8 Digital Art & Design Business Success Stories [2024]
Digital art and design is often used to create visual content for websites, apps, and other digital platforms.
Digital art and design businesses can be either freelance or full-time.
They can work in-house for larger companies or as independent contractors for other businesses or individuals.
In this list, you'll find real-world digital art & design business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a digital art & design business that makes money.
1. UX studio ($2.03M/year)
Budapest-based UX studio was founded by Dávid Pásztor, a computer engineering and information technology graduate, who started his journey by selling his lego collection to buy his first computer and creating his first website. After working as a part-time UX designer, Dávid took the leap and turned his contracting work into a full-fledged UX design agency, offering services to clients worldwide. With a focus on marketing and attracting international clients, UX studio has grown to become a top design agency, recognized by industry-leading platforms such as Clutch and Zeplin.
How much money it makes: $2.03M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 41
UX Studio, a user experience design agency based in Budapest, Hungary, founded by Dávid Pásztor, has grown to generate almost $2 million USD in revenue per year with a profit rate of 20.5%, while supporting dozens of clients across various industries and running two successful independent product teams.
2. VecRas Creations Pvt. Ltd. ($144K/year)
Spotting a gap in the booming gadget skin market, graphic designer Sunil Aggarwal launched VecRas in 2007 to supply essential digital templates, transforming a $1,000 per month start into a $20,000-$30,000 revenue stream with a nationwide customer base.
How much money it makes: $144K/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
How many people on the team: 10
Founder Sunil Aggarwal started VecRas in 2007, a digital design company that provides Vinyl Ready Vector cut file templates for skins and Smart PSD mockups for mobile devices, which initially did $1,000 per month and now expects $20,000 - $30,000 per month with customers growing nationwide.
3. Love & Logic ($96K/year)
Angela had been the co-founder of a large successful agency for over a decade. However, her work-life balance wasn't optimal, and she was struggling to juggle roles between an agency owner and a creative person. Finally, she decided to take the leap and start her own solo creative studio with a clear mind and a focus on freedom.
How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
How many people on the team: 0
Love & Logic is a profitable solo creative studio, specializing in brand identity, animation, and motion graphics, averaging around $8k per month, targeting ethical brands, local authorities, and universities with a clear brand strategy, manifest, and reputation for quality and value-based pricing.
4. The Design Database ($60K/year)
Courtlyn Jones, the CEO and founder of The Design Database, came up with the idea for her business after quitting her job at a design company and realizing she wanted to do more than freelance design. She wanted to create a platform that would support and connect freelancers in the creative industry, allowing them to choose their own projects and keep 100% of their earnings. Through marketing efforts on social media and strategic spending on ads, Jones was able to attract over 800 subscribers in less than 45 days.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 2
The Design Database is an online platform and community for creatives that connects them with clients who are looking to hire now, providing tools and resources for them to successfully build their careers, and has gained over 200 creatives and 25 companies since its launch in late July, as well as receiving grant funding from the HerRise Pitch Competition by HerSuiteSpot and raising over $10,000 on Kickstarter.
5. Avatoon ($56.4K/year)
Zoltán and his colleagues founded Avatoon.net after realizing the obscure market for custom hand-drawn avatars. They launched their website and attracted customers through an email campaign and ProductHunt feature, and have since focused on improving their SEO to attract organic traffic. With a majority of their clients being returning companies, they plan to spend more on SEO and introduce different art styles at different price points in the future.
How much money it makes: $56.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $800
How many people on the team: 3
Avatoon.net founders share how they started a $4.7k/month business selling custom hand-drawn avatars and grew to an average of $5,000 per month with ~100 clients through SEO-focused marketing and serving returning companies.
6. Imagined with AI ($54K/year)
Sabatino, a full-stack freelance developer and head of development at Craftzing, became interested in the AI revolution happening and trained his first model after playing around with Google Colabs. During a city trip to New York, he and his girlfriend Silke came up with the idea for AI-generated portraits, which led them to launch Imagined with AI. Within 24 hours of launching their MVP, they sold their first AI-generated portraits and have since attracted customers from over 25 countries, generating over 234,000 unique images to date.
How much money it makes: $54K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Imagined with AI generates unique, AI-generated portraits in various styles that has helped generate over 234,000 unique images to date, and is used by customers in over 25 countries.
7. Custom Pet Portraits by Tiffany Dnaka ($14.4K/year)
Tiffany started her custom pet portrait business after experiencing loss and wanting to create a specific style of artwork to remember her furry friend. She launched on Etsy but eventually moved to her own website to have more control over her marketing and customer communication. Through trial and error and a strong presence on social media, Tiffany has been able to attract and retain customers, and she plans to focus on scaling her brand in the future by partnering with celebrities and influencers.
How much money it makes: $14.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $473
How many people on the team: 0
Custom Pet Portraits by Tiffany Dnaka has seen massive growth since starting in 2021, with yearly revenue doubling year after year and an average of $1,200 a month in sales, and founder Tiffany's 2021 goal is to scale by teaming up with celebrities and influencers.
8. Justin Erickson Art ($10.5K/year)
Justin Erickson, an independent artist based in Vancouver, came up with the idea for his business after attending local events and showcasing his artwork. He realized that he could turn his passion into a career and started developing his brand, taking professional product photos and designing collateral for clients. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Justin has been consistently earning between $500-$1,500 a month through his art.
How much money it makes: $10.5K/year
How much did it cost to start: $7.03K
How many people on the team: 1
Independent artist Justin Erickson earns between $500-$1500 a month and offers advice on developing a career as an independent artist and graphic designer, from building a brand through printmaking, launching a business, attracting and retaining customers, and learning from other resources.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
