Ways to earn $$ online

Spoonflower homepage

Are you looking for the perfect work from anywhere income stream? Remote, boss-free, client-free, fun design work!

​Spoonflower is an awesome website where you can list your repeating patterns and murals for sale.

I've been designing surface patterns for fabric and wallpaper on and off for a few months now — and when I started, there was a lot of trial and error involved. Getting the repeats seamless, understanding colourways, figuring out what actually sells. I ended up writing everything down as I went, and that turned into a book.

If you're a designer who's ever thought about earning outside of client work, surface pattern design is worth a look — you design once and the file keeps selling. I also used Claude to quickly create a section in my design portfolio for my pattern designs, you can see it here.
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My first Spoonflower fabric order arrived this week and this is what I thought of the quality.

video preview​

I also wrote a free guide on how it works:
​How to sell your designs on Spoonflower →​

And if you want the full process — seamless repeats, colour, murals, AI-assisted workflows — the book is here. Kindle, €9.99.

I even use Claude Cowork to create a trend report for me every month, and create pattern briefs with .ase swatches all ready to import into Adobe Ilustrator. I go into detail on how to do this in the book.
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​Freebies & tools I use (affiliate links)

  • ​Claude Cowork — the desktop AI I use for writing, research and automating boring tasks. Free to try.
  • ​Claude Code — the developer version. Free to start.
  • ​Figma — you probably already have it, but if you're not using FigJam for whiteboards and workshops, it's worth a look.
  • ​ElevenLabs — best AI voice tool going. Generous free tier.
  • ​FramesX — great UI kits if you work in Figma.
  • ​Wise — if you freelance internationally, this will save you a fortune on transfer fees.
  • ​Creative Market — still the best place for quality design assets.

I only recommend tools I actually use.

Hit reply to ask me about surface pattern design!

Rachael
​Designer since 1999. Learning something new every week — just like you.

The Design Edge

Design tutorials & resources ---New tools, apps & features ---Portfolio tips ---Use design skills to earn $$$ ---Workflow optimisation ---All things AI ---Rachael is a design author and educator specialising in UX, UI, Product Design & Surface Pattern Design. She creates books and lessons that help designers stay ahead of the tech curve and build commute-free careers.