. Print out your created design using an inkjet or laser printer. You must print the design on iron-on heat transfer paper.
Apply polymer. Apply polymer to the printed graphic with a heat press machine. The polymer ensures the graphic is properly ready to be transferred to your t-shirt.
Position the graphic on the t-shirt. It’s important to carefully place your completed image on your t-shirt on the exact spot you want it imprinted upon and set it under a heat press machine.
Finish with a heat press. Heat press the graphic on the t-shirt for about half a minute. This time might be lesser depending on the quality of the t-shirt you’re using. Heat press about three times until you see your graphic fully pressed onto your t-shirt.
Leave the shirt to dry. After heat-pressing the t-shirt to your satisfaction, leave it to dry for a little while. The drying period gives the heat enough time to seep into your shirt and ensure your graphic is permanently affixed to your t-shirt. After this, your t-shirt is ready to wear!
Conclusion
There are diverse methods of making graphic t-shirts, all of which have different prices. These prices also vary based on various factors like the materials and labor you use in producing your graphic t-shirts.
Including material costs like blank t-shirts, heat-press machines, iron-on transfer paper or vinyl, and a laser or inkjet printer, finding a balanced price for your graphic t-shirt may seem overwhelming. However, making your graphic designs yourself can make creating your graphic tees much easier. This DIY method also ensures you profit maximally from every sale you get.
I’ve been writing for a new niche blog that I’m really excited about. I can’t wait to share it with you (I’ll give you the details soon)!
Now that I’m more focused than ever on writing, I’m digging deep into the world of blogging and learning a ton during my journey. Along with visual content, keyworded content is also essential to blogging!
That’s why this newsletter offers up a free tool that’ll help you make more of an impact with your writing, whether it’s for blogging, creating ads, or website copywriting. And, be sure to watch Marc’s video to find out how to create and use visual content on social media!
– Lisa
CREATORPRENEUR TOOLS & RESOURCES
The tool for this week is super simple to use and completely free! It’s an absolute must for marketers, writers, bloggers, and copywriters… IF you want to get found on the search engines!
You work hard to create content for your article or website. So, it’s essential that you make an effort to use the right keywords… ones that are actually being searched for on Google (stop guessing)!
Don’t just assume that potential customers are looking for the “best business tools”. Instead, throw that keyword phrase in Google Trends and put in a few alternative keywords to compare to.
As you can see in the image below, “best business apps” (in red) actually gets searched for more than, “best business tools”. Who would’ve guessed?!
That’s my point… don’t guess!
Notice that this chart is looking at “Worldwide” keyword searches… just toggle to “United States” or your specific country if those are your customers. Plus, you can change dates and categories as well.
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In the above video, Marc shows you how to easily create amazing graphics to go along with your content.
When you download your graphics, remember to include your main keyword as the title, as well as use additional keywords in other images.
CREATE GREAT CONTENT WITH THESE!
This is one of my favorite image sets to go with written content… the templates are perfect for blog graphics or for getting noticed on social media!
Use a template like the one below for a featured graphic on your blog or a thumbnail for videos…
Just add other elements from The Graphics Creator & modify the text to make the designs your own!
CREATORPRENEUR TIP: REPURPOSING CONTENT
It’s not necessary to constantly invent great content. Get creative and use what you have! Just re-work your article or blog content to provide a new perspective.
Here are ways to repurpose your content:
Turn your video into a blog article (or your blog article into a video)
Take an idea or two from old content and build on it to create more detailed content about that topic
Mix up the title and intro of a piece of content to send to a new group of prospective customers
Turn a heavily worded article into a simple “list post”(just number important points and leave out any “fluff”)
Gone are the days when you could only sell art offline. However, making money selling your graphics online is a new experience for many artists, which often begs the question: “How do you do it?”.
Here’s how to make money selling graphics online:
Sell your graphics on online marketplaces.
Sell through a blog or YouTube channel.
Sell on Instagram.
Sell directly through email.
Sell using a freelance account.
As you grow and develop your craft, you need to know the best places and methods to market and sell your work. This article will discuss everything you need to know about making money online from selling your art by expanding on the points above.
1. Sell Your Graphics on Online Marketplaces
Create graphics and sell them online!
There’s no shortage of online marketplaces where you can sell your designs. There is a space for you no matter what you specialize in, be it 3D work, printing on T-shirts, or creating graphic templates. These platforms showcase your products to millions of users, saving you time and money.
Using these marketplaces, there’s no limit to how much passive income you can earn from monetizing your skill. YOu can create a piece of digital art once and continue to resell it without any additional design work. However, keep in mind that you do need to have a certain level of skill to utilize most of these platforms.
Not all designs make it onto the marketplace. Most platforms have a team that reviews all submissions and decides if they are good enough to sell on their platforms.
Some of these platforms include:
Creative Market
Many designers enjoy selling their work on Creative Market. It’s a fantastic platform for selling fonts, print templates, 3D work, and so on. The platform has over five million users, lets you set your rates, and gives you 70% off every sale.
TurboSquid
TurboSquid is the place to go if you have 3D assets for sale. The platform specializes in selling 3D models for numerous mediums such as the filmmaking, architecture, and video game industries.
Stock models are quickly becoming the best way to create 3D content, which is why the market needs high-quality 3D assets. So, if you have top-notch products to sell, TurboSquid is the way to go. The platform features categories such as cars, anatomy, architecture, and anything else you can think of.
Design Cuts
Design Cuts is a platform for designers made by designers. It is a community platform where you can sell high-grade assets for excellent prices. These assets include graphics, brushes, and patterns, among others.
However, not everyone can work with them as they claim to work exclusively with the best. If you’re up for it, you can reach out to them and possibly get featured on the website.
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is one of the best-known websites that allow you to sell graphics online. The platform lets you build and customize your store to fit your aesthetic, which is a feature most sites do not have.
Big Cartel also provides you with tools such as social networking and tracking to aid with market research. This means you can choose and decide how to promote and sell your work. The cost for using this platform ranges from $0 to $19.99 monthly, depending on the features you require and the number of products you want to sell.
2. Start a Blog or Create a YouTube Channel
The best thing about starting a blog or creating a YouTube channel is that there are two ways to make money from it.
Having a blog with high traffic or a YouTube channel with numerous subscribers means you have many people watching you. Therefore, when you post content relating to your work, chances are quite a few of them will be interested in purchasing your products.
While these are excellent channels to sell your art, you need to generate enough traffic first, which could take a while. In my experience, this can take several months to more than a year, depending on your niche and content consistency. Therefore, you need to be patient and ensure you consistently create good-quality content.
The second way to make money from these channels is to monetize them. You’re not directly selling your work here, but you’re making money nonetheless. You can join an affiliate program when you start your blog or channel.
By joining a program, you can promote designs from an online store. Each time someone purchases an asset (including yours) through your link, you make passive income.
Again, you won’t make money right off the bat. You need to take time to accumulate enough traffic to generate revenue.
How To Start a Blog
This isn’t as daunting as it might seem. Starting a blog has lots of benefits, even if you start out slowly. Here are the steps you’ll need to follow:
Pick your blog name.
Register your blog.
Get your blog hosting.
Add WordPress to your blog.
Pick a theme and customize your blog.
Add plugins to track stats and find your readers.
Create engaging content.
Promote your blog.
The hardest part is consistently creating content and promoting it. Just get started writing… I spent about 6 months writing for one blog before I was even worried about promoting it. You need content first!
Confirm your account details and create your channel.
Promote your channel.
Naturally, creating videos and promoting them take quite a bit more work. Take a look at the methods I have used to get E-Biking Today started or watch how Marc does it on Laughingbird’s YouTube channel!
3. Sell on Instagram
About six years ago, nobody bothered buying or selling on Instagram. It was simply a platform for sharing pictures. However, things have changed significantly. Instagram, the world’s second-biggest social network, has become a vital marketing tool. Luckily, this is a tool you can take advantage of.
Two incredible qualities about Instagram are its simple interface and its focus on visuals (which is great for you). Therefore, Instagram is a platform you can use to make money selling your graphics. Post examples of your design work and add some hashtags representing the topic.
Adjusting your Instagram account to use it for business purposes is relatively easy. Just follow these tips to make the most of your account.
Set Up an Instagram Business Account
First, you need to switch your personal Instagram account to a business one. You don’t necessarily need to use Instagram Shopping to promote your work. However, you do need a business account to market your products.
Besides being a prerequisite for using Instagram Shopping, you need a business account to run ads, add your contact details, and access performance insights.
Here’s how to switch to a business account:
Go to the menu in the app.
Tap on “Settings.” You will find it at the bottom right.
Tap on “Account”
Tap on “Switch to Professional Profile”
Use Instagram Shopping
After creating a business account, the next step is to set up Instagram Shopping. Now, you don’t have to do this, and this step is mainly for designers who sell physical products like printed t-shirts or canvas art.
Here’s how to set up Instagram Shopping:
Generate a product catalog via Facebook Catalog Manager (you can find this feature in Business Manager).
Enable product tagging – this is easier if you already own a digital store on platforms like Shopify.
However, if you don’t already own a digital store, the process becomes a bit more tedious because you need to manually input the products’ details. For each product, you need a price, description, at least one image, and a link to the product on your website. Afterward, you submit and wait for approval, which can take several days.
Utilize Product Tags and Stickers
Once you have set up Instagram Shopping, you can use it to tag products in your stories and posts, and your users will be able to see the names and prices of your products. Moreover, through a single tap or click, they’ll be redirected to your website, generating traffic and increasing sales.
Increase Engagement
Customers love to browse designs on Instagram… this could be your profile!
Now that your account is ready, you need customers to find you. You should try and boost engagement on your page because Instagram usually displays posts with positive responses to users.
Additionally, although you are out to sell a visual asset, you need to consider your captions. Your captions should be engaging and help express your graphics and their stories.
Hashtags and mention tags also help keep your posts relevant. Try to use general hashtags that most people use and specific ones related to your work. Keep in mind that Instagram tends to show posts to users based on their interests.
Maintain an Aesthetic
You should ensure that all your posts follow a similar style and tone. Think about how your bits of content will look when compared, or, more importantly, how they’ll all match together on an Instagram-style grid. As mentioned, the platform is highly focused on visuals, so it’s essential to maintain an attractive aesthetic.
Run Ads
Running ads can help the right consumers find you. Boosting engagements is great, but it is often not enough. Instagram has become a platform where people who don’t follow you are less likely to see your organic content. So, you should consider running paid ads to reach a larger audience.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to reach your clients effectively. You can promote your posts on Instagram or opt for Facebook Ad Manager.
They are both effective, but you might prefer to go for the latter. It offers more customization and can help you reach the right demographic without wasting money. Furthermore, you can set your ads to run on only Instagram.
Consider adding product tags to your ads because it gives users an idea of your product and its price before they even view your page or website.
4. Sell Directly Through Email
You do not always have to put your art out there for the world to see. Yes, some people go to marketplaces and purchase templates and other graphics. Instead, however, you can focus on one brand or person and sell to them.
Sending cold emails is a classic but effective technique that works for all kinds of professionals. A cold email is an email you send to a recipient (you do not know) in order to transact with them. This could be to ask for a favor, present an opportunity, or in your case, sell your work.
Cold emailing can be challenging because you don’t know who you’re emailing and how they would react; therefore, you cannot change your approach based on their reaction. This is why a lot of cold emails fail. However, you can make it work with the right tools and tricks. Many before you have built careers using cold emails, so you can do it too.
5. Sell Using a Freelance Account
Freelancing is another great way to make money doing what you love. As a freelancer, you can set your hours, find a niche for yourself, and promote your services. There are some great platforms to choose from, two of the most popular include:
Upwork
Upwork is one of the best and most prominent sites for most freelance graphic designers. Regardless of your expertise level, you’re likely to find plenty of job opportunities and clients. However, as a new freelancer, you might find it hard to make ends meet. You might even need to take on jobs that pay below your rates just to build your reputation. However, the experience is worth it once you do.
When you get paid on Upwork, the platform takes 20% of your earnings. However, as you earn more from a particular client, their fees reduce to 10%, and eventually 5%.
Fiverr
Fiverr is another well-known freelancing platform. It connects sellers to buyers so they can transact. Some time ago, the lowest you could make on Fiverr was $5, which is where the platform gets its name from. However, that has changed, and sellers can now set lower, and higher, prices.
The platform lets you sell your services at any rate you desire. After you create a gig, buyers will be able to find it, and if they like your offer, they can buy your product or service. Keep in mind that Fiverr also takes 20% of your earnings, and this fee does not reduce with time.
Conclusion
Now that you know some of the best ways to make money from your art, it’s time to put those skills to good use. Remember that as a creator, it is up to you to decide how much your work is worth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise because, after all, you poured your heart and soul into what you made.
Moreover, remember that these are just a few suggestions. There are numerous other methods you can try to make money selling graphics online. All you have to do is be willing to explore creative new ideas.
No matter what online business you have, there’s no way to avoid publishing blog content. Offering helpful and/or timely information to prospective buyers and current customers is just part of running a successful business… one focused on pleasing customers.
But when you need to spend most of your time creating products and services, fitting in blogging seems near impossible. Not to mention that throwing up a few words doesn’t cut it if you want to get noticed on Google’s search engines.
Yep, it can all be a bit too much!
In this blog content guide, I’m going to show you how to get the help you need to get started as a content blogger or to grow your small blog.
Take a look below at the list of resources below.
Then check out the “Posting a blog article” Creatorpreneurs Tip at the end of the newsletter!
When publishing new content consistently (whether it’s once a day or once a week), there’s no shame in getting help!
When I first started my ebikingtoday.com blog, I wrote ALL of my articles slowly but steadily (2 articles per week). But as the blog grew, and so did my ideas for great content, I knew I needed help if I wanted to grow faster.
However, it was a challenge to find writers that could help me with my somewhat technical blog content (and write articles the way I wanted them to!). Thankfully, I’ve found some help!
Here are a couple of writing resources I use to get the help I need:
I can always count on top-notch blog writing from these highly-trained writers.
But you’re not getting a high-quality, SEO-optimized article from one writer alone. Each article has its own editor for quality control, which means you get an article that’s been reviewed by someone else and has excellent grammar.
Plus, you get unlimited revisions, just in case (I’ve asked for small revisions, and they’ve done them, no problem)!
Check out WeWriteBlogPosts and make sure to use my special code to get a 10% discount!
*The more words you order at one time, the more money you save per word.
You’ve heard us talk about Fiverr before… Laughingbird has certainly used many contractors from here, some good, some bad.
When it comes to blog writing, there are a ton of writers that aren’t very good. But, with a little research you can find a gem… and save money on article writing!
To find a good writer, always ask to see examples of their writing… and look for several good reviews. Then it’s just a matter of seeing if that writer can give you the style of writing you want, understands your niche content, and can write very well (or better) in English.
Otherwise, you’ll be spending a lot of time correcting their grammar.
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Naturally, with any great blog content, you need great graphics and images as well. To help you get creative and design the perfect blog graphics, Laughingbird has a simple menu for all of our product collections right on the home page.
This is how we’re organizing our graphics to make it easy for you to find something unique.
Of course, you can always click on the little looking glass on the top right of the page to search for “design elements”, “logo”, “motion”, “Pinterest”, “YouTube”, “characters”, etc.
Read it once through: I like to make sure it makes sense and is giving the information I requested.
Check it for plagiarism: I’ve never had a problem with this, but I still make certain every article has 100% unique content. Just search for “plagiarism checker” and you can get a free report.
Post it in WordPress: Fix all the headers and spacing.
Add Links: Add links to my other articles or products and double-check links added by the writer (make sure they don’t lead straight to a competitor instead of one of my own articles).
Create & Add images: I use The Graphics Creator to make a featured graphic or other helpful graphics in each article and add photos where needed. Then I import them into my article.
Personalize the content: This is very important. I always add any personalized content that makes sense by adding sentences, paragraphs, or new sections, if I feel I can make it an even better article!
Remember, this is YOUR content, so give it your touch even if you didn’t write the main article.
And here’s one more tip:
There are plenty of topics to outsource to content writers… Save the ones you can write better for yourself!
PNG graphics are one of the most popular image file formats around. What are their pros and cons, and what kinds of projects should you use PNG graphics for?
PNG graphics support transparency, lossless compressions, a full-color spectrum, and high resolutions. However, they require more storage space, don’t support animations, and are not good for print. PNG files are best used for web images, charts, illustrations, and logos.
In this article, I’ll break down the advantages and disadvantages of PNG graphics and what kinds of projects can benefit from them. Read on to become a PNG expert!
Advantages of PNG Graphics
PNG graphics, or Portable Network Graphics, were invented to solve some of the issues with GIF (graphics interchange format) and JPEG files (also referred to as JPG). Since then, they’ve become widely used and accepted as a standard image format. Here are some of the advantages of PNG graphics:
Lossless Compression
The PNG image format was designed to keep all of the details of an image when compressed so that no image information is lost.
In stark contrast, the JPEG file has a severe reduction in image quality when it’s compressed. This was a huge problem because sharing images or bouncing a project between two devices causes the image to lose its sharpness. PNG graphics, however, have lossless compression, so this isn’t a problem.
Supports Transparency
One main advantage of PNG files is that they support transparency, which means that any section of the image can be see-through on a scale of 0% to 100%.
If an image file format supports transparency (which is encoded in the alpha channel), that means that you can set pieces of your image to have a desired level of opacity. JPEG and GIF don’t support alpha-channel transparency, so you can only make a pixel fully opaque or fully transparent, not anything in between.
In the detailed graphics above, every element has a transparent PNG image format from Laughingbird Software’s design elements. So, they can be moved, resized, and placed in front or back of the other transparencies.
Full-Color Spectrum
PNG files support the full-color spectrum, including grayscale, true color, 24-bit RGB color, and 32-bit RGBA. You can utilize this spectrum in color correction and brightness.
Having a full-color spectrum means that PNG files have access to over 16 million colors! JPEG also supports 24-bit color, which means that they have 24 bits divided into red, green, and blue color groupings. By combining different variations of these bits, PNGs and JPEGs can support almost every color value imaginable, making even web graphics color backgrounds remain sharp. GIFs only support 256 colors.
Gamma Storing
In other file formats, you might find that your image looks a certain way on one device and different on another. This is because the image format you used doesn’t track gamma information. PNGs store your gamma settings so that no matter what device you’re viewing it from, the color values will remain the same.
Gamma correction is particularly important for websites and web graphics.
High Resolutions
Because PNG files are lossless, another main advantage is that they can maintain an extremely high resolution when you compress or resize them. High-resolution images are at least 300 pixels per inch (PPI), which gives clarity and sharpness to all of your images.
In contrast, JPEGs lose detail and much of their image quality when they’re compressed.
Fast Loading Times
Digital.com surveyed a group of online shoppers to see how long they were willing to wait for a page to load. Did you know that 52% of online shoppers will leave your page if they have to wait more than six seconds? People expect your site to load within two seconds, and if they have to wait any longer or experience lag during use, their opinion of your business may plummet.
One of the major contributors to a slow loading time is graphics. If you use PNG files for your website or blog, you will experience faster loading times and happier customers.
Disadvantages of PNG Graphics
PNG graphics aren’t perfect. There are a few downsides, but you might find later that the pros outweigh the cons. Here are the disadvantages:
Not Good for Print
Unfortunately, PNG image files aren’t the best for print. While they have a high resolution, PNGs don’t support the CMYK color mode, so your printer might refuse the files. If your printer accepts them, the results will be lackluster at best, and you’ll have little control over the color values. For printing, it’s best to stick to the TIFF file format and avoid JPEG like the plague.
Not Great for Digital Cameras
Most digital cameras require EXIF metadata support from the image file formats they use. EXIF metadata is a list of settings that are used when taking a digital photograph. Unfortunately, a PNG file format can’t process EXIF metadata, so if your project requires digital images, you might be better off choosing JPG format.
Requires More Memory Space
Because PNG files support such high resolution and color values, the tradeoff is that they take up more memory space than other smaller file formats. PNG files have a limit of 2,500 megapixels—which you’re likely never going to reach, but it still speaks of the high capacity of the PNG format.
If your device doesn’t have much storage space, you may want to consider using a smaller file format.
Too New for Old Browsers
While the PNG file format was developed back in the 90s, some old browsers still don’t support a PNG file. This is because of the alpha channel, which controls varying levels of transparency. If you expect to have website visitors from all over the world, they might experience loading issues.
Animations Aren’t Possible
One big appeal of the GIF format is the ability to support animations. JPG format and PNG format don’t, so if you’re looking to add animations to your project, GIF format may be the way to go.
However, there is an animated PNG format called APNG. This format supports all of the advantages of a regular PNG file, plus the ability to use animations. However, it isn’t as widely used as GIF images due to a relative lack of support.
PNGs Are Raster-Based
Raster-based is a fancy way of saying that the image file format uses pixels instead of vectors to bring your images to life. Vector graphics are great for preserving values when you zoom in or out, but since a PNG file is raster-based, you will find your image becomes pixelated if you zoom in enough on it.
Visual brain teaser using several PNG images to create the design for use on social media or your website.
When To Use PNG Graphics
Despite the cons, there are several projects that require the use of the PNG format to achieve the best results. These projects benefit from the sharp quality of the PNG, and using anything else would be a mistake. Here are some of them:
Web Image Format
If you’re creating an image that will be used on a website or social media platform, make sure that you use the PNG format. Retaining the quality of these digital images is extremely important, especially when you’re posting on behalf of a business entity. With a PNG file format, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
The Graphics Creator fully supports editing images that have a PNG format. Thus, you can create a graphic using elements within the software or with PNGs or JPGs that you import.
Logos and Icons
On another note, if you’re creating a logo or icon, use the PNG file format. The transparency and fading options in PNGs allow you to create far more intricate, eye-catching designs. Using a PNG format will keep your image powerful and bold.
Creating a logo with a PNG image in The Graphics Creator
Image Format in the Editing Process
Even if you convert your final file into a different format, keeping them as PNG while you’re editing them will reap high-quality rewards. Sometimes it takes a while to play around with the graphics on an image, so keeping them in the PNG form will preserve the lines until you’re ready to convert them.
You may experience a slight loss of quality after you convert the image to its final format, but it will be a lot less than you would have experienced otherwise.
Complex Image Files
If you have enough memory on your device to handle complex digital images as PNGs, go for it! PNG formats allow you to go wild with creativity without making sacrifices on image quality.
If you’re constantly working with PNG images and need more storage space, you can always buy an external hard drive.
On the flip side, I wouldn’t advise using PNGs for high-resolution photographs. You need a smaller file size or it will be much too big and impractical to manage. Instead, you might consider using a program such as Adobe Photoshop.
Charts
If your graphics are for a presentation, use a PNG file format—especially if they are intricate and detailed. As I mentioned, PNG files aren’t the best for print, but if your charts aren’t that complex in terms of color, transparency, or fading, then your printer might be able to handle it. Otherwise, they’re great to use on PowerPoint presentations and slides.
Example of presentation chart using PNG images
Illustrations
If you’re an artist who draws illustrations, use PNG. This is one of the best ways to preserve line arts, and it will do your talents justice. Not only will you preserve your lines, but you’ll keep the color values, transparency, and fading—all very important features of your work!
Final Thoughts
PNG files are a widely-used image format that solves many of the problems present in a GIF or JPEG format.
From high resolution to a full-color spectrum, lossless compression, and transparency, a PNG format has a lot to offer to creators who produce projects such as digital images, logos, visual aids, and illustrations. Unfortunately, they’re not great for printing and require a lot of memory space.
However, PNG graphics are a good choice because they produce unparalleled results for creative tasks, even though they have advantages and disadvantages.
With over 51 million YouTube channels and counting, it’s critical to find a way to stand out from the rest and make a great first impression. A custom-designed YouTube banner allows you to present your brand in the best light and makes your YouTube channel look professional. But how much do you have to pay for a decent YouTube banner?
Designing a YouTube banner can cost you $25 to $100 if done by freelance designers on sites like Upwork and Fiverr. However, design companies and some top designers charge $600 to $800 for one banner. You can create your own banner for the price of the software you’re using.
The benefit of the latter is that, no matter how much the YouTube banner maker software costs, you can usually make unlimited banners and other YouTube channel art.
The rest of this article will explain the reason for this huge cost disparity and shed some light on what makes an effective YouTube banner.
Factors Affecting the Cost of a YouTube Banner
A lot goes into setting the cost of a YouTube banner design, and it will vary depending on the professional. However, the most important factor is your budget.
If the designer asks for $800 and your budget is $100, there will be no working relationship between the two of you. If you’re a YouTuber who has just started your channel, you’ll likely have less of a budget than someone who has been doing it for years. That said, the amount you’re willing to pay also depends on how much value you place on YouTube channel art.
With that in mind, let’s look at other factors that determine the cost of designing a YouTube banner and how you can get one within your budget.
In every field, there are service providers on different price levels. A graphic designer is no different. If you want to hire a graphic designer for your YouTube banner, you have three options.
Freelance Designer
Your first option is to contact a freelance designer online.
You could simply google designer profiles. However, a safer option is to go to freelance sites like Upwork and Fiverr and browse designers who fit your budget and preference. After you post your project, you’ll receive offers from different designers.
After you choose a designer, be sure to describe precisely what you want, send the images, and agree on the price. Because the freelancer is probably working from the comfort of their couch and has no employees, their fees are usually relatively low.
This is an excellent idea if you already know what you are looking for and all you want is the design work. It’s also a great option if you are on a budget because, as you can get a banner design for as low as $25.
Design Contest
Another option is going for a design contest. In a design contest, you pay a company that holds these contests to publish your requirements. You will give a brief description of what you are looking for, color palette, type of content you publish, demographic, and anything else you deem important.
Tens of designers from around the world will then take this information and submit concepts for you to choose from. You will select the best and get a few finalists to give you a revised design. After all that, you get to choose your favorite and work directly with them until you get the YouTube banner design you want. This route is fantastic if you have no clear image of what you want because it will give you various ideas to choose from.
However, these are experienced professionals you are dealing with, so the cost will be around $149 per banner design. Paying for the contest site also costs money.
Graphic Design Agency
The third way to get your YouTube banner designed is to go to a design agency where they can create banners using your brand kit, profile picture, and even your own images.
A design company is the best for YouTube channels that are already making good money and expanding to more channels and other social media platforms. They will submit unlimited design requests and revisions for a monthly rate, reducing the stress of finding contractors and designs.
The only issue with design companies is the recurring monthly fee or high one-off cost, typically hundreds of dollars for one banner design. However, they provide value you can’t get elsewhere.
The third factor to consider is whether you’ll pay the designer an hourly or per-project rate. Again, this depends on the type of designer you decide to go with and your budget.
Many freelance designers charge by the hour. The hourly rate can be as low as $15-$50 per hour, which is quite affordable. This, however, requires a designer who already knows how long it takes to design the YouTube banner so they don’t work more hours than you can afford.
On the other hand, design companies and well-known designers charge a flat fee for the entire project. These people have a lot of experience doing similar projects, so they fully understand the scope of the job, profitability, and other nuances. A flat rate is usually better for clients because they know upfront what they will pay, preventing scope creep down the road.
Finally, you have to consider how extensive the design project is. While YouTube banners can look the same to an inexperienced eye, there is a huge difference between an original design and a modified template. Professional designers plan the entire YouTube banner from scratch by considering your brand, colors, the feelings you want visitors to get, the message you want to convey, and you as the channel owner.
Besides that, banner design cost will be determined by how much content you want added to the design. For example, some designers have a basic package that includes three images or less and a premium package that includes many pictures, stories, highlight covers, and much more. The more items you add to the YouTube banner, the more expensive it gets.
Here are some questions you should discuss before deciding on a designer and the price:
Will the design be original or based on templates and stock art? This is a crucial point, as you don’t want your brand identity to look like thousands of other YouTube channels. It’s also impossible to trademark designs featuring templates and stock art because the images don’t belong to you. It may cost more to get a designer who does truly original work, but it’s often worth it.
Does the designer protect your Intellectual Property? Original designs always belong to the creator until they transfer property rights to you. Otherwise, someone else could steal the design, trademark it and sue you. The designer himself could also use the design for another client and cause issues for both of you. For that reason, get a designer who will transfer any original design’s intellectual property rights to you using a custom legal agreement.
Will the designer keep you updated? Between the commissioning of the image art and the delivery, you and the design team need to be in constant communication. This ensures the job goes on without hitches. The designer should also be available to make corrections even after delivery.
There are two questions we should get out of the way:
Do I really need a YouTube banner?
Can I design the YouTube banners myself?
The answer to both questions is a resounding yes.
A YouTube banner, also known as channel art or header image, is the large banner you see on top of the YouTube page. Its purpose is to visually communicate the channel’s brand, personality, and purpose. The banner is the first thing viewers will see on your YouTube channel, and it can make or break that first impression.
In other words, a YouTube banner plays a role in how many subscribers and viewers you get. If you are a business channel, it’s a marketing tactic that attracts or repels customers. But more importantly, it conveys a clear message of what that channel is all about so you can stand out among all the other channels in your category.
A YouTube banner is used to convey key information such as:
Tagline and slogan
A look at what viewers can expect from your channel
Logo
High-quality images
Readable text
A call-to-action
How To Create a YouTube Banner
As for designing your own images and YouTube banners, it is possible with the right software or YouTube banner maker, even if you don’t have any design experience.
For the most part, what you need is easy-to-use design software like The Graphics Creator. It has a huge selection of design assets and is the best way to cost-effectively design YouTube banners and YouTube channel art, logos, virtual covers, social media graphics, and more. Plus, you can create these in minutes using templates and/or design elements.
You can use the included elements or import your own graphics, including your logo design. In a few clicks, you can create banners even if you have no design experience. The result will be a professional-looking YouTube banner or thumbnail! It’s a great way to save lots of money on YouTube channel art and get unlimited graphics to use on your YouTube banners.
All said and done, design of any kind is speculative. Whether you rely on a designer that costs $25 or $500, you won’t know what you’ll get in the end until it’s delivered. When this happens, and you are completely unhappy with the deliverable, you probably won’t be able to get a refund from the designer because they’ve already put in their time and expertise.
So, you can look for a design company or designer who offers a 100% money-back guarantee at all costs. After all, the cost of designing a YouTube banner is not small and you should get your money’s worth.
However, as a money-saving alternative, design your own awesome YouTube banners using graphics software. This way, you can create unlimited designs for all social media platforms, save and modify your own images, and create a stunning banner design the second you need it.
It’s hard to believe that kids are going back to school and that we’re entering the fall season in the western hemisphere! This means it’s time to make new plans and set goals for the next one.
And, it ’tis the season to sell… after all, the holidays are just around the corner.
So, we’re here to help you get prepared. No, August is not too early to start. Holiday decor is already on the shelves (because big retailers are planning ahead). In order to compete successfully, you should be planning now too!
Your first goal should be to make sure you’re visible. The cool tools we’re talking about today will help!
Take a look!
CREATORPRENEUR TOOL OF THE WEEK!
Yes, you need printed materials! Even if you’re just an online company! Besides passing out printed business cards at business events, you can get noticed in so many different ways.
Think about how you can stand out for the holidays. How can you speak to your target audience directly so that you can make more sales during the holidays!
Have you ever thought about printing and sharing these cool items???
Stickers (pass these out at events or in your local business community)
Coloring books (with your logo and contact info of course)
Coasters (another great idea for events or for customers to use at home)
Custom Labels (for your own products)
Car Magnets (one of our favorites… find out more under the creatorpreneur tip of the week below)
Folded Business Cards (not only are they unique, but they’re also easier to hold onto)
Those are just some of the creative ways your biz can stand out during the holidays! Get going! Start printing and sharing now so that you have plenty of time to build a customer email list.
The Ad Creator templates and elements are the product of the week because of their bold and clean designs… they’re sure to make you stand out in a crowd.
Because of the bold yet simple designs, you can create an advertisement within just a couple of minutes. How about creating a Facebook Ad, Instagram post, Pinterest pin, or tweet?
Plus, with the upcoming holidays, you can add your holiday images to any design!
For example, we mentioned the car magnets above. You can really get creative with these! We’ve actually given these as gifts because they’re so much fun as well as practical. Use them only when you need them.
And even if you don’t have a local business, you can spread the word about your online store or service. Hey, people are on their phones and tablets all of the time, so you’ll be easy to look up.
Plus, you get “bonus points” for traveling with your car magnet… especially if you’re attending a business event!!!
See you next week!
Marc & Lisa
Disclosure: Laughingbirdsoftware.com participates in affiliate programs with other websites and businesses. We may receive compensation for referring traffic to these companies.
Creating effective social media graphics is a difficult process, which leads business owners to outsource their social media graphic designs. Before hiring a professional graphic designer, I’m sure you’ve asked yourself how much a Facebook post or Instagram post will cost. Naturally, it will depend upon their skill level.
Established freelance graphic designers typically charge about $140 for a social media graphic, whereas beginner freelance designers charge as low as $20. Design agencies charge hourly rates between $85 and $100 to design a social media post.
To compare pricing, here’s an idea of the average cost associated with asking expert designers to create an image for social media.
Graphic Design
Current Cost
Twitter Banner
$75+
Facebook Graphic
$75+
YouTube Thumbnail
$75+
Pinterest Pin
$150+ (for a bundle)
Infographic
$99+
Motion Graphic
$99+
Mockup
$99+
Blog Graphic
$75+
Advertisement or Marketing Materials
$250+
Logo Design
$250+
But before you hire a freelance graphic designer, there are some alternatives you need to know about. Stick around to learn answers to related questions, such as whether you can make your own social graphics, how to make your graphics, and how long it takes to make a social media graphic.
Can I Make My Own Social Media Graphics?
You can make your own social media post design as long as you have the proper software and skills. Freelance graphic designers or social media managers can charge hundreds of dollars per post because graphic design is a skilled trade. More experience will help you in your graphic design.
However, there are ways to create your own graphics without any graphic design experience.
Is It Cheaper To Make My Own Social Media Graphics?
Making your social media graphics will be cheaper in the long term when compared to hiring a freelance graphic designer. However, creating your own social media graphics could be more expensive in the short term because of the cost of software, stock images, and templates.
Assuming you’re a beginner graphic designer, let’s take a beginner graphic designer’s rate: $20 for a simple post.
Now I’ll add up the cost to make social media posts. The first thing you’ll need is software.
How Much Does Graphic Design Software Cost?
Graphic design software can be as cheap as free and as expensive as USD 29.99 per month. The most expensive range of design software is the Adobe Creative Suite, which costs $29.99 per month and includes Photoshop. There are free alternatives, such as The Graphics Creator.
I recommend starting with free software. Free software will save you a boatload of money, and it’s also usually easier to use.
Photoshop is a great program, but it is not beginner-friendly and takes a while to learn. Free software like Laughingbird’s is simpler to understand for newbies plus offers templates to make design easy.
How Much Do Social Media Graphic Templates Cost?
Typically, social media graphics templates cost between $20 and $40 per template. The price may seem expensive, but after your first purchase, you can easily make cohesive, powerful graphics in minutes.
As you can see, templates alone will push you over the cost of hiring a beginner freelance graphic designer. However, you’re only getting one design from a freelancer, whereas you get unlimited designs and revisions by using design software. Thus, if you stick to free software and purchase a high-quality template set, you will save money in the long term.
If you’re looking for some powerful templates, my favorite free graphic design software offers awesome template sets you can use over and over. You can even save your designs to modify again later.
How To Make Your Own Social Media Graphics
Making your social media graphics isn’t always easy, but thanks to new technology, it’s getting easier every year! Anyone can make graphics thanks to professional design software that streamlines the design process (as in the video above)!
Here is how to make your own social media graphics:
Sketch your design. Before you get started, you may want to roughly sketch your final graphic. You don’t have to follow the sketch perfectly, so don’t stress too much about it! This sketch will serve as a guide to help you when you get stuck on later parts of this tutorial.
Choose your design software. I’m a huge fan of Laughingbird Software. The Graphics Creator is a free alternative to more expensive programs like Adobe Photoshop, but it still offers all the functionality needed to create impactful social media graphics. Plus you can add on templates and graphic elements if you want to get more creative, still for far less money. You could also go for the very basic programs like PicMonkey or Canva.
Create a new file. This step isn’t as easy as you think. When saving a file for a graphic, you need to choose the correct pixel dimensions. For example, a standard Instagram graphic should be 1080px by 1080px. Check out The Complete Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet for more social media graphic sizes.
Create or grab a template kit. You can make your own design templates or purchase them. Having a template kit will allow you to continue designing social media posts with a similar style on each post. If you’re struggling with your template, refer to your sketch and find or make something similar.
Add in the important info. If you have your template set up, you’re well on your way! Now we need to add in the important info. Think of what you’re trying to advertise and what the reader would want to know. For example, if you’re promoting an upcoming concert at your bar, include the time, date, and location in your graphic.
Don’t forget a call to action. A call to action (CTA) is a graphic element that encourages your audience to do something related to your brand. For example, with our concert example, the call to action might be “buy your tickets today!” Make sure your call to action pops and catches your audience’s attention.
Export for screens. Exporting files is like creating a new file—more complicated than you’d think. When exporting a graphic, make sure your pixels per inch (PPI) are set to 72, and your color mode is RGB. These are the standard quality and color guidelines for web graphics. However, in The Graphics Creator, all you’ll need to decide on is the correct canvas size. This is easy because each social platform tells you exactly what size is best for different uses.
If you followed all the above steps, you’re ready to post your new graphic! All that’s left is to develop a clever caption, and you’re set to post your graphic on your social media channels.
CRAP: 4 Helpful Principles for Designing Social Media Graphics
Making your social media graphics can be tough for a beginner, so I’m here to give you some helpful resources. The most important foundation of graphic design is CRAP.
This stands for “contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity”. These four principles combine to build the foundation that all graphic design is built around.
Here are the four principles of CRAP explained:
Contrast. Contrast refers to making parts of your social media graphic pop. You can create contrast by manipulating size, shape, and color. This is important to consider when adding your business logo design to your post. Check out Yes I’m a Designer’s Color Combinations Every Designer Should Know for great color contrast tips.
Repetition. Repeating designs creates cohesiveness in your graphics and your campaign. If you’re using a design element like a polka dot background, you should make sure polka dots span your entire graphics background. Additionally, you can make a cohesive campaign by repeating polka dot backgrounds across posts.
Alignment. Alignment refers to where your elements are placed and the amount of white space you use. Check out Study.com’s Alignment: Principles in Graphic Design lesson for more alignment tips.
Proximity. Proximity is essentially grouping related elements. Imagine if you had a call to action that said, “buy your tickets here!”. However, the information to buy the tickets was in the far corner of the graphic. You should group related items to decrease confusion and create a feeling of unity in your post.
If you can learn and understand CRAP, you will be leagues ahead of the average beginner graphic designer. The importance of learning CRAP is why I’m going to recommend researching the principles further in video form:
Ashley Hoist does a fantastic job of explaining the principles of CRAP in detail, with aid of visual elements. Graphic design is a visual art, so learning important fundamentals in visual form is an important part of the learning process.
How Long Does It Take To Make a Social Media Graphic?
It takes experienced graphic designers about one and a half to two hours to create a basic social media graphic from scratch. Alternatively, you can make a graphic in about ten to twenty minutes (or less) with a template.
How Much Should I Charge for Social Media Graphics??
If you’d like to create and sell your own designs, you should charge between $20 and $140 per graphic. If you have a few years of experience and can deliver high-quality graphics, you can charge close to $140 per post. If you’re a beginner looking to pad your portfolio, you should charge closer to $20 or consider a low hourly rate.
If you’re trying to make your way into the freelance graphic design market, you might be interested in Side Hustle Nation’s How to Get More Freelance Gigs. This post and podcast effectively break down what it takes to be a top-earning freelance designer on websites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for experienced designers, you can expect to pay about $140 per post; intermediate designers will cost slightly less. Unfortunately, the $140 price tag is too high to justify for many business owners, especially for just one post. And since they can design the graphic in about an hour, you’re looking at an hourly rate of about $140!
You can also consider using beginning freelance graphic designers for your lowest cost design projects.
Thankfully, if you’re scared off by those high prices, companies like Laughingbird Software have made graphic design easy and inexpensive (compare the cost of creating graphics). All you need to know are the basics of graphic design and you can let templates take care of the rest.
If you can find the right template set and nail down the foundations of design, you’ll pump out high-quality graphics with little effort or money!
You buy a sky blue shirt because that color goes well with your skin tone. You wait a month to have a new car shipped to you because you wanted it in “Cherry Red”, instead of the basic black one on the sales lot. And you very carefully choose the color of a new rug or carpet… after all, you have to look at it every day for many years to come.
And I’d bet you spend way too much time selecting just the right colors for your next design!
Why all of this focus on choosing the best color? Because you need a helpful color… one that pleases, encourages, excites, calms, warms… or just stands out.
Whether you’re choosing a color for prospective buyers or to attract a mate (LOL), color is power!
Continue reading below as Marc and I show you a couple of tools that’ll make it easy to choose design colors, whether it’s for your graphics or your home renovation!
CREATORPRENEUR TOOLS
Here’s a FREE tool that can help you choose an entire color palette or just a few colors that work well together:
This color tool is so easy to use that it’s worth the few seconds it takes to pull it up online.
All you need to do to generate a color palette is hit the spacebar on your keyboard. Random color palettes will come up. Then you have a variety of options to look at different shades of each color, check the contract with white or black text, and drag a color next to another color.
But here’s the BEST part!!!
You can copy the HEX code and paste it into The Graphics Creator!
Use it in any of the color code boxes… change your background color, text color, text outline color, shape color, etc!
Of course, Coolors does have a Pro version ($3/mo), which adds a few features and removes the ads. Only you can decide… either way, it’s worth checking out!
Here’s a Coolors color palette… just happens to be similar to Laughingbird Software’s company brand colors which use blue and yellow/orange 🙂
Coolors randomly-selected color palette
LAUGHINGBIRD CORNER
Of course, you can always use the color tools accessible right inside the Graphics Creator. You can color edit in all of the graphics editing menus… Format Canvas, Text, and Image menu.
Here’s how:
Slide your mouse over various colors and choose one
Use the special color dropper tool
How to use the Color Dropper to Pick Colors:
First, click to highlight the object, background, or text you wish to change colors on.
Then select the small color dropper image by clicking on it. Now you can pick up a color from anywhere on your graphics canvas by clicking it… and will automatically drop that exact color onto what you have selected.
This is super helpful when picking up brand colors out of your business logo, or when matching the color of your text to a color in your background or image.
Watch the video to see how to use the color picker tool, along with some other cool tricks to modify the text:
The #1 rule is to not use more than 2 or 3 main colors in a design. Typically, this includes one or two main colors and one or two secondary colors.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have other small areas of color as well… it just means they shouldn’t be noticeable. You might think it’s too hard to use only 3 colors, but take a look at how simple it can be in the image below.
As you can see, there are only 3 colors used. The brown text outline is used to keep the design warm and the natural green was pulled from the little green plant shown in the left corner.
