Graphic design tools are essential for creating visually appealing and professional-looking designs. These tools encompass a wide range of software and applications that enable designers to manipulate images, create illustrations, and design layouts for various purposes. From Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to Canva and Sketch, graphic design tools offer a plethora of features and functionalities to cater to the diverse needs of designers.
Whether you are a professional graphic designer or a novice enthusiast, having access to the right graphic design tools can significantly enhance your creative projects. These tools empower users to experiment with typography, color schemes, and visual elements, allowing for the seamless execution of design concepts. With the evolution of technology, new and innovative graphic design tools continue to emerge, providing designers with cutting-edge capabilities to bring their ideas to life.
In this article, we will explore the different types of graphic design tools available in the market, their unique features, and how they can be effectively utilized to elevate the quality of design work. Whether you are looking to refine your skills or seeking the ideal tool for a specific design task, understanding the landscape of graphic design tools is crucial for staying ahead in the ever-evolving creative industry.
What every graphic design tools must have
No design tool should be without these key features.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| 👉 Versatility | A design tool should offer a wide range of design options and flexibility to adapt to various creative requirements. |
| 👉 Intuitive Interface | An easy-to-use interface with a smooth learning curve makes the design process efficient and enjoyable. |
| 👉 Image Editing | The ability to edit and enhance images is crucial for crafting visually appealing designs. |
| 👉 Typography Options | A variety of fonts and text customization options allow for effective communication and visual hierarchy. |
| 👉 Color Palette | Access to a diverse color palette, including the ability to create custom colors, for creating striking designs. |
| 👉 Layers and Effects | The capability to work with layers and apply various effects, such as shadows and gradients, for depth and dimension. |
| 👉 Export and Sharing | The ability to save designs in multiple file formats and easily share them with others. |
| 👉 Collaboration Features | Collaboration features, such as real-time editing and commenting, enhance teamwork and improve communication. |
| 👉 Templates and Assets | Pre-designed templates and a library of assets provide a starting point and inspiration for design projects. |
| 👉 Responsive Design Tools | Tools that help in designing responsive layouts that adapt well to different screen sizes and devices. |
These options highlight the important features that a design tool should have to empower designers and facilitate their creative process.
1. Desygner
What is Desygner?
Desygner is a user-friendly graphic design tool that simplifies the process of creating stunning designs.
With its drag-and-drop interface and extensive template collection, users can easily customize visuals for various purposes.
The Pro+ plan enhances the design experience by providing unlimited access to premium templates, millions of high-quality images, and the ability to save and edit designs offline.
With Pro, users can unlock advanced design options and create professional designs with ease, taking their creativity to the next level.
Pro+ plan advantages
Search images powered by Shutterstock
Have access to 125 million Shutterstock images, icons, and stickers.
Brand Libary
Where you can set up all your assets for quick access.
Store and utilize your own logos, images, fonts, colors, and text blocks to use in your branded templates.
And others like One-click Images Background Remover, Resizer, and Animation.
Features
Get beautiful images for your online and offline advertising campaigns, ranging from static ads to motion design graphics.
Did you create a Facebook post and now want to use it in a Twitter post, or a LinkedIn update? Then you need to resize it. Desygner does the job for you.
Desygner removes image backgrounds. So you can simply create gorgeous designs.
What does this tool? It makes automatic photo extraction as easy as a click of a button, so you can go from a cluttered background to the cleanest possible image with just one simple step.
If you need to make your social posts pop with animated videos and gifs. Well, Desygner does this job for you so you can still be creative.
With just one click, designs spring to life in an instant. No need for expensive software or an animation team.
Simply choose one of the popular animation styles, bring your designs to life and share stunning visuals on your social media channels.
Pricing
Free
€ 0
Pro+
€ 4,25
Business
€ 8,25
2. Canva
What is Canva?
Canva is a popular online graphic design platform that allows users to create a wide variety of visual content, including social media graphics, presentations, posters, flyers, infographics, and more.
It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and provides a vast library of templates, images, fonts, and graphics to choose from.
Canva also allows users to upload their own images and customize designs to fit their unique style and branding. With its ease of use and versatile features, Canva has become a go-to tool for individuals, businesses, and organizations looking to create professional-looking visuals without the need for extensive design skills or software expertise.
Canva offers both free and paid plans, with additional features and resources available for premium users.
The Canva graphic design tools offers a great source to go to for easy-to-use but professional designs. Many graphics designers start with the free version and slowly go for the pro version. Most designers begin with Canva templates and use elements.
The images you see on my blog are from Canva.
Here are some Canva blog post👇👇👇.
Create Professional Videos With Canva Video Maker | 30 Days Free Trial On Canva Pro
Need A Canva Logo? Try These 10 Templates
3 Tips For Making Your Design With Canva Awesome.
Canva advantages
- You don’t have the design skills needed.
- Animations are included. But with a pro, you get more.
- Elements are free for pro users Canva basic must pay for them.
- Design ads and various social media posts.
- Easily upgrade account options.
Features and Benefits
| Features | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Resize Tool (Pro) | Easily adjust image dimensions for different platforms |
| Background Remover (Pro) | Effortlessly remove backgrounds from images |
| Free Templates + Premium Ones | Access a wide range of templates for diverse projects |
| Prepare designs for high-quality printing | |
| Add Music | Enhance multimedia experience with audio integration |
| Available for Various Platforms (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android) | Use the platform on your preferred devices |
Pricing
Canva Free
€ 0,00
Canva Pro
€ 109,99
Canva For Teams
€ 139,90
3. Inkscape
What is Inkscape?
Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics software that allows you to create and edit various types of graphics, such as icons, illustrations, logos, maps, diagrams, and web designs.
It uses Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) as its native format, which means that the images are based on mathematical formulas and can be scaled up or down without losing quality. Inkscape also supports working with raster images (bitmap images), such as photos or scanned drawings.
Inkscape has a rich set of features and tools, such as flexible drawing tools, broad file format compatibility, powerful text tool, bezier and spiro curves, shape builder, on-canvas pattern editing, page margin and bleed, document resources dialog, font collections, syntax highlighting in XML editor, and more.
Inkscape is used by millions of creatives around the world for personal and professional purposes. You can download Inkscape from its official website or other platforms.
- Inkscape is completely free to use. It is an open-source vector graphics editor that is available for download without any cost.
- As an open-source project, Inkscape is developed and maintained by a dedicated community of volunteers.
Click the button above to download Inkscape and start creating stunning vector graphics.
Whether you’re a professional designer, an aspiring artist, or simply looking for a powerful tool to express your ideas visually, Inkscape has got you covered.
Join the vibrant Inkscape community, explore its extensive features, and contribute to the world of vector graphics.
4. Gimp
What is Gimp?
GIMP is a cross-platform image editing software that allows users to control the source code.
The user interface of this software is split – into three pieces an editing area, a toolbox, and channels. That sweetens the execution of the software.
It also supplies advanced editing graphic design tools like channel manipulation and digital retouching.
In supplementary to this, it has a feature called open as a layer that enables you to map an image into the layer of another image. It is an extensible software with customizing options that help to boost productivity.
Pricing
Free
5. Affinity
What is Affinity?
Affinity by Serif is a suite of professional creative software for graphic design, photo editing and desktop publishing. It consists of three applications: Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher, which are available for Windows, macOS and iPadOS.
Affinity by Serif aims to provide a fast, smooth and powerful alternative to other popular software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, without requiring a subscription.
Affinity by Serif also offers a unique feature called StudioLink, which allows you to switch between the tools of Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo within Affinity Publisher, without leaving your layout.
Affinity by Serif has won many awards and accolades from industry experts and users alike, and is used by millions of creatives around the world.
Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher are three different applications developed by Serif that offer professional-level tools for graphic design, photo editing and desktop publishing.
Here are some of the main differences between them:
| Application | Features |
|---|---|
| Affinity Designer | – Vector-based graphic design software |
| – Create logos, icons, illustrations, web graphics, print projects, and more | |
| – Unlimited artboards | |
| – Advanced grids and snapping | |
| – Custom brushes | |
| – Symbols, constraints, and assets | |
| – Switch to pixel persona for raster tools and effects | |
| Affinity Photo | – Raster-based photo editing software |
| – Enhance, retouch, manipulate, and composite images | |
| – Raw editing | |
| – HDR merge, panorama stitching, and focus stacking | |
| – Frequency separation and liquify tools | |
| – Live filters and adjustments | |
| – Switch to vector persona for vector tools and shapes | |
| Affinity Publisher | – Desktop publishing software |
| – Create books, magazines, brochures, flyers, posters, and other layout-based projects | |
| – Master pages and facing pages | |
| – Text styles and tables | |
| – Linked resources and preflight checks | |
| – Switch to designer persona or photo persona for access to Affinity Designer or Affinity Photo tools (if installed) within Affinity Publisher | |
| Common Features | – Common file format (.afdesign, .afphoto, .afpub) for seamless switching between applications |
| – Similar user interfaces and workflows | |
| – Buy applications separately or as a bundle from the Affinity Store or other platforms |
Get Started with Affinity v2 Universal License – Only $164.99
Affinity V2 Universal License is a single license that allows you to use any Version 2 Affinity application (Designer, Photo and Publisher) on all three operating systems (macOS, Windows and iPadOS).
It is a one-off payment of $164.99 (including VAT) and it includes free updates for all version 2.x releases. You can buy this license from the Affinity Store, the Mac App Store, or Microsoft Store (via in-app purchase).
This license is more cost-effective if you want to use all three Affinity products on different devices.
What Creators Get:
- Professional-grade software for a one-time purchase, no subscription required.
- Extensive set of powerful tools and features to enhance your creativity.
- Seamlessly integrated suite of applications for a smooth workflow.
- Unparalleled control and precision over your editing, design, and publishing process.
- Dedicated customer support, tutorials, and learning resources to help you on your creative journey.
6. Marvel
What is Marvel?
Marvel is a web-based design and prototyping platform that empowers individuals and teams to create interactive prototypes for websites and mobile applications. It offers a wide range of features and benefits to streamline the design process and enhance collaboration.
Here’s a separate table showcasing the pricing, features, and benefits of Marvel:
| Pricing Plan | Description |
|---|---|
| Free Plan | Allows up to 2 projects with basic features. |
| Pro Plan | Unlimited projects, password protection, user testing, and integrations with Sketch and Figma. |
| Team Plan | All Pro Plan features, plus design handoff, version control, team management, and priority support. |
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Unlimited Projects | Create an unlimited number of projects to bring your design ideas to life. |
| Password Protection | Add an extra layer of security by password-protecting your designs. |
| User Testing | Gather valuable user feedback and insights with built-in user testing capabilities. |
| Integrations | Seamlessly integrate with popular design tools like Sketch and Figma. |
| Design Handoff (Team Plan) | Streamline the design handoff process by providing developers with design assets and specifications. |
| Version Control (Team Plan) | Easily manage and keep track of design versions and iterations. |
| Team Management (Team Plan) | Centralized team management to streamline collaboration and access control. |
| Priority Support (Team Plan) | Dedicated priority support to ensure prompt assistance for team needs. |
Benefits:
- Streamlined design process with a user-friendly platform.
- Enhanced collaboration and real-time feedback for improved teamwork.
- User testing capabilities for data-driven design decisions.
- Seamless integration with popular design tools for a smooth workflow.
- Efficient design handoff and version control for better collaboration (Team Plan).
- Centralized team management and priority support for team needs (Team Plan).
In summary, Marvel is a powerful design and prototyping platform that offers different pricing plans with a variety of features and benefits.
It enables users to create interactive prototypes efficiently, collaborate seamlessly, and enhance the design process for better results.
7. Illustrator
What is Illustrator?
Adobe Illustrator is a professional vector graphics editor developed by Adobe Inc. It is widely used by designers, artists, and illustrators to create and edit scalable vector-based artwork.
Key Features:
- Vector Editing: Create and edit vector graphics that can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
- Drawing Tools: Use precise drawing tools to create shapes, paths, and complex illustrations.
- Typography: Access advanced typographic controls for customizing text with various fonts, styles, and effects.
- Image Tracing: Convert raster images into editable vector graphics for further manipulation.
- Illustration and Artwork: Utilize a wide range of brushes, patterns, and effects to add depth and creativity to your designs.
- Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud: Seamlessly collaborate with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop and InDesign.
Pricing:
- Individuals:
- Annual Plan: $20.99 per month
- Monthly Plan: $31.49 per month
- Adobe also offers customized plans and pricing options for businesses, teams, and students. For accurate and up-to-date pricing information, please visit the Adobe website or contact Adobe sales.
Benefits:
- Versatility: Illustrator is suitable for various design projects, including logos, illustrations, icons, and typography.
- Scalability: Vector-based graphics remain sharp and clear at any size, ensuring high-quality output for different mediums.
- Precision and Control: The powerful tools and features in Illustrator provide precise control over design elements.
- Integration and Workflow: Illustrator seamlessly integrates with other Adobe applications, enhancing design workflows and productivity.
- Community and Resources: Access a vibrant community of users, tutorials, and resources to enhance your Illustrator skills.
Remember to check the Adobe website for the most up-to-date information on features, pricing, and benefits of Adobe Illustrator as they are subject to change.
8. PostermyWall
What is PosterMyWall?
PosterMyWall is an online design tool that allows users to create custom posters, flyers, social media graphics, and other visual content for personal or business use. It provides a wide range of professionally designed templates and allows users to customize them with their own text, images, and branding.
With PosterMyWall, you can easily create eye-catching visuals for events, promotions, announcements, and more. Whether you’re a small business owner, event organizer, or just looking to create stunning visuals, PosterMyWall offers an intuitive platform to bring your creative ideas to life.
Pricing:
- Free Plan: Limited access to design templates and basic customization options.
- Premium Plan: $6.99 per month or $59.88 per year, providing unlimited access to standard templates, high-resolution downloads, and watermark removal.
- Premium Plus Plan: $11.95 per month or $83.88 per year, includes premium templates, priority customer support, and additional customization options.
- Enterprise Plan: Customized pricing and features for larger teams or businesses.
Key Features:
- Design Templates: Extensive collection of professionally designed templates for various purposes and events.
- Customization Tools: User-friendly editor with drag-and-drop functionality for easy customization of text, images, and graphics.
- Graphics Library: Access a vast library of stock photos, illustrations, backgrounds, and clipart.
- Collaboration: Share and collaborate on design projects with team members or clients.
- Social Media Integration: Resize and optimize designs for seamless sharing on social media platforms.
- Printing Services: Conveniently order high-quality prints of your designs directly from the platform.
- Text Effects and Typography: Apply text effects and choose from a wide range of fonts for creative typography.
Benefits:
- Professional-Quality Designs: Create visually stunning graphics without the need for design expertise.
- Time and Cost Efficiency: Save time and money by designing promotional materials in-house.
- Versatility: Suitable for various purposes, industries, and personal projects.
- Increased Engagement: Eye-catching designs attract attention and boost engagement on social media.
- Branding: Effectively communicate your brand or message through distinctive and memorable visuals.
PosterMyWall offers a comprehensive design solution to empower individuals and businesses to create captivating graphics in an accessible and cost-effective way.
9. Placeit by Envato
What is Placeit by Envato?
Placeit by Envato is an online platform that provides a vast collection of design templates and mockups for various purposes.
It is a valuable resource for designers, businesses, and entrepreneurs who want to create professional-looking graphics without the need for extensive design skills or software expertise.
The key features of Placeit include:
- Template Library: Placeit offers an extensive library of design templates for logos, social media posts, t-shirt designs, business cards, YouTube thumbnails, app screens, and much more. Users can browse through the wide range of templates to find the perfect design for their needs.
- Mockup Generator: With Placeit, users can easily showcase their designs in realistic settings through its mockup generator. This feature allows users to place their designs on digital devices, apparel, packaging, billboards, and other items, giving them a visual representation of how their designs would look in real-life scenarios.
- Customization options: Placeit provides users with intuitive editing tools that allow them to customize the templates to match their specific requirements. Users can add their own text, images, and easily modify the colors and layouts of the templates.
- User-friendly Interface: Placeit offers a user-friendly interface, making it easy for both beginners and seasoned professionals to navigate the platform and create high-quality designs.
Placeit Pricing
Placeit offers a variety of subscription options to suit different user needs. The following pricing details are based on the current information available:
Monthly Subscription:
- Basic Plan: $14.95/month
- Includes unlimited access to all mockups, designs, videos, and logos with watermark removal.
- It provides 25 monthly downloads for licensed content.
- Ideal for occasional users or those requiring a limited number of downloads.
- Unlimited Plan: $29.95/month
- Offers unrestricted access to all mockups, designs, videos, and logos.
- Provides unlimited monthly downloads with watermark removal.
- Suitable for frequent users or those in need of multiple downloads.
Annual Subscription:
- Basic Plan: $99.95/year
- Similar to the monthly Basic Plan but with a discounted yearly rate.
- Includes the same features as the monthly subscription, such as unlimited access, watermark removal, and 25 monthly downloads.
- Unlimited Plan: $199.95/year
- Similar to the monthly Unlimited Plan but with a discounted yearly rate.
- Offers all the features of the monthly subscription, including unlimited access and downloads without watermarks.
Please note that these prices are subject to change, and it’s always a good idea to visit the official Placeit website to get the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information.
Overall, Placeit by Envato is a versatile platform that empowers users with the tools and resources to create visually appealing designs efficiently and effectively.
Placeit is a powerful platform that can enhance your branding and marketing endeavors with its collection of high-quality visuals. Regardless of whether you are a designer, marketer, or business owner, Placeit will aid you in creating professional-looking graphics.
10. Photopea
What is Photopea?
Photopea is a web-based image editing tool that offers a range of powerful features similar to Adobe Photoshop. It is designed to provide a versatile and accessible editing experience directly in your web browser.
Key Features of Photopea:
- Layers and Blending Modes: Photopea supports advanced layer management and provides a variety of blending modes for creative compositing.
- Selection Tools: It offers a wide array of selection tools like marquee, lasso, and magic wand to precisely isolate and manipulate parts of an image.
- Retouching and Healing: Photopea has tools for retouching photos, including clone stamp, healing brush, and spot healing, allowing you to fix imperfections easily.
- Filters and Effects: With numerous filters and effects, you can enhance your images, apply adjustments, simulate artistic styles, and much more.
- Text and Vector Editing: Photopea offers advanced text editing capabilities, along with vector shape and path tools, enabling you to add and manipulate text and graphics.
- Smart Objects and Smart Filters: It supports smart objects and smart filters, allowing non-destructive editing and easy adjustment of applied effects.
- Support for Multiple File Formats: Photopea can open and save files in various formats, including PSD, XCF, Sketch, PNG, JPEG, and more.
Pricing:
Photopea offers a free-to-use version with most of its essential features available to everyone.
However, there is also an option to become a Premium Member, which provides additional benefits such as ad-free usage, priority access, and the ability to work offline for a subscription fee.
The Premium Membership pricing details can be found on their website.
Overall, Photopea is a versatile and capable image editing tool that provides a wide range of features, making it a suitable choice for both casual users and professionals alike.
Conclusion
In conclusion, graphic design tools offer a wide range of benefits to users, regardless of their design expertise.
These tools enhance creativity, enable professional-quality designs, ensure brand consistency, save time and cost, improve communication, and provide versatility.
To summarize the main points discussed in this blog post:
- Creativity and Expression: Graphic design tools empower users to express their creativity and bring their ideas to life visually.
- Professional Quality: These tools enable users to create high-quality designs without the need for extensive design knowledge or hiring a professional designer.
- Brand Consistency: Graphic design tools provide templates and customizable elements that help maintain brand consistency across various marketing materials.
- Time and Cost Efficiency: By offering pre-designed assets and simplifying the design process, these tools save time and money compared to creating designs from scratch or outsourcing.
- Improved Communication: Visual elements created with graphic design tools effectively convey messages, making it easier to communicate ideas and information.
- Versatility and Adaptability: Graphic design tools allow designs to be resized, optimized, and exported in different formats, ensuring compatibility across various mediums.
In conclusion, graphic design tools empower users to create visually compelling designs, regardless of their design expertise.
These tools offer efficiency, consistency, and creativity, making them invaluable for individuals and businesses looking to enhance their visual communication.
Dropner Graphic Explainer 