Assignment 1
Freelance Digital Products: Research & Market Analysis
In this course, you will act as a freelance graphic designer and digital entrepreneur. Across Assignments 1, 2 & 3 your task is to research, design, publish, and sell two original digital products using an ecommerce website.
You will explore current market trends, identify opportunities, and create digital products that provide value to a specific audience. This project simulates a real-world freelance workflow — from research and ideation to design, pricing, and launch.
By the end of Assignment 3, you will have:
- • Two market-ready digital products
- • A live (or mock) storefront
- • A business plan you can include in your portfolio
- • Practical experience selling creative work online
Students will:
- • Understand digital product marketplaces
- • Apply design thinking to solve real user problems
- • Develop freelance business skills
- • Research and analyze market demand
- • Price and present digital products professionally
- • Gain experience selling creative work online
- • Design two original digital products
- • Reflect on your freelance experience
You may choose to publish your products live and potentially earn income from sales.
For this first assignment, focus on research and market analysis. Identify a platform to sell on, research current trends, and analyze which digital products are in demand and worth creating.
Complete the attached template, documenting your chosen platform, target audience, competitor research, and the two product ideas you plan to develop.
Gumroad is recommended because it is free to use, has no upfront costs, offers real-world freelance experience, and is scalable for future projects. Not a fan of Gumroad? Compare these alternatives:
Gumroad
Creator-friendly platform to sell digital products and subscriptions
- Pricing:
- Free to start
- Fees:
- 10% platform fee + payment processing (~2.9% + $0.30)
- Notes:
- Simple setup, good for templates and ebooks
Etsy
Marketplace for handmade, vintage, digital downloads & physical products
- Pricing:
- Free to start
- Fees:
- $0.20 listing fee per item, 6.5% transaction fee, ~3% + fixed processing
- Notes:
- Built-in customer traffic, easy to start
Shopify
Hosted own online store
- Pricing:
- Monthly $29+ (Basic plan)
- Fees:
- ~2.9% + $0.30 card fee (Shopify Payments)
- Notes:
- Fully customizable store, stronger branding
Redbubble
Print-on-demand marketplace (you upload art, they print & ship)
- Pricing:
- Free to upload
- Fees:
- You set markup above base cost, platform takes the difference
- Notes:
- No upfront inventory or shipping hassles
Ko-fi
Creator support platform (donations + shop)
- Pricing:
- Free plan available
- Fees:
- ~0–5% on digital sales depending on plan + processor fees
- Notes:
- Great for tipping and selling simple digital files
Payhip
Creator shop with free plan
- Pricing:
- Free plan
- Fees:
- 5% transaction fee on free plan + processor fees (paid plans reduce this)
- Notes:
- Excellent promo tools (coupons, affiliates)
CartMango
Checkout/cart tool focused on digital product sales & creator control
- Pricing:
- Free (beta, no platform fees)
- Fees:
- 0% commission, you still pay Stripe/PayPal fees
- Notes:
- Direct payouts, instant delivery, no platform commission during beta
Use these categories to spark ideas for the two original digital products you will create:
Branding & Templates
- • Logos and logo kits
- • Brand identity kits
- • Social media templates
- • Presentation templates
- • Business card & stationery templates
- • Flyer, poster & brochure templates
- • Resume and CV templates
- • Media kits
Illustration & Vector
- • Digital illustrations
- • Icon sets
- • Character designs
- • Clip art packs
- • Vector art & SVG files
- • Seamless patterns
- • Digital stickers
- • Emotes for Twitch and Discord
Fonts
- • Custom fonts
- • Handwritten fonts
- • Display fonts
- • Serif and sans-serif font families
- • Font bundles
- • Dingbats and symbol fonts
Web & UI
- • UI kits
- • Website templates
- • Wireframe kits
- • Mobile app UI kits
- • Dashboard templates
- • Landing page designs
Photography & Effects
- • Stock photos
- • Photo presets
- • Overlays
- • Textures
- • Background packs
Motion & Video
- • Motion graphics templates
- • Animated logos
- • Video intro & outro templates
- • Lower thirds & title animations
- • Video transitions
- • Animated social media posts
- • Lottie animations
3D & Game Assets
- • 3D models
- • Game characters
- • Environment assets
- • Game UI elements
- • 3D icons
- • Textures and materials for 3D
Print & Paper Goods
- • Posters, wall art & art prints
- • Coloring pages
- • Planner inserts
- • Journals & workbooks
- • Greeting cards & invitations
Bundles & Brushes
- • Brand starter kits
- • Social media content systems
- • Design asset bundles
- • Niche-specific asset packs
- • Photoshop, Procreate & Illustrator brushes
- • Canva templates
- • Mockup files
- • Notion design templates
Complete a thorough research and market analysis that identifies your selling platform, target audience, and two viable digital product ideas — setting the foundation for designing and launching your products in Assignments 2 and 3.