Who doesn’t love free stuff?
If there is a free option on top of the paid plans for me to do my marketing task, I’d definitely try out the free one first. Through my 7 years of design experience, I believed that if you are working with media such as banners/ editorials/ templates, there are other free tools out there. As long as it gets the same quality result, there’s no need to invest in another paid licensed design software.
I’ve come across many different free tools that have helped me when I need to get things done in a jiffy. Moreover, I’ve shared these tools with my other professional designer friends and they couldn’t love it more. Honestly, it’s our ‘cheat tool’ and some of these are pretty powerful! Best is, you don’t need much or any design experience to create your designs.
Keep reading to see some great, free web design tools which I totally recommend to digital marketers out there.
8 Free Online Design Tools for Digital Marketing (Designer Recommended)
1. Canva
Canva has been one of my most go-to free design tools for digital marketing. Ever since they’ve introduced their new version 2.0, things are even more convenient now. For an example, you do not need to find out the dimension (size) of the banner you need to create. All you have to do is just type for example ‘Facebook Ads’ and it will automatically generate the canvas in the right size for you. Plus, they have tonnes of free graphics elements, collage layout and stock photos in their library.
Also, did you know that they have so many templates designs? It comes with fonts placement and layout recommendation—all ready for you!
2. Photopea
If you are a photoshop enthusiast like me, then Photopea is for you. The tool’s experience is similar to Photoshop where you can design by layers. Although the keyboard shortcuts may not call out specific actions like Photoshop (because it’s working on a browser), it gets the job done pretty decently!
3. Pablo
Nothing drives my passion for design more than minimalistic designs. And if you have the same eyes for simple, engaging design, then try Pablo out. Whether it’s for a Facebook quote post or Instagram, Pablo can produce a series of consistent design for your brand.
4. Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark earned its reputation in the designers’ circle for a reason. Not only it’s available in desktop online, but also they have an app for you to get your stuff done on the go! That is a big plus point for me, especially when I have to create an instant social media post when I’m away from my desk.
Just like some of the free tools I’ve shared above, Adobe Spark provides several stunning templates. However, the one feature that makes it different is it has a video creation function. You can upload your images, add in text/design elements and your short video will be rendered! How cool is that?
5. Piktochart
Need an impactful infographic instead? Give Piktochart a shot. When I first saw their tools years ago, I was very impressed with their international client base. And they were featured in various top review sites!
I love their simple and intuitive tool when everything is ready for you. Create the impact you desire with visual storytelling!
6. Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is a friend when it comes to working with vector graphics. I find it exceptionally helpful when it comes to projects such as branding, icon illustration and badges. Of course, in digital marketing, we may not need to dive into the abyss of design features. But, l am still amazed by what it can do—and for free!
7. Infogram
Another simple tool to create interactive infographics is via Infogram. You can easily add presentation elements such as maps, graphs, videos without having the need to crank your head into a design program. It’s a pretty nifty tool if you want to create an infographic fast!
8. Placeit
Finally, a free online tool that lets you do a mockup on different canvas easily. I can’t deny that sometimes in digital marketing, there are content where you need to show your audience a mock-up of the final product, sort of like a preview. Many non-design experience marketers either source for a graphic designer to do the job or toss those great ideas out.
What I truly like about Placeit is, you just need to drag-and-drop the elements to your chosen canvas. Think of the times where we designers spent hours and hours to compile a branding board for clients. Thank you, Placeit!
So, whether you are looking to create banners, presentation, infographic or graphs, you have the perfect online (and FREE) design tools to make your social media channels or website impactful.
And that’s just a few of designer’s must-have visual tools. What tools do you use to create visual content? Share them with us in the comments section below.
