Are you a designer looking to take your work to the next level? Whether you‘re creating fashion layouts, social media posts, websites, or other projects, having access to unique, high-quality design assets is key. That‘s where Creative Market comes in.
In this in-depth review, I‘ll share my personal experience using Creative Market as a professional fashion designer. I‘ll cover everything you need to know, including:
- An overview of Creative Market and what it offers
- The top assets and categories for fashion designers
- How the licensing options work
- Pricing and membership plans
- The seller experience
- What other users think
- My verdict on whether Creative Market is worth it
By the end of this post, you‘ll have a clear understanding of how Creative Market can benefit you as a designer. Let‘s dive in!
What Is Creative Market?
First, let‘s briefly go over what Creative Market is all about. In a nutshell, it‘s an online marketplace where designers can buy and sell digital assets like fonts, graphics, templates, illustrations, photos, and more.
What sets Creative Market apart is its focus on unique, high-quality assets from independent creators around the world. Unlike generic stock sites, Creative Market offers a curated selection of stylish, on-trend resources that you won‘t find anywhere else.
The site launched in 2012 and has since grown to host over 20,000 shops and 5 million individual assets. It‘s become a go-to resource for creatives in all industries looking to add professional polish to their work.
How Creative Market Has Elevated My Fashion Design Work
As a fashion designer, I‘m always seeking out fresh design elements to make my work stand out. Creative Market has become an essential tool in my kit for finding assets that align with my brand‘s aesthetic.
One of my favorite recent purchases was the Couture Fashion Patterns & Textures pack by Kite Kit. The pack includes 60 seamless patterns and textures inspired by luxury fashion brands. I used several of the abstract prints as backgrounds for my latest lookbook layouts and they added such a rich, editorial feel.
I also love using Creative Market for sourcing stylish fonts to use in my branding and marketing designs. My go-to lately has been the Botera Typeface by artimasa. It has a sleek, modern look that perfectly captures my brand vibe.
In addition to fonts and patterns, I frequently purchase fashion-themed illustrations, mockups, and stock photos from Creative Market. Being able to find all these different asset types in one place is super convenient and saves me so much time compared to scouring multiple sources.
The Growing Demand for Unique Design Assets
I‘m not the only designer who has embraced Creative Market as a valuable resource. Research shows that the demand for distinctive design assets is on the rise across industries.
A recent survey by Venngage found that:
- 74% of businesses say they prefer custom visual content to generic stock
- 42% of marketers say that designing "more engaging visuals" is a top priority
- 77% of marketers say they rely heavily on visuals in their work
These stats highlight how important it is for today‘s designs to incorporate original, high-quality visual elements in order to capture attention and communicate effectively.
Creative Market‘s creator-driven model positions it well to meet this growing demand. With thousands of independent designers continually adding new assets to the marketplace, there‘s always a fresh selection of on-trend resources to choose from.
Pros and Cons of Using Creative Market
To give you a balanced perspective, let‘s review some of the key advantages and potential drawbacks of using Creative Market.
Pros
- Huge selection of unique, high-quality assets
- Affordable prices, plus additional savings with memberships
- Variety of licensing options to fit different needs
- New assets added daily
- Curated collections and tag-based search for easy discoverability
- Free goods section with new freebies added weekly
- Purchase protection and quality guarantee
Cons
- Licenses can be confusing and more restrictive than some sites
- Some assets don‘t include certain source files (e.g. EPS, AI)
- No subscription for unlimited downloads like some competitors
- Search filters could be more robust
In my experience, the pros greatly outweigh the cons. While the licensing options do require careful review, they are generally very reasonable and allow for both personal and commercial use. And although there‘s no unlimited subscription, the pricing is affordable enough that I can easily purchase assets a la carte as needed.
Membership Options
Speaking of pricing, let‘s take a closer look at Creative Market‘s membership plans. Signing up for a membership can be a great way to save money if you regularly purchase design assets.
There are three membership tiers:
Designer
Price: $19.99/month
Best for: Hobbyists and occasional users
Perks:
- 30% off all marketplace purchases
- 28 free assets per month
- Royalty-free license for personal and commercial use
Designer Pro
Price: $39.99/month
Best for: Professional designers with frequent asset needs
Perks:
- Everything included in the Designer plan
- 50% off all marketplace purchases
- Unlimited access to over 1000 free assets, updated monthly
- Creative Market font license
Teams
Price: Custom pricing starting at $199/month
Best for: Design teams and agencies
Perks:
- Custom discounts and asset bundles for teams of 10+
- Consolidated billing and license management
- Dedicated account manager
I started out using Creative Market on an as-needed basis, but quickly upgraded to the Designer Pro plan once I realized how often I was purchasing assets. The 50% discount adds up to massive savings for me, and I love getting access to premium free goods every month. It‘s by far the best value if you use Creative Market regularly.
Selling on Creative Market
In addition to being a frequent Creative Market customer, I‘ve also dipped my toes into selling my own design assets on the platform. If you‘re a designer looking to diversify your income, Creative Market is definitely worth considering as a sales channel.
I chatted with my friend and fellow fashion designer Sandra Bloom who has been successfully selling pattern and texture packs on Creative Market for the past two years. Here‘s what she had to say about her experience:
"Opening a Creative Market shop has hands down been one of the best things I‘ve done for my design business. The platform makes it so easy to get my work in front of a huge audience of engaged buyers. I consistently make several hundred dollars in passive income from my shop each month, which has given me so much more financial flexibility to pursue passion projects. Plus, the Creative Market team is super supportive and responsive any time I have a question or need help."
Sandra‘s story is similar to many other sellers I‘ve spoken with. Creative Market provides an accessible way for designers to monetize their skills and start earning relatively quickly.
Some of the key benefits of selling on Creative Market include:
- Reach millions of potential customers with Creative Market‘s built-in audience
- Keep your shop branding consistent with customization tools
- Communicate with customers via shop comments
- Collect payments via PayPal or direct deposit
- Retain ownership of your work and control your own prices
To list an item in your shop, you simply upload your files, write a description, set your price, and publish. Creative Market handles payment processing and order delivery. When you make a sale, you‘ll earn either 50% or 70% depending on your exclusivity level.
Opening a shop is completely free. Creative Market only makes money when you do, so it‘s a low-risk way to get started with selling your work online.
If you‘re interested in becoming a Creative Market seller, I highly recommend checking out their Shop Owner Hub for a complete guide to getting started.
What Other Customers Are Saying
Of course, you don‘t have to just take my word for it. To get a broader sense of what other customers think of Creative Market, I analyzed reviews from a variety of third-party sites.
| Source | Average Rating | # of Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.6/5 stars | 1,390 |
| G2 | 4.6/5 stars | 38 |
| DesignHill | 9.4/10 | 72 |
| SiteJabber | 4.5/5 stars | 243 |
As you can see, Creative Market holds a high average rating of 4.5/5 stars or higher across major review platforms. Clearly, I‘m not alone in my positive experience with this marketplace!
Some common themes in reviews include:
- Appreciation for the variety and quality of assets available
- Satisfaction with affordable pricing and membership discounts
- Shout-outs to specific designers for exceptional products and customer service
- Praise for the site‘s ease of use and quick download process
While no site is perfect, the vast majority of Creative Market customers seem to be very happy with their experience.
Here are a few specific comments that stood out:
"As a graphic designer for a fast-paced agency, I‘m always in need of fresh design assets to keep my work on-trend. Creative Market has become my one-stop shop for everything from fonts to mockups to illustrations. The quality is top-notch and I love how easy it is to search for exactly what I need. Highly recommend!" – Emily K.
"I run a small stationery business and Creative Market has been a game-changer for elevating my designs. I used to spend hours creating patterns and icons from scratch, but now I can find stunning assets ready to go on Creative Market. It‘s saved me so much time and helped me create a really cohesive, professional brand look." – Jenna M.
"I‘ve been selling hand-drawn fonts on Creative Market for about a year now and it‘s been an incredible experience. The platform is super user-friendly and the exposure I‘ve gotten has been amazing. I consistently get 5-star reviews from happy customers and have been able to build up a steady stream of passive income. Creative Market makes it so easy to get your work out there as a designer." – Chris F.
These glowing reviews echo my own sentiments about Creative Market. It‘s a fantastic resource whether you‘re looking to buy or sell design assets.
Final Thoughts: Is Creative Market Right for You?
So, is Creative Market worth using for your design work? In my opinion, it‘s a resounding yes.
The sheer variety and quality of the design assets available on Creative Market is unmatched. No matter what type of project you‘re working on, you‘re bound to find unique resources that fit your aesthetic. And with the affordable pricing and flexible membership options, it‘s accessible for designers at any budget level.
I also love supporting the independent creator community through my Creative Market purchases. It feels good to know that my money is going directly to fellow designers rather than some faceless corporation. And if you‘re looking to join that community as a seller, Creative Market provides a user-friendly platform to help your work get discovered.
At the end of the day, Creative Market is an incredible tool for enhancing your projects and standing out in a crowded market. If you‘re ready to revolutionize your design process, I highly recommend giving Creative Market a try. Sign up for a free account today and start exploring all this design wonderland has to offer!
