Discover the design work you are naturally drawn towards:

Your Pinterest boards or saved inspirational images will be a big help here—identify any patterns in style, industry or design category.

check for design niche that fits in with your personal lifestyle:

your hobbies are a reflection of your personality (important for your branding), and if you are already interested in an industry, you will have a big head start as its design expert.

What type of work will keep you engaged in the long run?

it’s good to think about what niches allow for enough variety and creative exploration to keep you interested for a long time.

What types of clients approach you?

For example, if you are often approached by children’s brands like the following designer, consider filling your portfolio with the kind of designs that work

for children’s book illustrations, apparel patterns, branding etc. This will allow you to keep your portfolio diverse while making the most out of a particular

client base.

How can you cast a wide net?

A category specialization like label design can give you access to all sorts of different projects. Just make sure you’re aware that the broader the niche, the more work you may have to choose from but the more competition you’ll face.