Tijana Jovanovc, a graphic designer based in Serbia, is one of Zedge Premium’s top 100 earners. We asked her to share a bit about her history as an artist, along with some tips for how she makes money making art with Zedge.
What kind of art do you make?
I've been working as a graphic designer for more than 20 years. I create brand and logo design, packaging design, posters... everything related to graphic design.
(Note: click on the link beneath any image to buy that wallpaper without a watermark.)
When and why did you first become an artist?
After primary school I went to art school for graphic design. When I finished that school I went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Novi Sad, where I graduated as a graphic designer and art professor. Immediately after my education I started working as a graphic designer for different companies.
What else do you do for a living, if anything?
For the last 12 years I've been working as art director and graphic designer for a company based in Belgrade. We produce a wide range of school, art and office products. I'm creating packaging and visuals for all products. All my life my earnings come just from my work related to graphic design.
What tools do you use most in your work, and how has that changed over time?
When I started doing graphic design I was using Corel and Photoshop. Soon I replaced Corel with Adobe Illustrator, and now I'm primarily using those two programs for all my creations. During all those years standards and aesthetics in the creative world were changing. When I was in university we created posters by hand, with collage, paints and photography. Creativity was at a higher level back then. I think it is really important to have all those high creative experiences without any help from the internet; you can develop your creativity skills on a higher level. And after that you can use the internet as a tool, not as inspiration. Inspiration is in your head and your heart.
What’s your opinion of AI image generators?
I started using AI back in October 2023. I started with Midjourney. That was a big discovery and help. I think that AI is good if you are using it as a tool, not as inspiration. AI is very dangerous for people who don't have creativity and knowledge about design, composition, ideas and aesthetics. Then you can't create original ideas, because most of the images you create with AI tools are bad. You need to have knowledge and ideas in your head about what kind of image you want to achieve.
How and when did you first discover Zedge Premium?
Zedge discovered me back in October 2020.😄 I have created an app with my friend for wallpapers. Zedge discovered our app, and sent us a request to join the team for Premium Artists.
How many profile pages do you have in Zedge?
All my profiles I created spontaneously during all those years. I started with just five, I think. Nowadays I have around 100 profiles. They are not all active, I mean I don't upload wallpapers daily to all of them.
How many items do you upload each day/week/month on average?
I'm trying to upload / publish around 20 walls every day, with different styles and themes. Each wallpaper is for a different profile.
How much money do you make from Zedge on average?
My earning was the best in 2023 till September-October. The most I earned was around $5,000 for one month. Mostly it was around $3,000. But now earnings have dropped to $1,000 per month.
What are some of your most successful works with Zedge users?
I'm trying to be original and to create various themes and styles to reach different target groups. I really don't know how much income I get from each wallpaper. I can say that my favorite are comic characters I create because they bring me a lot of fun and joy while I'm creating them :) And this is the most important for every artist. Zedge users can feel this positive energy and they respond positively to this kind of work.
Some of my profiles with comics characters are: Comics World, Cute Skeleton, FUNNY TijanaWalls. My skeletons had a big success and popularity on Zedge and all over the internet 😄
What are some of your favorite recent pieces of work?
It is hard for me to choose one category or one style, because all my wallpapers I create with the same energy and love. If I choose as a professional graphic designer, maybe my profile My White Walls is the one that I personally like a lot. I can't say that those wallpapers are the most popular, but in my opinion they have the strongest message and graphics value. They are clean, simple, with nice modern design, good composition and good message. But their commercial purpose is not that strong, they don't have a wide target group.
What’s surprised you about Zedge users?
During all those years on Zedge, I have had a pleasant experience with users' feedback. I can see my wallpapers all over the internet, that means that users like them and find them attractive 😄
What tips or tricks do you have for other Zedge artists?
First, the most important advice that I wrote to all artists that reach me for help is: DON'T WATCH WHAT OTHER ARTISTS DO. Never! Don't follow other artists' ideas, trends or styles. Create your own, honestly and with your own creativity. Users will recognise that. Other advice is: Work hard and be constant in your work. And for the end: Be patient, don't think about the money and enjoy your work. Those are my guidelines not just for Zedge but for all my work in graphic design. Competition doesn't exist if you create original ideas. If someone copies you, you will create something new from your head and your heart. No one could ever take that from you 😄