The first step of creating digital products is defining your own talent - it’s crucial to play to your strengths and passions. You’re far more likely to be able to find the commitment to succeed, produce great products, and successfully reach your audience if you create products in the field you love.

Ian Barnard

"I’m so glad that I decided to experiment and persist in creating digital products. Not only has it increased the enjoyment and fulfilment of my work but it’s enabled me to have more confident in my abilities as an artist and take me to places which I never thought possible."

Ian Barnard

Leading designer of hand-lettering products & fonts

Work Within Your Talent

Take Ian Barnard and Lisa Glanz for example - they don’t just produce lettering and illustration products, they live, breathe and love all things lettering and illustration. The hugely successful products they create come from the passion and knowledge they have in their subjects. It’s easy for their loyal customers to see that from the quality of the products they produce.

The Benefits Of Working With Your Talent

Here are some of the reasons why you should focus on working within your talent:

  • Higher-Quality Products

    It'll be easier for you to make high-quality products, as you'll be working within your main skillset.

  • More Innovation

    You'll find innovative product ideas more easily, as you'll have more insight into your chosen field.

  • Easier Marketing

    Your marketing will resonate more with your audience as you'll already 'talk their language'.

Piggy Bank

Key Takeaway

You should make products which use your main talent; ones which are in the field you're most interested in and have a passion for.

How Do I Define My Talent?

Try and answer the following questions:

  • What's your core skill?

    Where do your main creative skills lie? Is there something which you really shine at?

  • What's Your Main Passion?

    What do you love doing? The dream is to make your job your passion so that you love your work!

  • Where Can You Provide Quality?

    Is there something you have a lot of experience in, or do better than others?

  • How Does That Translate?

    How can you combine your main skill, the experience you ready have and your passion into creating digital products?

Matching Your Talent To Product Creation

Use the following tables to help match your main talent to different categories of product. Then browse around products within that category - if they get you excited, that’s a good sign you might have found your niche!

Fashion Design

Graphic Design

Hand Lettering

Illustration

Photography & Image Manipulation

Type Designer

Scrapbooking

UX/UI

Matching Your Aesthetic To Product Creation

As well as matching your talent, you can also match the aesthetic (type of design) you’re interested in, see the tables below for examples:

Corporate

Industrial

Modern

Retro

Piggy Bank

Find Your Talent Action List

Work through the following points and make notes in a Google doc or similar to use later.

  1. Answer what you’re most interested in, what you have a passion for, and where your most experience lies.
  2. User the product category tables to see which product categories and aesthetics excite you, and which might match up with your interests, passions and experience.
  3. Make a note of which product category and or aesthetic you would like to create products in.

Matt Slightam

About The Author

Matt Slightam is Co-founder and creative director at Design Cuts. He's creatively directed some of the biggest digital design products on the market - working with many leading designers such as Shoutbam, Trailhead, Latino Type, Pretty Little Lines, ROHH, Julia Dreams and many more.

Matt puts out regular useful content to help designers via Instagram, and can be found at @mattslightam