I remember my first attempt at “graphic design.” I was in college, and I’d downloaded a free cute dp trial of some ridiculously complex software. I spent about three hours trying to draw a simple circle and ended up with something that looked like a squashed potato. I closed the laptop and figured, “Well, I guess I’m just not a ‘creative type’.” For years, it felt like there was this exclusive club for designers, and the price of admission was a fancy degree and a computer that sounded like a jet engine.

Thank goodness things have changed.

The whole world runs on visual content now. That little coffee shop down the street, the startup trying to get funding, the influencer you follow—they all need good design to tell their story. The wall between “pro designer” and “person with a great idea” has crumbled. The tools we have now are so smart, so intuitive, that anyone with a bit of taste and a willingness to learn can start creating professional-level work.

So, if you’ve ever felt that creative spark and wondered if you could actually make money from it, this is for you. Let’s talk about the tools that can turn your side hustle dream into a reality in 2025.

1. Adobe Express: Your New Creative Co-Pilot

I’ll be honest, when I first heard about another “all-in-one” design tool, I was skeptical. But Adobe Express is different. It feels less like a watered-down version of the pro tools and more like a smart assistant. It’s become my go-to recommendation for anyone who wants to produce a ton of content without spending weeks learning software.

How you can make money with it: Speed is your superpower here. Imagine a local business needs a whole social media campaign for a weekend sale. With Express, you can use the AI “Text to Template” feature, type in “flash sale for a bakery with a cozy vibe,” and get a dozen editable starting points. It’s a lifesaver. I have a friend who started a small branding service, and she uses it to create logos for her clients. She has them fill out a questionnaire, plugs their answers and brand keywords into the AI generator, and presents them with five stunning, unique options in less than a day. It lets her serve clients who don’t have a five-figure budget, and she’s making a great living doing it.

The resize feature alone is worth its weight in gold. You can design one perfect graphic, maybe a full poster size ad, and then instantly have it remixed for Instagram, Facebook, and an email banner. It’s a massive time-saver.

2. Canva: The People’s Design Tool

You’ve probably used Canva. Maybe for a resume, a party invitation, or a class project. It’s the tool that opened the door for millions of us. Its strength is its simplicity and its absolutely massive library of templates.

How you can make money with it: Think beyond one-off designs and focus on digital products. I know people who have built six-figure businesses on Etsy just by selling Canva templates. They pick a niche—say, templates for podcasters or wedding photographers—and create beautiful, easy-to-use bundles. You do the creative work once, and you can sell it over and over again. It’s the closest thing to passive income a designer can get.

3. Figma: The Big Leagues of App & Web Design

Okay, if you’re looking to design the next Spotify or Airbnb, Figma is where you need to be. It’s the undisputed champion for designing websites and apps (what the pros call UI/UX). It looks a bit intimidating at first, but it’s where the high-paying freelance gigs and remote tech jobs are.

How you can make money with it: The earning potential is staggering. Learning Figma is like learning a skilled trade for the digital age. You can freelance for startups desperate for a clean, user-friendly app design. You can build UI kits—think of them as professional-grade LEGO sets for other designers—and sell them. It’s a serious tool, and it leads to a serious, and seriously lucrative, career.

4. Procreate: For the Artist with an iPad

This one is pure joy. If you have an iPad and an Apple Pencil, buying Procreate is the best $12 you’ll ever spend. It feels less like software and more like an endless sketchbook with magic powers. The way the brushes mimic real paint and charcoal is just incredible.

How you can make money with it: This is all about unique, custom art. People pay good money for custom digital portraits of their pets or families. You can create one-of-a-kind illustrations for authors or bloggers. My favorite hustle is designing art prints and selling them on sites like Society6. You just upload your art, and they handle the printing and shipping. You get to focus on being an artist.

5. & 6. The Legends: Photoshop & Illustrator

These are the original titans, the software I was so scared of all those years ago. Photoshop is the master of anything with pixels (photos), and Illustrator is the king of vectors (logos and graphics that can scale to any size). They have a steep learning curve, no doubt. But for certain jobs, nothing else comes close.

How you can make money with them: Specialization. Become a wizard at photo retouching in Photoshop, and e-commerce brands will line up to hire you. Master Illustrator, and you can build a career designing high-end brand identities for companies that need their logo to look perfect on everything from a pen to a billboard. They are powerful tools for high-value work.

7. Spline: Your Secret 3D Weapon

For the longest time, 3D design required a computer that sounded like it was about to achieve liftoff. Spline changed the game. It’s a web-based tool that makes creating 3D objects and animations feel fun and intuitive.

How you can make money with it: You can be the person who offers something different. While other designers are delivering flat graphics, you can create an interactive 3D product model for a client’s website or an animated 3D logo that stops people in their tracks. It’s a way to stand out and offer a premium, futuristic service that clients will pay extra for.

8. Kittle: The T-Shirt Guru’s Best Friend

This is such a cool, niche tool. Kittle is laser-focused on helping you create that trendy, vintage, retro look that’s so popular on t-shirts and other merchandise. It’s packed with unique fonts, textures, and illustrations to nail that vibe.

How you can make money with it: Print-on-demand is the name of the game. You can design an entire collection of awesome t-shirts in a weekend, upload them to a service like Printful, and connect it to an Etsy shop. You never have to buy a single shirt or deal with shipping. Kittle just lets you focus on the fun part—designing cool stuff that people will actually want to wear.

The Only Thing Left is to Start

Look, the tools are here. They’re waiting for you. The barrier to entry that kept people like me out for so long has been completely obliterated. Whether you’re drawn to the AI-powered speed of Adobe Express, the artistic freedom of Procreate, or the raw power of Figma, there’s a path for you.

Pick one that sparks your curiosity. Watch a YouTube video. Try to recreate a design you like. Just start. The ability to make a living from your own creativity is no longer a far-off dream. It’s right there, on your screen. Go get it.