Whether you're a graphic designer, web designer or other creative professional, finding work in a down economy can be tough. And what do you do when a client doesn't want your brilliant design, or you have no work to do to begin with?

Why not sell those rejected designs as templates, and spend your downtime competing against other designers for projects without having to schmooze the client first? Here are over 40 sites where you can sell everything from logos to web templates, photos, WordPress themes, and much more.

Have another site to recommend? Tell us more about it in the comments.

Stock Marketplaces







Graphic Leftovers - Sell logos, icons, illustrations, templates and more through this site. Graphic Leftovers pays higher royalties than many comparable sites.

iStockphoto - Sell photos, illustrations, flash, video, and more through this quality-controlled site. (Mashable has a partnership with iStockphoto)

CoSwap - Swap your designs or codes for something else you need, or sell your work outright.

VectorStock - Sell vector stock images through this site.

FlashDen - Flash file marketplace that pays you at least 40% of the sales price.

VideoHive - Sell your stock video footage and motion graphics.







ThemeForest - Sell stock web design templates and earn at least 40% of the sales price.

GraphicRiver - Sell vector images, layered Photoshop files and more.

Shutterstock - Earn $.25 per download for photography and vector images.

MyFonts - Sell your fonts as part of the largest font collection online.

WP Theme Market - Design and sell WordPress Themes.

cutcaster.com - Sell your digital images and vector graphics, along with stock video.







Clever Andy - See your designs turned into fully-functioning sites and then earn commission on the total sale price.

Templamatic - Upload and sell your own website templates.

CMS Market - Sell templates, extensions and more for Joomla and WordPress (Drupal will be added soon).

Css Templates Web - Sell low-cost, css-based website templates.

Linotype.com - This site actively seeks new font designers to add to their collection.

ITCFonts.com - Sell complete font character sets through this site.







Cerizmo - Sell any kind of digital product in your own customizable store and get paid instantly.

Theme Galaxy - Premium WordPress theme designers who are always looking for new talent to join their team.

Wordpress Designers - Another premium themes site that is on the lookout for new designers to work with.

StyleWP The Press Exchange - A forum-based platform for buying, selling, and trading WordPress themes.

webmaster-talk - Another forum-based marketplace for website templates.

Digital Point Buy, Sell or Trade Forum - Sell templates or entire sites on this forum.

Covantage Templates - Sell website, flash, logo and other templates.

Custom Marketplaces







crowdSPRING - Work on spec on a variety of design projects, competing against other designers.

99 designs - Compete against other designers on real projects to win cash prizes.

Project4Hire.com - Bid on projects in a variety of categories including graphic design and web design.

DesignFirms - List your design firm and have clients come to you for project bidding.







Zooppa - Create ads and compete against other designers to win cash prizes.

LogoBash - Get paid $180 for any logo you design chosen by a client.

Alternative Ways to Make Money With Your Designs







redbubble - Another artwork marketplace where you can sell wall art, t-shirts, calendars and greeting cards.

Minted - Submit designs to this regular contest and receive cash prizes.

Artbreak - Sell paintings, drawings, and photography alongside other artists from all over the world.

Threadless - Design a t-shirt, submit it for voting, and if it's one of the best, see it made and sold.

Artist Rising - An artwork marketplace that includes photography and digital art.







imagekind - Sell artwork in a variety of formats—framed, canvas, posters, greeting cards and more.

Spreadshirt - Create custom t-shirts to sell.

pikistore - Set up your own online t-shirt store.

I Vote For Art - Put your artwork up for sale and have it voted on.

Zazzle - Put your designs on unique products to sell.

More design resources from Mashable:

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Kativ