Online platform reveals ‘monumental milestone’ royalties pay-out to indie designers
Making a living from art and greeting cards isn’t always easy but online card marketplace Thortful has just revealed it has paid over £12millon to the creatives who supply the designs for its platform.
Since the platform launched in 2016, selling cards from independent designers, illustrators, artists and graphic designers, the royalties paid out have gone towards everyday living needs, rent, weddings, mortgages and holidays.
“It’s a monumental milestone,” Thortful CEO Pip Heywood said, “we’ve awarded creators with £12m in royalties so far. They’ve paid for flights to Australia, a year’s worth of rent, and even a wedding dress!”
There are 6,000 talented folk working with the platform, with plenty designing full time as their main business, while many use it as a side-hustle to express their creativity – the comparison firm Finder.com says 43% of Brits have an extra form of income bringing in an average of £207 a week.
Portsmouth-based illustrator Angela Chick has been with Thortful since it began, having sold 85,000 cards in that time which she reckons have paid for around a year’s worth of rent, although sales do vary from month to month.
“During my busiest months, it was my main bread winner,” Angela admitted. “I love the flexibility that working with Thortful provides. I put my designs up for approval and the money ticks in. It’s really helped me out during the quieter times in my business, and it’s so important to me that I have time to get out and about to feel inspired.”
Becky Dinnage from Surrey is known as Ludicrous Prints on the platform and has saved her royalties to pay for a £1,600 flight to see a pal in Australia: “I’m actually doing this trip with my husband. He paid for his flights too using the money he earned on Thortful – his brand is The Blunt Badger. I’ve also been able to earn extra income that I put towards my holidays every year.
“Designing for Thortful also gives me flexibility to work alongside my full-time job as well as my disabilities as I have fibromyalgia and am partially sighted.”
Pip added: “These stories are what make Thortful so special, and what drives us to keep pushing boundaries and supporting our creator’s creative journeys. We wouldn’t be able to succeed without their unique talents and we can’t thank the community enough.”
The online greetings card marketplace provides a platform for independent creatives to sell their designs from all over the globe, with the company handing the whole production side as well as customer queries, and all creators receive an industry-leading royalty rate each time one of their card designs is sold. To find out more about becoming a creator for Thortful, click here.
