FreelanceSwitch are sharing an interesting video in their post Video, Insight Design Conference-Quite Strong Talk.

This week we look at Insight Design Conference-Quite Strong by Design Collective Quite Strong. In this video two members from the group, Jennifer Sisson and Jana Kinsman, share tips and and ideas on self promotion in the design industry.

Did you find the video helpful? Let us know in the comments.

Kate sums up what it takes to be successful in design in the intro to the article:

The truth is, it’s managing to be many things at once and keeping a balance between communicating a concept and crafting great designs.

She then goes on to outline how to achieve that balance:

1. Successful designers plan ahead.
2. Successful designers know their audience.
3. Successful designers see the big picture.
4. Successful designers are clever.
5. Successful designers keep an eye on technology.

To soak in all of Kate’s insights, head over to Webdesigntuts+ and read the article in full. It’s worth it! As Aleksy said in the comments:

Wow………..what can I say!! This is one of the best post I’ve visited in this weekend.

And you’ll find even more of Kate’s knowledge and experience in her book Rockstar Icon Design, published by Rockable Press. Kate explains:

The book is the kind of book I wish I had while I was learning the ropes of icon design. I cover everything from the history and theory of icon design, to best practices and methods. I also share my experiences and take readers through the whole process of creating an icon set, by going through actual tutorial exercises where you design icons from scratch.

Interested? Learn more about her book here.

What interests me most is that the Envato Inspection Team is very serious and careful when it comes to file approval. They only consider high quality and highly needed files. They don’t want to clutter the Envato marketplace – they want to make sure that any item purchased from Envato will serve the buyer well.

If you are an author who submitted a carefully created file and all of a sudden it was rejected, you shouldn’t feel bad. There may not be anything wrong with your file, but Envato Support’s intention for the denial is to help you improve your skill and creativity. A good number of professional authors have experienced such a turn-out, including me.

What that makes you a serious-minded designer is if you are able to reach your peak despite how many times you have failed. Those who have achieved a successful portfolio understand Envato’s principles. Do you? To achieve a successful portfolio there are certain techniques you must apply.

Bear in mind that you may have a portfolio with hundreds of files, but they may not be successful. Someone with only 20 files can make more money than someone who has over 100 items. The reviewer will approve your item once it is up to standard and the complexity is high, but there may be few people in the world that are desperately in need of such an item, resulting in few sales.

But if your item is what I will like to call ‘A Popular Demand File’, you will make more sales than you could ever imagine. How is that possible? I will show you.

1. Study the best-selling items

Go to ‘Popular Items’ and take a good look at the best-selling files in the Envato marketplaces. See their complexity, study them and come up with a superior approach. It is also advisable to purchase popular items. They will help you to see what the author did in order to achieve such professional artwork.

Bear in mind that you most not in anyway violate Envato marketplace license by reselling the file without purchasing the full license which is different from the regular license. See this page for more details.

2. Improve on a good idea

There are good items in the Envato marketplaces that you can deeply advance or improve on in a way  that will make more sales than its precursor. Let your creativity flow, and believe me – you will enrich your portfolio with a good number of high quality and popular items.

3. Get feedback on your ideas

Before you turn your ideas into items, seek opinions from critics and friends. Ask whether such an item would be acceptable to Envato, and if accepted whether it would make huge sales. Don’t do this in the forums, but it might be appropriate to ask Envato Support.

It is not just about having your items accepted – it is about making sales and enjoying the fruit of your labor. What good is it to have an item in an Envato marketplace that has not made any sales for several months? It is better for it to be rejected and improved than for it to get stocked for a year before the annual marketplace thorough review. Heed this advice – it will help you a lot.

4. Visualize your item

After you have gathered opinions from several angles, sit down and conceptualize how you will make that item outstanding in order to become an irresistible file that any buyer would surely desire to purchase. This is where the hard labor begins.

There is something very crucial you must know. Selling items on the Envato marketplaces doesn’t require your advertizing, unlike most online marketplaces. You don’t need to pay any ActiveDen space company to advertise your username. You don’t need to try to convince buyers to purchase your item.

You can be on vacation and your items will still be making you rich without your presence being needed. You can still be busy with your main job while earning extra from your sales in Envato. Isn’t that great folks? But you need to do your part and create a highly needed item in order to start making more money.

5. Follow instructions

Once you start with construction, make sure that you follow all the instructions given to you by Envato Support. If your item has been denied before, use the ‘denial reason’ as an advantage to advance your new items.

Also know that you shouldn’t be discouraged if your item is denied. Trust me, what won’t kill you can only make you stronger. If only you can understand that item denial can only help you to improve, you will know that you can become one of the top authors in Envato.

Once you have reached that goal, you will be making nothing less than 500 sales a month. Now, multiply that with your commission agreement with Envato and know how many thousands of dollars you will have made.

Like I said, follow all the instructions carefully. Follow these tips:

1. Label correctly.
2. Be conscious of alignments.
3. Be mindful of the fonts you use and keep record of the names if possible the site where the buyer can get hold of it.
4. Most importantly, avoid license infringement.
5. Make sure that your item is highly useful to the buyer.
6. Consider depth intensity.
7. Avoid unattractive previews.
8. Remember to add ‘Help’ when necessary.
9. Be creative when writing your item description.
10. Give a decent title that will help buyers easily locate your file.
11. Consider item complexity.
12. The last but not the least, beware of bugs/viruses when compressing your file.

It is very important for you to know that if the buyer is happy with the item he/she purchased, they will follow your marketplace and will always come back for more appealing items. There is no greater joy than to see your items among the ‘popular files’, and can only be there depending how many sales your item has procured.

6. Read the upload instructions

After you have followed the steps above and you are ready to begin upload, read the ‘upload instructions’ to make sure that your item will not only be accepted but will also make a lot of sales. Creating a successful portfolio is all about having a good number of files that will procure huge sales.

Once you are done reading the instructions, go ahead and upload your item, and make sure that you place it in the right category. A good number of people often make a mistake and place their items in the wrong category. Their items will end up rejected although the reviewer will specify the right category for the file. Avoid this.

You can ask Envato Support to help you determine the right category for your file or you can simply search for similar files in the Envato marketplaces and see which categories they are in.

7. Wait

Finally, wait for a reply from the Envato Inspection Team / Reviewer, and once it is approved wait for the huge sales.

I hope this vital post will help you to achieve a successful portfolio. If you have any further question concerning this topic, please kindly ask Envato Support. They are willing to help you clear the smoke. God bless and good luck!

One key focus of his article is the Envato marketplaces, which he calls the “Amazon of digital goods.”

Most notable to readers of this blog are ThemeForest andCodeCanyon, where we sell site templates and code components, respectively. So how does that relate to you, as a WordPress theme designer? Well, if I can be conceited enough to throw some numbers at you, I think this will peek your curiosity!

And quote statistics he does. Mind-blowing statistics like how much authors can make in a single month. Jeffrey teases: “I don’t know about you, but that’s well more than I make! Maybe I need to quit my day job.” It’s gratifying to work for a company that enables authors to do so well.

Here are the stats:

• The top selling theme has made over $290,000 in sales.
• The fastest selling theme has made $215,000 in just five months.
• Authors can make as much as $50,000 in a single month.

Jeffrey goes on to convince theme-makers into embracing the “less is more” philosophy. Instead of selling your themes to big businesses for big bucks, sell them on ThemeForest for $20 or so. That type of thinking sounds counter-intuitive, and prompted the following response from one designer:

I did not spend 40 hours on a theme to sell it for $20. That’s .50 cents hour!

Have you ever had a similar thought? Understanding you might need some convincing, Jeffrey goes on to spend a few thousand more words proving his point, and then explains how authors can maximize their success on the marketplaces.

Have you taken the step of becoming an author on one or more of Envato’s marketplaces? Are you already on a marketplace but would like to be more successful? Then do yourself a favor. Read and absorb Jeffrey’s brilliant post. You won’t regret it!

Once you receive it in the mail, take a picture of the pick either holding it where we can also see your happy face or put it somewhere creative or unusual and take a photo of it. Please keep it clean boys and girls! Then, come back to the same thread to post your photos.

Let’s Do This!

Picks will be sent out on a first come, first served basis based on the order of who responds to the thread and who gets back to me quickest with their address. Please DO NOT post your e-mail address or mailing address in this thread. Just post a comment saying you want one and then we’ll contact you via the e-mail address connected to your marketplace account. Thanks!
So without further to do, who wants one?
Sorry, guitar not included.