Mockups for designers
One of my most important marketing tools: MOCKUPS
Over the years, the biggest change came when I replaced flat images with mockups. I love drawing and creating new designs, but honestly, as a designer, that's not the most important thing — especially if the goal is to actually earn income from our creations. Since there's no way, financially or time-wise, to show our work live on every single product, the primary marketing tool is the mockup — one that lets us reach an audience we couldn't even imagine otherwise.
Right now, I spend most of my week putting my designs onto different mockups, for the look of it and for sellability. Honestly, I really love watching the designs come to life, seeing on different surfaces how good they look — and that's often how I get inspired, thinking about what else I could add to the design, building a whole collection out of it. For this, of course, it matters a lot to have a tool that's easy to work with, and I know that in the end the photo really does look like it's been cut out of a catalogue.
I use mockups every day for marketing purposes on Instagram, Pinterest, Behance... name it , and honestly, this is one of the things that made the biggest difference in my business. Simply because neither clients nor prospective companies can imagine how a design will look on clothing, fabric, a mug, or wallpaper, based only on a flat image.
As a beginner designer with a small budget, I was obviously looking for something I could afford, or even something free. That's how I found Creatsy, years ago — not only do they offer reasonable prices (they're basically a mockup-making machine :) ), but the quality is also incredibly high. Whenever I finish a design, I can hardly wait to put it up and see it on fabrics, wallpaper, mugs, clothes. The possibilities are basically endless, and there's nothing you won't find on their website.
Good news — who doesn't like freebies?
This bathroom mockup is free on Creatsy website.
Click the link to get it .
Something else I think is worth mentioning: in the beginning, before you have a steady income, it really matters what you spend money on — and for me, that's where Photopea came in. It's a free version that works with mockups just the same as Photoshop. It's a lighter version, and very easy to use — that's how I started too, back when spending money on software still felt like a huge risk, or committing to an app for years, when I didn't even know if I'd manage to stay in this community as a designer at all. It's made by one person, Ivan Kutskir, a Ukrainian programmer, who spent years building it without any recognition before it became what it is today. You can use it for free, or for a small €50/year, which I think is nice to support a small business like his. You can simply use it in your browser — just type in photopea.com, or click "Open from Computer" at the bottom.
During my time in business, I've been lucky enough to become a Creatsy affiliate, since they're my favorite company, and I'm happy to work with them — you can use the link here if you'd like to buy from them. I've never been disappointed with the company, whether it's the quality of the mockups or the customer support, which genuinely cares about their clients, both future and existing.
Hope this helps if you're just getting started. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!
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