When you are launching your startup you have a million things to worry about. Making sure your branding looks on point shouldn’t be one of them. With the rise of do-it-yourself web tools and design resources creating and managing your own brand has never been easier. Of course, if your budget allows you can hire a professional designer or agency to help set and execute your creative strategy.
In case you are bootstrapping or just feel creative here’s a list of free design tools every startup entrepreneur should know.
1. Unsplash
Using the right images can elevate your design. Finding quality stock photography has gotten much easier thanks to free sites like Unsplash You can search their database by keyword to find something specific or browse by category. You can download any of their images in four different sizes with the click of a button. All images are free to be used for personal as well as commercial purposes.
2. FreeIcons
Similar to images, icons can take your design to the next level. Whether you need icons for your website UI, slide deck, or social media posts you can find it on FreeIcons As the name implies this site offers free icons that you can use for personal and commercial projects. Once you find a specific icon or icon set you like you can download it in formats like SVG, EPS, and PNG.
3. Google Fonts
Choosing the right fonts for your next design project is an important consideration. When it comes to free fonts Google Fonts is one of the best resources. They offer lots of downloadable fonts that are well organized and searchable by categories such as serif, sans serif, handwriting, etc. You can further modify your search by font thickness, slant, width, etc.
4. Shopify Business Card Maker
Most entrepreneurs are familiar with Shopify. Once you have a logo made you can quickly create free business cards with Shopify. To get started simply enter your information such as name, title, website, social media handles, etc. After uploading your logo your business cards will be generated instantly. Alternatively, you can try a free tool like Business Cards.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Get a sneak peak preview of our newest book,
Little Brand Book: Find Your Inner Influencer to Work It, Own It, Bring It, below!
5. Adobe Color
Finding and matching the right colors can be challenging even for professional designers. If you don’t have a keen eye for color it’s advisable to use a free tool like Adobe Color.
Once you open their app you are presented with a color wheel. You can apply color harmony rules and it will automatically show you combinations like analogous, monochromatic, and complementary. For each color, it displays the hex code so you can easily apply it to your own design.
6. Canva
If you aren’t comfortable using a program like Illustrator and want a quick and easy graphic design solution try a website like Canva.
Canva is a free graphic design application that lets you design everything from social media posts, to flyers and presentations. Their database is supported by thousands of templates that you can fully customize. Their editor is intuitive and you can download your design as soon as you are satisfied with your work.
7. Venngage
Infographics are a great way to represent complex data in a visually appealing way. Creating an infographic for a non-designer can be challenging though. Venngage allows you to create free infographics through their web-based editor.
The process is simple, choose a template you like, enter your data, and customize the design. When you are done you can download instantly and publish to your social media accounts or download.
8. Pixlr
Choosing the right images for your design is important. If you want to create consistency with your branding and designs you should also make sure the images you use have the same feel and tone.
Pixlr is a free photo-editing application. Simply upload any image and adjust by adding effects, filters, tweaking vibrancy, cropping, etc. You can save your work for further editing later on or download it right away.
9. PixaBay
Illustrations are difficult to design even for experienced designers. Luckily there are sites like PixaBay where you can find thousands of illustrations available for download. You can modify your illustration search by category, color, size, etc. You are free to use these designs for commercial use but in some instances, you are required to provide attribution.
Final Thoughts
As a startup entrepreneur, you’re often required to wear many different hats and quickly become an “expert” in different areas. Design can’t be learned overnight. However, the tools highlighted above allow entrepreneurs who aren’t designers to come up with beautiful designs in just a few minutes.
Next time you tackle a branding design project try one of these tools or contact us at hello@citrusstudios.com! We’re here to help!
