For four years now, Supply.Family, a curated online marketplace for designers founded by designers Krists Dārziņš and Mārcis Loķis, has been offering high-quality mock-ups, typefaces, design templates, and other useful tools for designers. During this time, Supply.Family has grown into one of the world’s leading sellers of high-quality digital design products, earning the trust of its customers and giving designers the opportunity to make money by selling their products, not time.
Like many successful businesses, Supply.Family grew out of necessity. The company was founded in 2020, at the onset of the COVID pandemic. At that time, design projects related to the hospitality and tourism industry were frozen, so Krists Dārziņš was forced to look for alternative sources of income. His first digital product was a simple mock-up of an iPhone and a MacBook, which had its first buyers the next day and is still in high demand. «That’s when I realised I don’t have to sell my time and sit in an office. You can also make money by developing your own products,» says Krists.
Following his initial success, Krists invited 3D designer Mārcis Loķis to work with him on the 3D mock-ups. Eventually, the designers realised that this way of working was too slow and they couldn’t diversify fast enough, so they decided to set up their own digital design marketplace and also offer products designed by others. Unlike other similar platforms, Supply.Family focuses on high design quality and only works with professionals who can deliver it, testing the work of new partners beforehand. Initially offering only mock-ups, the site has now expanded to include typefaces, design templates, various textures, and other graphic elements and tools for professionals. The most important market for the shop is the US, where around 40% of all purchases come from, followed by the UK with around 25%. Supply.Family’s clients include Pentagram, DixonBaxi, Order, and other internationally renowned design studios.
Following his initial success, Krists invited 3D designer Mārcis Loķis to work with him on the 3D mock-ups. Eventually, the designers realised that this way of working was too slow and they couldn’t diversify fast enough, so they decided to set up their own digital design marketplace and also offer products designed by others. Unlike other similar platforms, Supply.Family focuses on high design quality and only works with professionals who can deliver it, testing the work of new partners beforehand. Initially offering only mock-ups, the site has now expanded to include typefaces, design templates, various textures, and other graphic elements and tools for professionals. The most important market for the shop is the US, where around 40% of all purchases come from, followed by the UK with around 25%. Supply.Family’s clients include Pentagram, DixonBaxi, Order, and other internationally renowned design studios.
Supply.Family still sells its products on other platforms, and Krists recommends that every designer who creates digital products diversify their sales channels, as this can not only help them earn more money, but also increase their popularity. He points out that it is quite difficult to reach potential buyers on your own. In the early stages of the company’s development, Krists made daily social media posts to promote Supply.Family, but he notes that Google searches and targeted work with SEO play a more important role in gaining customers. Thanks to the high quality of the products, around half of all purchases on the platform are made by existing customers.
Krists encourages designers to consider that it is possible to make a living not only by selling their time but also by designing their own products. It is also an opportunity to earn a relatively passive income alongside your main job. Chris places particular emphasis on students, who can earn money alongside their studies and gain practical experience that can be useful in the job market. Designer Sasha Belyaev (Blvd.one), who sells his products at Supply.Family, talks about the collaboration: «Krists and Mārcis are experienced designers, and from the very start they set a high quality bar with their products, leading by example. For those who are now selling design mainly as a service, I would definitely recommend trying to translate a tool you have created into a product. Everyone in the industry has similar tools and challenges — what works for you is likely to work for others. It’s also a great opportunity to get your name and services out there. For me, the most valuable part of working with Supply.Family is the opportunity to test ideas, experiment with aesthetics that are not in demand locally, or simply cannot be implemented within a brand.»
More about Supply.Family on their website.
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