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Looking to turn your design skills into a profitable side business? Creating and selling mood board templates on Canva combines creative expression with passive income potential. Whether you’re a professional designer or just getting started, the growing demand for customizable mood boards presents an exciting opportunity to monetize your talents.
The rise of personal branding, interior design, and visual storytelling has created a steady market for well-designed mood board templates. Small business owners, social media managers, and creative professionals are seeking professional-looking templates that save them time and help maintain visual consistency. By offering pre-designed, customizable mood board templates, you’re providing a valuable solution for those who need polished visuals but lack the time or design expertise to create them from scratch.
What You Need to Start
Starting a mood board template business requires minimal upfront investment. Your primary tools include:
- A Canva Pro account ($119.99/year or $12.99/month)
- Basic understanding of Canva’s design features
- Computer with reliable internet connection
- Understanding of color theory and design principles
- Basic marketing knowledge
- Time to create and list templates
Identifying Profitable Niches
Success in the template market starts with identifying underserved niches that align with current design trends. Research potential markets by analyzing:
The wedding industry continues showing strong demand for mood boards, while personal branding and social media management represent growing sectors. Interior design mood boards remain consistently popular, especially with the rise of home renovation projects. Consider specializing in:
- Wedding planning and styling
- Personal brand development
- Interior design concepts
- Social media content planning
- Fashion collection planning
- Event planning and coordination
- Brand partnerships and pitching
Getting Your First Templates Ready
Creating professional mood board templates requires attention to detail and understanding of your target market’s needs. Your templates should strike a balance between creative design and practical functionality.
Start with these fundamentals:
- Choose a cohesive color palette
- Include placeholder text with helpful instructions
- Create flexible layouts that work with different image sizes
- Add design elements that enhance but don’t overwhelm
- Test your templates thoroughly before listing
- Include clear usage instructions
Consider creating template bundles that offer different variations of the same basic design. This provides more value to customers and can justify higher pricing.
Also See: Best Selling Canva Template Ideas
Pricing Your Templates
Before setting prices, research what similar templates are selling for across different platforms. Consider these factors:
- Complexity of design
- Number of variations included
- Commercial usage rights
- Market demand
- Platform fees
- Competition pricing
Individual templates typically sell between $5-15, while bundles can command $20-45 depending on the number of templates and variations included.
Expected Income
Building a sustainable income from mood board templates takes time and consistent effort. With good design and focused marketing effort, new sellers can easily earn $100-300 monthly during their first few months, with earnings potentially increasing as their template portfolio grows and they build a customer base.
Success stories show established creators earning $1,000-2,000 monthly, though these results aren’t typical and depend on factors like marketing effort, template quality, and market demand.
Where to Sell Your Templates
Distribution channels significantly impact your success. Consider these popular platforms:
- Etsy – Large marketplace with built-in audience
- Creative Market – Design-focused platform with professional buyers
- Your own website – Complete control over pricing and presentation
- Template marketplaces – Specialized platforms for digital products
- Design bundle sites – Opportunity for bulk sales
Next Steps
Starting your mood board template business doesn’t require perfect designs – it requires action. Begin by creating three to five high-quality templates in your chosen niche. Focus on solving specific problems for your target audience, whether they’re wedding planners needing client presentation boards or entrepreneurs requiring brand development tools.
Share your templates on social media, particularly Pinterest and Instagram, where visual content thrives. Join relevant communities, engage with potential customers, and gather feedback to improve your offerings. Consider offering one free template to build your email list and showcase your design style. Remember that building a successful template business is a marathon, not a sprint – focus on creating value and building relationships with your customers.