Introducing Mouse Pads and Desk Mats

Designed and sold by vonik and noviajonatan

Mouse pads and desk mats are great Back to School products. We shared some customer insights on the recent post announcing baseball caps and dad hats, focusing on high school and college kids. If you’re thinking about making new designs for this audience, it’s worth revisiting those tips.

In addition to Back to School, both products are easy, affordable ways to personalize a home office, workspace or or study area. Many people are still working from home and investing in making their work and study areas more comfortable. They also make great gifts for anyone heading back to the office.
Incorporating Trends
If you’re looking for design inspiration, exploring trends is the way to go. Some of the most successful artists on Redbubble have found a way to incorporate trends while still being true to their own unique style. It doesn’t mean changing your whole approach to making art. You should always be driven by what you’re interested in creating, but spend time thinking about your audience and their interests, how they link to current conversations or cultural moments, and how this may influence what people are searching for.
Artists often tell us they struggle with incorporating trends so here’s an example. A couple of topics have come out of the Tokyo Olympics in recent weeks. There’s excitement around new sports like surfing and skateboarding, and many people have been inspired by amazing young athletes like Sky Brown and Momiji Nishiya. Articles like this also reference skateboarding’s rise in popularity, especially among girls and young women. The article also talks about how more people want to reconnect with nature and are trying outdoor sports and activities as a result of the pandemic.
It’s a great example of a broad topic that has trending elements. From here, you can pick a niche that interests you (skateboarding, surfing, badass women inspiring others, hiking, connecting with nature, fitness, health) and do keyword research to find the most popular search terms and related topics. Search social channels and news articles to tap into conversations and see what aspects are most popular. Armed with this information you can create something in your own style with a better sense of how you’re going to tag your work and connect with potential customers.
If you’re looking for more tips, read our article on identifying trends with artist Katie Crumpton.