In the world of design, things may seem pretty scary and overwhelming for beginners. Same can be said for small business owners who are trying to handle all of their marketing and design work themselves.
What tools can I use to create professional designs? How do I keep my brand consistent?
Where do I even begin?
Whether or not you're currently asking yourself any of those questions, it’s a no brainer to have some back up on your side. Having a list of design tools to help you out when things get tough, is an amazing way to get great work done, and save yourself the headache.
When you're not quite ready to work with a professional graphic designer or content creator, here are some of our current favorite design tools to get you started!
Canva
One of the best design tools we’ve come across is Canva. You may have seen their ads recently, as they’ve been becoming quite popular- and that’s for a good reason! Canva has a super easy to use platform that gives novices and small business owners the tools they need to get designs done fast.
They boast a selection of premade templates that you can tweak to fit your needs. And the benefit? These templates were designed by professional graphic designers. You can choose from millions of different photos, fonts, and graphics to make it fit the needs of your brand.
PRO TIP: when working with a template, remember that branding is your number one priority. How can you manipulate the template to reflect YOUR brand, not someone else's?
Unsplash
Unsplash is a great place to go if you’re looking for some quality photos for your print or digital marketing. They offer a large variety of professionally shot photos, that are free for commercial use. This can be a great tool for seasoned graphic designers, newbies, and small business owners alike. Having an arsenal of free picture websites up your sleeve is never a bad idea when it comes to hunting for marketing material. And the best part? They aren't stocky. #winning
PiktoChart
If you're in the healthcare, education or service industry, PiktoChart is another solid tool to utilize to create infographics. Infographics are visual representations of statistics or text descriptions. They allow your audience to digest the information in a more pleasing and approachable way. Because no one wants to reach a paragraph of statistics, right?
PiktoChart can be a great tool in campaigns that involve convincing your viewer of something, and is super easy to use! Just get your own dataset and insert your numbers into some premade templates. Yes, it's that easy!
Coolors
Coolors is a great online tool to utilize if you’re stuck on your branding, or if you’re in a creative slump. It’s a free resource where you upload an image and are given a customized color palette to utilize.
Coolors is a nice solution for branding when you want to evoke a certain vibe for your brand, but don’t know how to get there. They’re also great for designers of all levels, for when you’re stuck in a rut and feel like you can't quite pick out the perfect colors.
Design Isn't Easy
While these tools allow you to elevate some stress, design can still be a challenge. Especially for those with little experience in marketing, branding and design in general. But hey, we didn't study the world of design for 4+ years for nothing. While these tools are great to start out, working with a professional designer can really propel your brand to the next level.
Need help with one of these tools, or think you're ready to step up your marketing game? Let's chat!
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