A great graphic design can be produced with a good artist and a good tool. But both of them are not always available on hand. So, what’s an alternative? There are plenty of online tools that offer professional results without you having to pay anything for them.
Here is the list of the seven best free graphic design tools that will help you achieve your goal without breaking your bank account and also, we’ll discuss what graphic design is, what designers do, the importance of budget, reasons for using free graphic software, and much more. Let’s get started.
What is Graphic Design?
Graphic design is the process of visual communication through the use of typography, photography, images, symbols, and colors. It is the art and technique of combining text and images.
The field of Graphic Design includes the skills, methods, and approaches used to design communications that can be read or looked at. Graphic design is an essential part of marketing, branding, and the overall success of a business.
What Graphic Designers Do?
Graphic designers are responsible for taking raw ideas from clients or their own minds in order to produce finished work that communicates with its audience.
The best graphic designers are able to understand how to communicate an idea visually in a way that resonates with their audience. Graphic designers have many tools at their disposal in order to help them solve problems creatively in order to share information effectively or tell a story in an entertaining way.
What is the Difference Between Graphic Design and Illustration?
Most people are not aware of the differences between two seemingly similar disciplines – graphic design and illustration. There are many differences in their approach, mediums, and impact on the audience.
Illustration: is a process of creating an image that is realistic in appearance, but it doesn’t have to be really accurate to any specific thing. It’s more about how it makes the viewer feel rather than what the image actually looks like.
Graphic design: is a process of using visuals to convey information or tell a story often on a page or on some other surface such as computer screens or billboards. Graphic design can include web design and branding work as well as marketing materials such as infographics.
7 Best Free Graphic Design Tools for Designers
Sometimes it’s not about what you know, but what you can afford. And with this in mind, if you’re a designer looking to work for yourself or to grow your portfolio without breaking the bank, these are some of the best free graphic design tools for designers with no budget to create quality graphics, which is the key to their creativity.
1. Sketch
Sketch is a vector graphics editor that is able to produce high-quality results and has been designed for easy and intuitive use. The application is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems.
2. Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is a cheaper alternative to Adobe Illustrator with many of the same features. Professionals will appreciate how easy it is to use and learn which makes it an attractive choice for price-conscious designers.
3. Vectr
Vectr is an app that makes it easy to create vector-based graphics on any device. It’s really useful for editing graphics that you need to share with others, like logos or graphics for your website, and doing so no longer requires design skills.
4. GIMP
GIMP is a widely-used, open-source application that serves as the most popular free alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Its interface is similar to its competitor, and it offers a wide array of features for editing images and photos.
5. Canva
Canva is a free online graphic design software with a drag-and-drop interface. With this tool, you can create banners, flyers, social media images, presentations, and more. You can create something in Canva for absolutely any need that you might have. You can use it to design graphics for marketing your business online or offline. You can also use it to design invitations for birthday parties or weddings. The possibilities are endless when you have the right tools at your disposal.
6. Pixlr
Pixlr is a free photo editor and graphic design app that helps you edit your photos and create designs to share with your friends. Pixlr’s easy-to-use tools can help you adjust colors, crop photos, add frames and effects, text, and more to any image. There is no software to install so it can be used anywhere.
7. Figma
Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that allows designers to create prototypes with pinpoint precision. This includes the ability to link screens, edit objects, and preview animations all in real-time. It can save a designer a significant amount of time and energy by allowing them to do things like combine shapes into one object or copy and paste text from one page to another without having to type it out again.
Types of Graphic Design Professionals
In the past, graphic design was exclusively a service provided by freelance designers. Nowadays, there are many more different types of graphic designers.
Each type of designer has its own unique skillset and uses different software to create its designs. They also differ in terms of how they work with clients and time commitment. Graphic Designers can work in many different fields including advertising, product design, illustration, art direction, web design, and more.
While freelance web designers, freelance illustrators, and freelance designers are the most popular types of freelance jobs in the field, there are other jobs that you can look into if you want to break into graphic design.
Freelance Graphic Designer
A freelancer who specializes in logo design or other branding collateral for businesses is an invaluable resource for any company to have. They can be called upon at any time to create a new logo, re-design the look of their brand, create graphics for advertisements. or provide consultancy for other branding collateral.
Freelance Web Designer
A web designer is a person who designs websites and graphics for the internet. They use various skills to create these things such as graphic design, CSS, HTML, and other programming languages. They work closely with other designers, graphic artists, coders, developers, and content writers to create an aesthetically pleasing digital environment.
Freelance Illustrator
A freelancer illustrator is an illustrator who works on commission who specializes in drawing illustrations for promotional material, advertising campaigns, book jackets, magazines, newspapers, and other media outlets. The job requires a wide range of skills including creativity, originality, and an advanced understanding of color theory. Freelance Illustrator may work in any industry that needs illustrations to support its marketing campaigns.
The Importance of Budget in Creating a Successful Project
One of the most important considerations in any project is budget. The budget is often the first obstacle that your project will have to overcome.
You need to establish a baseline cost before you can determine whether or not your project is feasible. This will allow you to create a realistic budget for your project without overspending or underestimating what it will take to complete it successfully. The more realistic you are with what your budget needs are, the easier it will be to make sure that you stay on track.
You need to think about your budget as an investment decision. The more you spend the more you will get back, but just don’t forget to think about what your budget is and how much you can invest.
A successful project should not only take into account the final product, but also the costs and time needed to produce this product.
5 Reasons Why You Need to Get Free Graphics Software Like Canva Today
The best thing about a tool like this is that it can be used by anyone. It is so easy to use and doesn’t require any prior graphic design knowledge to use it and also why it is essential for businesses, bloggers, and professionals in digital marketing.
There are many reasons why you need to get graphics software like Canva today, but I’m going to list the 5 most important ones for your consideration.
- It is completely free! This means that you can download it and start using it without paying anything for design tools.
- It has hundreds of templates that you can use for your projects! You’ll never have trouble finding the right template for your project with these many options available.
- You will be able to create professional-looking graphics quickly and easily! No more wasting time trying to figure out how everything works on Photoshop or Illustrator. This app has all the tools you need, including shapes, text options, and other advanced settings.
- Free graphics software like canva today make it easy to create images for different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram or post on blogs with just a few clicks.
- You can create beautiful infographics in minutes by using templates and pre-designed shapes and icons that are easy to customize with your content.
That’s a Wrap!
Graphic design tools are essential for designing logos, brochures, flyers, posters, etc. While these tools are mainly used by professionals with a budget, but now you know there is plenty of free graphic design software available for designers who work with zero budget.
I already mentioned some of the best free graphic design tools, including Adobe XD, Serif PhotoPlus X8, Flux Studio, Adobe Spark, and MyPaint. These tools work well on Windows or Mac OS and can be used to create professional-quality designs. So have you used this software before? Tell me in the comment section.
