Designers who niche, win.

It’s hard. As designers, we want to design… everything! We see a need and want to fill it with great design.

However, in the crowded world of design, many creatives struggle to stand out. They chase clients, lower their prices, and compete against countless others offering the same services. If this sounds familiar, it’s time to shift your approach. Instead of being a generalist trying to do everything for everyone, you need to carve out a niche.

Blair Enns, in The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, argues that positioning yourself as an expert in a specific area is one of the most powerful ways to win clients without competing on price or pitching for free. Here’s why niching down has been a game-changer at Boosted.Design.

1. Experts Get Hired, Generalists Get Compared

When a company is looking for a designer, they don’t want just any designer—they want the designer who understands their unique challenges.

When I started freelancing, I was doing everything. I designed websites, brochures, business cards—everything—for every industry!

I was as general as they come, which is why I found myself chasing business rather than business chasing me.

Imagine you’re a law firm looking for a website redesign. You come across two options:

• A generalist designer who works with all kinds of businesses (me in the beginning).

• A specialist designer who focuses on law firms, understands legal marketing, and knows what works in the industry.

Which one do you think they’ll trust more?

The specialist wins because expertise reduces risk. Clients prefer to hire someone who has solved similar problems before.

As a freelancer offering too many services across all industries, I diluted the perception of quality I could provide. And honestly, that perception wasn’t far from reality—I didn’t have enough experience in one service or industry to truly know what worked and what didn’t.

When I transitioned from freelancing to running an agency, I decided to narrow our focus to websites and SaaS. Later, I realized even that was still too broad.

2. Higher Value = Higher Prices

When you try to serve everyone, you compete on price. But when you specialize, you compete on value.

Generalist designers often hear:
“Can you lower your price?”
“We’re comparing multiple options before we decide.”

But specialists hear:
“We need your expertise—how do we start?”
“You’ve worked with companies like ours before; when can we begin?”

When you own a niche, you become a premium provider, not a commodity.

Clients expect to pay more for expertise, allowing you to charge based on value rather than hours. I’ll have a separate newsletter just on this topic—pricing is something I’m still learning.

3. Niche = Fewer Competitors, More Demand

A broad market means more competition. A niche market means fewer competitors and greater demand for your specific skills.

Think about it:

• How many general designers are out there? Thousands.

• How many designers specialize in e-commerce UX for fashion brands? A handful.

If you dominate a niche, you own that market instead of constantly battling competitors.

However, as markets become more saturated, you may need to niche down even further. For example, FinTech design used to be a niche, but now it’s too broad. Designers in this space are going a level deeper and focusing on:

• Personal Finance

• Crypto, Web3, & DeFi

• B2B FinTech SaaS

Niching down further helps you build a trusted network and stand out in a growing market.

Lastly, fewer competitors also mean higher quality competition. If you’re in a niche, your services need to be top-notch.

4. Attract Clients Instead of Chasing Them

Niching down allows you to build authority in a specific space. When you consistently share insights and showcase work within a niche, potential clients begin to see you as an expert.

Suddenly, you’re not cold-emailing and begging for work—clients are coming to you. You’re magnetic instead of desperate.

You become the go-to person for your niche, and referrals start flowing because people know exactly what you do.

5. Your Marketing Becomes 10x Easier

Marketing is hard when you’re trying to appeal to everyone. But when you have a niche, your messaging becomes clear and direct.

Instead of saying:
🚫 “I’m a freelance designer who does web, branding, and marketing materials for any business.”

You say:
✅ “I help SaaS startups create conversion-focused websites that drive growth.”

See the difference? The second one speaks directly to a specific audience. This makes your LinkedIn posts, website, and outreach far more effective.

(At Boosted.Design, we’ll be testing different marketing strategies for niches and sharing what we learn!)

How to Find Your Niche

If you’re unsure where to specialize, ask yourself:

• Which industries or types of businesses do I enjoy working with?

• Where do I already have experience or insights?

• What design problems do I solve exceptionally well?

• What type of work excites me the most?

Your niche could be industry-based (e.g., Health Tech, Real Estate, AI Startups) or problem-based (e.g., Conversion-Focused Design, UX for Dashboards, Branding for Coaches).

Our Niche Journey at Boosted.Design

At Boosted.Design, we’re still niching down.

We initially focused on websites and SaaS, primarily for early-stage tech brands. But recently, we’ve noticed a trend—many of our projects are in Health Tech.

So now we’re asking:
👉 Is there an opportunity in becoming the go-to agency for early-stage Health Tech brands?

We’ll update you in a future newsletter about our niching-down journey, so stay tuned!