We’ve had plenty of great advice here on the Creative Market blog about how to boost your product sales through effective descriptions, screenshots, and sales strategies; but what about the actual product itself? Like myself, I’m sure other shop owners often ask themselves “What the hel-vetica shall I design for my next product?” It’s an exciting question but can also be quite daunting, creating a digital product from scratch can take a long time and you want to make sure that time is invested wisely. I’d like to share some points worth considering before you’ve even started the design process of your next digital product, which will help to maximise your chances of hitting those popular pages.
1. What’s trending?
A bit of market research can go a long way in this case, and there are some quick & easy ways you can not only figure out what’s currently in high demand, but also pick up a little inspiration on the way. One very handy tool and a great starting point is the Top 100 Search Terms on Creative Market spreadsheet, which will give you an insight into some general design categories that are likely to generate traffic. For a more direct approach, sites like Designspiration, Dribbble and Behance will give you a large dose of popular creative work and current design trends, perfect for getting those creative juices flowing.
2. Use your strengths to your advantage
In a nutshell, do what you’re good at doing! (Thank you captain obvious, your work here is done). But more specifically, what skills do you have that are most likely to stand out amongst the crowd? Following on from the last point, it’s easy to get carried away with an idea just because it’s hot on the popular list. Being a jack-of-all-trades can certainly have it’s benefits, but focussing your products on your most honed skills will allow your individual style to shine through; something that we regularly see in top selling products.
Skybox Creative often specializes in products with an abstract, cosmic style with a real eye-catching quality.
3. Uniqueness is key
This can often be the most difficult part when it comes to planning your next product, and sometimes ideas are unique for a reason; “T-shirt mockups… on a cat? Eureka!” But one easier way to approach this is by looking at the current trends and finding a new angle to work from, rather than trying to think of something completely unique. Finding a gap in the market can have a drastic effect on your products success, and this is where the extra planning & research can really pay off.
Faith & Glory follows the current trend in hand lettering, but by combining 2 different font styles it offers a unique selling point.
4. Make sure it’s a good investment for your customers
Before starting on your next product it’s worth asking yourself, “will this save my customers time & money?” We’re all too familiar with budget constraints and looming deadlines set by our clients, and anything which can help ease these pressures is sure to be an attractive quality. One-click effects, reusability and bonus extras are all areas to consider when it comes to designing a highly investible product.
Pit Stop is not only a great time-saver, but it’s also a product that could be used for years to come without using the same texture twice.
5. Appeal to a wider audience
So you’ve done the hard bit and nailed down a concept for your next product, woo-hoo! But remember that designers come in all shapes and sizes, and if possible try to avoid limiting your products appeal to one particular group. This general idea can be applied across a range of product categories, for example:
- Extra language support for fonts can massively widen your potential customer base.
- Multiple software support, e.g. Illustrator and Photoshop versions of your product will keep both the vector & raster fans happy.
- Highly customisable web & graphic templates can appeal to users in a variety of industries.
Simply by adding some alternative colour schemes Booker – Business Presentation appeals to corporate clients as well as students and creative types.
Now all you need to do is create it!
Ultimately it’s down to you to go that extra mile with your next product, and I’m a firm believe that ‘cream rises to the top’, i.e. those of the highest quality will generally be the most popular. But the purpose of this post is to act as a helpful framework for your next project, and highlight the fact that a little bit of planning can go a long way in terms of your products success and legacy.
How do you plan your digital products? Please do comment below if you have any other tips or advice, I’d love to hear your suggestions!
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