Carolina Muñiz
A good design work is essential in any digital strategy. Visual stimuli make the difference when it comes to the user making a decision, so each idea must be accompanied by creative elements that differentiate us from the competition and attract our audience to meet the objectives set. In this article we are going to show you the best design tools on the market that will help you achieve this.
It is important that your brand has its own design that identifies it and that everything that is published has a characteristic visual form so that the brand can be recognized at a glance. This will be achieved by creating a logo, choosing corporate colors and taking care of the design of the contents published on behalf of the brand.
Top 10 design tools and others you should take into account
We have selected the 10 best design tools on the market, which will help you in your digital marketing strategy, whether or not you have knowledge in this discipline. But we also bring you other very useful tools that may also be what your company is needing.
In both cases, the order of the list is alphabetical.
Remember that we are constantly updating the tops and that any suggestion you want to make to incorporate new names will be welcome😉.
The 10 best design tools…
- Adobe Illustrator y Adobe Photoshop
- Bancos de imágenes: Depositphotos, Freepik, Pixabay y otros
- Canva
- Corel Draw y Corel Photo Paint
- Crello
- Dafont
- Figma
- Genially
- Gimp
- Paint
… and others that may be very useful to you
- Adobe Color
- Adobe Spark
- ClipDrop
- Clip Studio Paint
- Creative Force
- Designrr
- Desygner
- Easel.ly
- Edit
- Fireworks
- Glorify
- Gravit Designer
- Google Fonts
- Infogr.am
- Inkscape
- Notegraphy
- Photopea
- PhotoWorks
- PicMonkey
- Piktochart
- Pixelz
- Placeit
- Sketch Up
- Snappa
- Thenounproject
- Vectr
- Visme
- Wepick
Adobe Illustrator y Adobe Photoshop
Among the software programs for creating and editing digital images, the most popular in the world of graphic design and advertising are Photoshop and Illustrator, two essential design tools owned by the American company Adobe. Photoshop is used to work with images, while Illustrator is more oriented to drawing or illustration (one works with pixels, the other with vector graphics). For audiovisual content the latest is After Effects, also from Adobe.
What is their main handicap? That all three softwares are paid ($25/month each). So if you do not have the means to get hold of these programs and you are not a professional graphic designer, there are other ways to create multimedia content that can be useful in your online strategy, and that we leave you below.
Image and vector banks
A very important complement for the creation of our graphic contents is the use of image banks, through which we can extract high quality photographs and videos. If we focus only on the free ones, we get names like Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay, Morguefile, Flickr, Videvo o Free Images.Although all of them have elements that can only be downloaded for a fee.
Then, there are tools that only work with subscription or prepayment system, such as Depositphotos or Shutterstock, dos de los más populares en todo el mundo.
In addition to image banks, there are also vector banks on the network if what we need is to accompany our images or infographics with small drawings or popular icons that identify RRSS and other tools. Perhaps one of the best known is Freepik,which has a large library of designs that you can download for free, although with quantity limitations and with the commitment to attribute the work to the author. If you prefer to access the whole package, you can become Premium by paying $13,99/month or $8,39/month with an annual contract. You will be able to use all the included resources without having to attribute the author, your download limit will be extended from 10 to 100 downloads per day and you will have access to more elements.
Also, Pixabay offers some interesting vectors, Iconfinder allows you to download icons of all kinds also for free, and Flaticon allows you to download free icons and stickers in PNG, SVG, EPS, PSD and CSS formats.
Canva
Canva is one of the design tools preferred by users who are not professional designers, since thanks to its ease of use and versatility it is one of the most economical solutions for creating graphic content. It could be defined as an online and optimized Photoshop, through which you can create posters quickly.
It has templates for social media publications, presentations, reports, brand launches, postcards, advertisements, etc. It also allows you to create custom-sized designs, share them online with other users, publish them directly on the web or download them in PDF, JPG, MP4, GIF and PNG formats.
It is free, although there is a paid version that expands the elements available in the library and other features that are worth it if you want to make a difference.
Corel Draw y Corel Photo Paint
CorelDraw is a vector graphic design software application, which is part of the CorelDraw Graphics Suite of programs that is designed to meet multiple needs, such as drawing, page layout for printing and web publishing, all included in the same program.
With CorelDraw you also have access to Corel Photo-Paint, a raster graphics (bitmap) editing tool.
Crello
It is an online design tool with a fairly simple and intuitive interface. Like Canva, it is ideal for professional creations without design skills.
In Crello you’ll find a large variety of editable formats and templates to create animations and graphics for social networks and the web. Besides, you will be able to crop or resize images, insert elements, add frames, apply filters, etc. Although you can use it for free, it has a payment plan for $10/month, which greatly expands the functionality, including the ability to remove backgrounds and access to brand kits.
Dafont
When creating posters, images with slogans or similar, it is good to have a series of fonts that suit our messages at all times. In Dafont you can find a great variety of free downloadable fonts that were created by different people. Simply download them and then install them in the program in which you need to use it. Keep in mind that some fonts do not automatically include accented characters, numbers or certain punctuation marks, so we recommend reading the features before downloading.
Font River also allows us to download fonts of different types. And we cannot forget Socialico, the typeface that allows you to have social icons at hand. In fact, on the same Dafont website there is a “Tools” section, in which there is a long list of programs to work with text according to your goals.
Figma
Figma is another online design program that is based on a collaborative design creation model. That is, it has an interface where you can interact and collaborate with your colleagues in the realization of that creativity you have in mind. To achieve this, it uses FigJam, an online whiteboard for you and your team to exchange ideas in the cloud, which is where all the creations will end up being stored.
Dispones de varias plantillas que te ayudan a materializar cuadros conceptuales y brainstorming entre otras creaciones. Ofrece un plan gratuito de por vida con almacenamiento ilimitado y un proyecto de equipo. Para ampliar las funcionalidades están los planes Profesional (12€ por editor al mes), Organización (45€ por editor al mes) y Empresa (75€ por editor al mes).
Several templates are available to help you materialize concept boards and brainstorming among other creations. It offers a free lifetime plan with unlimited storage and a team project. To extend the functionalities there are different plans: Professional (12$ per editor per month), Organization ($45 per editor per month) and Enterprise ($75 per editor per month) .
On Figma’s youtube channel you will find a multitude of tutorials to perfectly handle the platform.
Genial.ly
Genial.ly is a very easy-to-use tool with which you can design interactive resources such as presentations, infographics, dossiers, video-presentations, games, maps, CVs, etc. It works in the cloud, so you have no storage problems. In addition, it allows you to use the link of your creation to insert it into a website, an article or an LMS.
This platform has a free version, which offers part of its templates and tools but without being able to download or remove the Genial.ly logo.
Gimp
It is a program for retouching, compositing and editing images -drawings and photographs- in bitmap. It is popularly known as the free version of Photoshop due to the similarity of features and tools offered by both tools.
To use it, simply download it from the web. It is currently on version 2.10, which has made some improvements over the previous version, including the addition of new tools, such as Unified transformation, Warp transformation and Handle transformation tools. New themes and new supported image formats were also added, including RGBE, HGT, OpenEXR and WebP.
Paint
With this image editor developed by Microsoft you can make creations from a blank canvas, or decorate and enhance any of your photos or images. It also allows you to share your creations through social networks.
Paint has accompanied the Windows operating system since version 1.0. being a basic program that has been included in all new versions of the system. In addition to the free downloadable application, it now has an online service.
Adobe Color
Adobe Color is a very useful platform to define colors and shades for your brand. With this free tool you can view thousands of combinations according to chromatic rules made by industry professionals and define your own.
It allows you to create and edit themes with up to ten colors or extract themes from images that inspire you and then save them in your Adobe Creative Cloud libraries for use with mobile and desktop applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Photoshop Sketch.
Adobe Color features Adobe Sensei artificial intelligence technology, which works in the background to find the perfect color combinations for your projects and converts themes to RGB, LAB, CMYK, HSV, and Pantone colors without losing brightness or color accuracy.
Adobe Spark
It is an Adobe tool that allows you to easily create graphics, web pages and short videos for social networks. With the subscription to this mobile application you will have high-quality templates to combine with your photographs, and Adobe Fonts, to add the text you want to your creations.
With Spark it is very easy to combine video clips, photos, icons and voiceovers (plus cinematic animations and professional quality soundtracks) to create interesting video stories.
It has a free version that only gives you access to basic features. The paid version costs $12,09/month (first month free) and you can also access this application by signing up for an Adobe Creative Cloud plan.
ClipDrop
This is a fairly new and very easy to use tool, which can be used to improve the quality of images, erase backgrounds, create layers, etc. In addition, it can be complemented with Photoshop and Figma. It has a desktop version and is also available on Apple and Google Store.
It has a very complete free version and a paid version for $7/month.
Creative Force
It is a software that goes beyond design and is designed to manage large volumes of eCommerce images, particularly those with a marketplace. It allows the creation of workflows that automate the improvement of photo quality by eliminating manual work.
Creative Force is built on Amazon Web Service (AWS) infrastructure and can scale to any scale, from small startups to enterprise operations. It also has a wealth of learning materials to help improve different aspects of the creative process, such as capturing data and creating dashboards for management, reporting and day-to-day forecasting in a photo studio.
You can request a free demo and if you like it, access one of their two subscription plans: Team ($2,900/month) or Enterprise, for which you will have to contact them.
Designrr
Designrr is a platform that allows you to transform your blog posts, podcasts, videos and PDF files into magnets or ebooks. The process of creating the latter includes:
- Importing content from blogs, websites, social networks, audio or video.
- Reviewing the content that is generated in a draft.
- Choosing a template and editing it to your liking.
- Customize and finalize the design by adding additional images, cover and numbering.
- Publish the eBook and download it to your device.
It is a paid tool and has different subscription plans, starting at €29/month, with a 7-day free trial. The most basic includes 100 project templates, 922 Google fonts, unlimited use of royalty-free images, page numbering and table of contents generator, import from the Web, MS Word and Google Docs and booklet generator.
Desygner
Desygner is a very simple, intuitive and free design application. Similar to Canva, this tool will help you customize a multitude of templates (banners, logo creator, invitations, social networks, etc.) using free and royalty-free resources. You can import images, fonts, colors and PNG, SVG and PDF files; drag and drop elements into your design; import and replace images in a single click; search, choose and add images from the built-in image bank; and work with layers and multiple pages.
It has a premium version (from $4.45/month) that includes many other options such as scheduling publications in social networks or the ability to edit PDF files, and its Business version aimed at companies with up to 100 employees from $11.25/month.
Easel.ly
It’s a very useful tool for creating static or animated infographics without the need for extensive knowledge. In its free version, Easel.ly offers you a limited number of images that you can use for your graphic work. It’s also a great platform for promoting or hiring design services, seeking advice, or creating your own templates.
The paid version gives you access to 1.1 million icons, over 1,000 illustrations and images from 117 different categories, unlimited access to the font gallery with customization options, and much more. It offers three plans designed for students, individuals, and businesses, ranging from $2 to $5 per month.
Edit
It is an online design tool that offers a multitude of templates, millions of copyright-free images, and preset designs for your brand’s social media. With Edit, you can create posters, stationery, resumes, logos, covers, invoices, tickets, letterheads, infographics, social media posts, and many other elements.
The application works on both your home or office computer and your tablet or smartphone. While it is a free tool, there is a premium version with a 7-day trial that can be accessed through a monthly payment of $8/month. This premium version expands your storage space, grants access to 35,000 exclusive templates, and enables high-quality downloads, among other benefits.
Fireworks
Adobe Fireworks is a graphic editor exclusively focused on web design. Starting with lines, vector shapes, and the text tool, you can create everything from buttons to complete interfaces. It offers a good selection of retouching tools and filters, and the Web section contains essential slicing utilities for layout.
The effects in this tool may not be as advanced as those in Photoshop, but they are more than sufficient for basic needs.
Google Fonts
This is a repository of free fonts where you can find fonts of any style to create your brand and its corporate materials: style guide, stationery, website, and everything necessary for its identification. To obtain a font, you simply need to download it and then incorporate it into the design program you plan to use. The only drawback is that you must download each variant (bold, semi-bold, italic, light, etc.) separately since they are not font packages. But if you can’t find it on Google Fonts, it’s very likely that it doesn’t exist.
Gravit Designer
It is a free, cross-platform application that allows you to perform vector illustration, web design, photo editing, and create layouts using shared styles, symbols, and anchors. It’s a very straightforward, intuitive, and flexible tool that caters to specific needs, such as creating graphics for marketing materials, designing websites, crafting icons, creating user interfaces, making presentations, or publishing on social media.
Infogr.am
Infogr.am is a powerful online tool that allows you to create maps, infographics, posts for Facebook and other social media platforms, YouTube thumbnails, slideshows, reports, dashboards, posters, and many other designs.
Graphics can be easily added to Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) and any Content Management System (CMS). It can also be downloaded as a WordPress plugin. It’s designed for teamwork, allowing you to share folders and invite team members to collaborate on projects.
It offers a free plan and four paid plans starting at $19 per month.
Inkscape
Inkscape is an open-source, cross-platform vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator but completely free. With this tool, you can create and edit graphics, icons, logos, and complex illustrations.
It will be useful whether you’re a professional or an enthusiast. The program includes typical features of such software (object creation and manipulation, path operations, rendering, text support, export to PNG, OpenDocument drawing, DXF, sk1, PDF, EPS, PostScript, and more), as well as the ability to work with layers.
Notegraphy
It’s a simple and free application available on the web and mobile devices that allows you to create and share any text you want in a straightforward and elegant manner. You choose from over 30 available styles, input your phrase or text, and in just a few steps, your image is created.
Once you’ve published the quote, other users of the application can view it, and you can also see quotes from other users. You can filter them by category or manually search for any type of quote.
Paint
Although it is often overlooked, the truth is that there are still people who use the old and familiar Paint for more… serious tasks. With this tool, you can create from a blank canvas or enhance and decorate any of your photos or images. It also allows you to share your creations through social media platforms such as Facebook, X, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
This image editor, developed by Microsoft, has been a part of the Windows operating system since version 1.0. It is a basic program that has been included in all new versions of the system. In addition to the downloadable free application, it now also has an online version of the tool.
PhotoWorks
PhotoWorks is a photo editor that works perfectly for both beginners and professionals. It’s easy to use, making it suitable for beginners, but it also offers a wide range of comprehensive tools for achieving professional-level results. You can retouch photos, create photo montages and artistic effects, adjust colors, add text, logos, and more. Additionally, you have access to a large number of tutorials to help you make the most of the program’s features. One of the main advantages of the software is its user-friendliness, and the interface is available in Spanish.
You can download the trial version for free or purchase it for $14 (base price).
Photopea
Photopea is a free online editor that supports PSD, XCF, Sketch, XD, and CDR formats. With this tool, you can create images from scratch or import existing ones and work on them. Afterwards, you can save them as PSD and export them as JPG, PSD, and PNG.
PicMonkey
With PicMonkey, you can create online designs with fully customizable vector graphics: add animations, shadows, colors, crop, resize, remove backgrounds, apply filters or effects, and adjust color or exposure, among many other options. It offers thousands of templates and over 9,000 graphics and textures to create anything from Instagram posts to a complete brand kit.
Once you’ve finished editing the photo/image, you can share it directly on social media or download it as JPG, PNG, PDF, GIF, or MP4.
You can try it for free for 7 days and then choose from its 3 paid plans, ranging from $89.88 to $274 per month.
Piktochart
With this platform, you can create reports, presentations, infographics, posters, and graphics for social media. It provides predefined templates that you can customize by adding and editing text and multimedia content. Additionally, with the team-oriented plan, everyone can collaborate on the same project simultaneously.
The free version is limited but quite useful if you’re starting from scratch with creativity. The Pro version costs $14 per month, and the Enterprise version is customized.
Pixelz
Pixelz is a tool designed for brands, photography studios, and online sellers looking to optimize their product images for eCommerce across various categories such as clothing, accessories, jewelry, furniture and home decor, automobiles, electronics, and more.
It features a patented assembly line called Specialist Assisted Workflows (S.A.W.), which transforms photo editing into a software-as-a-service. It combines specialized editors and artificial intelligence, developed exclusively for product image editing, to provide speed, control, and quality in post-production.
Pixelz offers different subscription plans ranging from solutions for basic eCommerce needs to comprehensive style guides for commercial photography studios and integrations with sales platforms.
Placeit
Placeit is a product from Envato that combines design and technology to create high-quality marketing and branding tools for anyone, from individuals to large businesses. You can create all your brand materials directly from your browser without the need for design knowledge. The platform includes high-quality mockups, logos, videos, and templates, some organized by themes, for online customization and download in various formats.
It offers a free version with limited elements and a single paid version priced at $7.75 per month.
Snappa
Just like Canva, Snappa is a great alternative if graphic design isn’t your forte. It’s one of the most comprehensive free tools available due to its wide variety of images, editable templates, and icons. Like other tools mentioned earlier, designs are created online and can serve various purposes: infographics, social media posts, blog images, ebook covers, and more.
It offers a free version with access to over 6,000 templates, more than 5,000,000 HD photos and graphics, and up to 3 downloads per month. The paid plans are priced at $10 per month and $20 per month when billed annually.
Thenounproject
In addition to image and font libraries, there are also icon banks, which serve as visual support in the design of web pages, social media posts, presentations, or infographics. Thenounproject is an icon bank where you can find all sorts of symbols by searching for them using keywords. It also has a library of high-quality images and integrates with any app for importing elements.
It offers a free plan and 3 paid plans that cater to different needs: icons, photos, or icons with API (starting from €2.73 per month). You can also pay for photo downloads individually (starting from $7.77 per image).
Vectr
Are you just starting out in design and looking for a free tool for beginners? Vectr is a free graphics software used for creating vector graphics in an easy and intuitive way. It’s a simple yet powerful cross-platform desktop and web tool that allows you to share designs with others and collaborate in real-time.
The editor can open nearly any image format, such as PSD, PXD, JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG, and more. All changes you make to your design will be automatically saved.
Visme
Visme is a tool that you can use for free to create engaging visual experiences such as infographics, graphic presentations, animations, original and appealing videos, covers, and many other elements. It’s one of the most popular online design programs, catering to the needs of businesses of all sizes and both experienced and novice designers. While it offers a free version, some of the best designs and templates are only available in the premium version, which you can access with a subscription starting at $11.20 per month.
Wepik
To conclude our top list, we have this innovative tool developed by the Malaga-based company Freepik. It is called Wepik, a free design and editing tool that has become the first non-professional image editor to integrate image-generating AI.
To create your designs, the application provides direct access to the Freepik and Pexels image banks and also allows you to upload an image from your device. When you click on the AI option, you can choose from a series of pre-generated images or create one based on your own instructions. Furthermore, you can modify the parameters and descriptions of the default images.
To conclude our top list, we have this innovative tool developed by the Malaga-based company Freepik. It is called Wepik, a free design and editing tool that has become the first non-professional image editor to integrate image-generating AI. To create your designs, the application provides direct access to the Freepik and Pexels image banks and also allows you to upload an image from your device. When you click on the AI option, you can choose from a series of pre-generated images or create one based on your own instructions. Furthermore, you can modify the parameters and descriptions of the default images.
One of its most popular features is the “Background Remover,” an automated tool that uses AI to create effects and adjust the position of layers of different objects or elements within the same image. Additionally, you can apply blurs, clipping masks, or insert text between an object and the background, for example.
After exploring all these options and understanding your needs, you now know which tools can best help enhance your brand’s visual communication. Can you think of any other platforms we have not mentioned? Feel free to share them with us. 😉🤗
Foto: Depositphotos.
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