How to Sell Icons With TemplateMonster

The world nowadays aims to be minimalistic. When you look around, you find out that now things are much simpler than they were in the past. For example, the emoji symbols in our everyday texting. They express the meaning without a necessity to describe with words - it's quite clear. That is why the icon sets are taking leading positions in design. You can quickly show the main goal or name of the resource in a minimalistic way. If you are a designer looking for a profitable way to show your art, you are lucky to come across this article. Today we will show you how to sell icons and earn money with the leading marketplace - TemplateMonster.

You might have heard from your colleagues already that selling online is a gold mine. But there are several possible ways to make money on the Internet, from making your web store to joining the digital design marketplace. TemplateMonster knows and understands the needs of those who put the soul into creation. That is why we offer the best conditions for developers, among which you'll find high commissions, special offers, and stable customer flow. So let’s dive into it and see how to create an amazing product and join our family in a few clicks. 

What Are Icons and How to Choose The Style

First of all, we need to know what the icons are. These are small cartoonish elements of the user's interface. Commonly, such details represent the action, object, or idea of it. You can tell by the short glance whether the icon is good or not, as the high-quality one serves its purpose well and guides the user. It can work as the call-to-action, play the navigator role and help the one to learn more about what he sees.

You can easily find such objects on any website, online source, or app. Even when you unlock your phone, you see the navigation, app, and other system icons that help you go from action "A" to "B." There are three main types: universal, conflicting, and unique.

Universal

People quickly define the role and the goal of such an icon as a rule. They have the same meaning that users perceive intuitively, independently of the country and language. For example, the symbols of "Home," "Shopping cart," and "Print" are common to every PC user, so you can easily define what you need to do with it. Nevertheless, it's a rare type, and the list of such icons is quite tiny.

Conflicting

This type represents the objects with several meanings, or their significance cannot be defined at all. For example, you have probably seen the hamburger menu icon. Now, look at the browser scroll one - they look the same but have different purposes. Such details confuse, as if they are out of the context, people choose their meaning by giving it to their subconscious's prejudice. In two words, the expectations of the purpose and the purpose itself may be different.

Unique

It is the favorite type of most designers, as such a solution doesn't require explanations and set up goals. As a rule, the purpose and meaning are given to them by the client or developer when deciding how to use and where to place it. You can easily imagine such icons on the AppStore, PlayMarket, or WhatsApp icons on your phone.

Now when we know the basics, it's time to proceed to the second step - trends. They help understand the must-have attributes that make the product a bestseller and learn what clients require from the market today.

Trends to Apply To Sell Icons Efficiently

Fashion and trends are always a subject of discussion. Some say that it's a whim that we should ignore not to lose our individuality. The others say that it's the only way to success, as trends express the audience's favor, and customers are ready to put their money to become in demand. So let’s find out what are the top must-have features that clients want to use for their business.

Hand-Drawn

Everyone knows that handicraft is appreciated in all aspects of design. It shows the care of the master, his professionalism and creates a closer connection between the creator and the user. This type of icon has several advantages at once - it is minimalistic, does not have unnecessary details, and creates a coziness that buyers will strive for.

Abstract Shapes

Abstract art has not been inferior in trends for more than twenty years. On the contrary, it is always held in high esteem by connoisseurs of art and by those who love the element of mystery in their work. Everyone interprets such icons in their way. Therefore, it is better to place them in the background or the pricing or team blocks if you want to use them. They will not confuse the client and add flavor to the layout.

2 in 1

It's a quite unusual trend that impresses with originality. 2 in 1 means to use two icons in one asset by placing them into the back- and foreground accordingly. You may play with the colors and shapes. In general, such an option looks great in minimalist style and an accurate color scheme.

Two-Color

This trick works well by following the 80%:20% ratio. You may emphasize the details with one color and do the overall composition with another, but visually it should fit the rule. It also looks fantastic when you do the big design and impacts small objects that express the main idea or goal.

Circles

Circles are geometric shapes that symbolize the fullness and harmony in the composition. That's why the icons made with these outlines look more solid and professional. They are perfect for placing in the app logo icon or brand peculiarities section. 

How To Sell Icons Effectively?

So we’ve found out the features of the successful icons’ design. Now we’ll learn how to become a part of our Marketplace and add your item. We have made a handy tutorial with screenshots and comments on how to make it correctly. Please follow the guide below to join TemplateMonster. If you still have questions, you can refer to TemplateMonster Authors Knowledgebase or submit a ticket to our Review Team department.

Also, here is a helpful video about the authorship on our marketplace's Youtube channel. Check it out to learn more.

Prepare Your Icons

To sell textual styles that purchasers will gobble up, you need to set up a great item with a few significant viewpoints.

• Quality. Everybody aims to work with premium-quality goods. That’s why it is the first and the most meaningful aspect of attracting new buyers to your portfolio. 
• More opportunities. Don’t hesitate to make an icon with various color sets, gradients and include several styles to choose from. Topic-grouped collections are also excellent options to provide. The more niches the item covers, the more popular it becomes. 
• Documentation. As a rule, there are two types of users - professionals and newbies. That’s why it’s essential to take care of both and attach a handy guide for editing and publishing. Help your customers obtain outstanding skills by leading them through the primary steps in a world of Photoshop or Illustrator. That’s the right way to obtain users’ loyalty.
• Preview and description. Push the potential clients with an eye-catching preview design. It should be catchy and informative - you may include some package info here, the quantity of included assets, their special features. Underline the uniqueness and emphasize the value of your design.

Checklist: What Must Be Included

Here we provide the files that should be inside your template’s archive. They are obligatory for upload. If the component’s missing, the system won’t let the process finalize.

• Files in EPS, PNG, SVG, PSD formats;
• PDF Documentation file;
• Unique name - it might be features + “icon” or individual title for the design or set; 
• Author’s ownership - if our team has doubts regarding the ownership legacy, we may require extra proof;
• The description with at least 256 characters. It’s great to tell the unique properties of your template here;
• Preview images - JPEG files 800x500 resolution.

Welcome to learn the main criteria, the procedure of accepting authors' products to ensure you have collected everything before submission.

Let’s Get it Started: Registration and Upload

To create an author’s account, you need to click on the “Start Selling” button, as on the screenshot below:

After that, click on “Become an Author.” It will redirect you to the account registration page. 

Congratulations! You have created your author’s account. All the sales, templates, awards, and notifications will show up right there. Now let’s see the item’s upload workflow.

1. Go to the “Products” tab in your account and choose “Upload New Product.

2. Find the “Icons” category and click on the “Next” button. There is an opportunity to upload your sample as a free item. You agree to sell the design as a Premium one (paid one) by leaving the field empty.  

Now run the blue button again.

3. You see the icon’s upload form. The points with “*” are a must-have to fill out. That’s why pay attention to these when completing the form. The others might be empty if you want. 

4. Double-check the data and ensure it’s correct. The most important thing here is the demo link. It is the area the clients use the most, so it should work fast and correctly with all the theme’s sample data.

5. Extra tags and topics help your item to show up on more pages. It is a good way to attract more visitors to the products’ page. Besides, it is the top thing for multipurpose templates.

6. Place your .zip file with the archive.

7. Paste the preview images. It will help if you make them creative, bright with the icon’s original cuts.

8. Add some extra descriptions: format, tools, compatibility. Make it available in more searches!

9. Specify the exact software version. You may identify several programs, online tools.

10. Set the author-driven price for design within the recommended price range. It also depends on the exclusivity of your asset - non-exclusive items are cheaper than the original ones.

11. TemplateMonster also offers some extra profit channels for the authors: affiliate programs, sales, partner programs. In this step, you should decide whether your icon participates in specials.

You can likewise allude to the full item accommodation guide for additional subtleties. Once more, the cycle is quick and straightforward, after which the Review Team will twofold check all the data you've transferred. I'm certain you have questions about the sorts of deals and commissions, so we should continue to the following stage.

Price: Formation & Profit

We have different deals and commissions for each kind of item. You get up to 65% for every buys and can pull out the benefit whenever (there ought to be more than $100 for you to do it). The main factor is the sort. Contingent upon the stage and usefulness, the commission fluctuates from 40% to 65% per the theme.

The second important factor is exclusivity. There are two types:

• Non-exclusive type. You sell the same design at the same time on other marketplaces. 
• Exclusive type. It implies that your particular product is available for purchase on TemplateMonster Marketplace only. For this option, authors receive an additional 20% commission for each sale. Below is the table with the percentage you get for each template, including Sound Effects ones.

Template type	% you earn for the non-exclusive sale	% you do for the exclusive sale
Website (HTML/CMS)	40%	50%-65%
Plugins	40%	50%-65%
Audio & Video	65%	65%
Graphics & Icons	65%	65%

Besides, these commissions are surveyed from the creator-driven cost. While transferring your format for a survey, there is a window with suggested resource esteem. Contingent upon the provisions and usefulness, you can differ its sum. There is likewise a chance to take an interest in deals, special offers and get more benefits.

Benefits You Get When Sell Icons with TemplateMonster

Notwithstanding high commission rates and a clear audit measure, we offer numerous benefits to selling your themes. What you obtain with us: 

• Sell your layout with MonsteONE and procure by each download. 
• Admittance to a local area of 2Mln+ devs. Communicate with your associates worldwide and further grow your skills together!
• Straightforward payout framework. Effectively pull out your cash through PayPal when the record total ranges $100. You can do it every month between the twenty-fifth and thirtieth. 
• Creator-driven costs. Set the fee for your templates freely according to the market rules. 
• Reliable support. We are here to assist with any inquiries you have! 
• Become an affiliate with an offshoot program and get up to 95% commission: 65% as a vendor and 30% as an affiliate. 
• Stable traffic.
• Regular promotions. We’ll advertise your assets on TemplateMonster’s YouTube channel, blog articles, and social media.

What Other Categories Are Available on TemplateMonster?

Quite a long while back, we authoritatively changed into a marketplace. It made it conceivable to improve altogether and foster our assortment, add new items and types. Presently you can track down the following on our site:

• Website: WordPress, WooCommerce, HTML, Shopify, Magento, PrestaShop, Joomla!, Drupal, ZenCart, Bigcommerce, MotoCMS, landing pages, newsletter templates.
• Graphics: presentations, icons, fonts, corporate identity, logos, certificates, CV/resume, patterns, vectors, UI/UX elements, illustrations, and backgrounds.
• Royalty-free stock audio, video, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut;
• Plugins: WordPress, Prestashop, Magento extensions, JavaScript.

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Final Thoughts

We've assembled a convenient and definite tutorial for you to sell icons with us. We are happy to meet new devs in our family. The product’s value is the most significant in our work so that you may be calm regarding the costs, payouts, support systems, and customer care. Choose any convenient platform, any suitable formats to deliver the best user experience right to the beloved clients with the TemplateMonster Marketplace.  Also, you can get acquainted with tips to grow your sales and improve your income.

How to Sell Icons FAQ