We get everything online, and this is fortunately true. Businesses can easily connect with online services to help them reach their maximum potential. Marketers and advertising teams can get most of their services done online, and the same goes for graphic design. If you know the basics, you can leverage design software online to level up your graphic design game. I will help you understand what design tools are available online.
Table of Contents
In this article, we will be looking into:
Online design software: Understanding online design tools will help you realize which tools you can utilize to create online graphics.
8 best graphic design software for beginners: Here, we look into the top graphic design software that is great for beginners.
Personal opinion: One personal tip that to help you decide which graphic design tools and make an ultimate decision that is going to improve your business presence everywhere!
Your online presence can make a big impact on how your prospective clients see your vision and mission. So, making sure your online graphics are on point is a big step to getting started in this area. In this article, I’ve mentioned the best online design tools to help you make professional-quality designs for every startup and brand.
What is Online Design Software?
Did you know the fact that it only takes 2.6 seconds for a user’s eye to focus on a specific area of your website? So, making sure your website stands out in terms of graphic design is a great way to attract new potential customers, clients, or investors.
I will tell you one thing: you have to make sure your first impressions leave a lasting impression on your clients’ minds, and compelling copy, visually rich elements, and a strong social media presence can achieve that. For this, you require good graphic design and editing skills. But what can you do if you’re just not creative and lack the basic skills of a designer? That’s when online design software comes into play, and I’m here to tell you all about it.
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Online design software consists of simple tools that can be utilized by users to create and edit visual content directly from online platforms. Yes, you don’t have to install this software on your laptop or devices; you can do all the editing via a web browser. If your new startup or brand needs graphic design materials, you can easily make use of these software tools online. Most of these platforms are cloud-based systems, allowing users to save their projects online and access them from anywhere. The flexibility and easy navigation help beginners effectively utilize these tools to create and edit visual graphics or illustrations. These tools also offer collaboration features, where individuals or teams working on the same projects can edit in real-time from different locations without any issues.
All these tools have user-friendly interfaces and pre-designed templates, making it easy for users to edit designs using drag-and-drop functionality and intuitive tools. Most of these tools are cost-effective, meaning you can use many features in the free version. If you’re willing to upgrade to the premium version, you can access advanced features like AI integration for designs, high-resolution downloads, exclusive design assets, and enhanced collaboration tools.
8 Best Free Graphic Design Software for Beginners
Online design software can be utilized by students, professionals, and even marketing assistants to edit designs quickly. Make sure to check all these tools out to understand which one suits you best.
1. Canva
Have you heard of DIY designs? Yes, you can do it yourself! DIY Design is a game changer for people who feel they’re not that creative. You can enjoy DIYing your own visual assets with the help of a popular design tool called Canva. This free graphic design tool has become the go-to for many small businesses and startups to improve their design assets. Canva has revolutionized the way people started using designs for themselves, especially for those with little to no design knowledge and experience. You can get access to thousands of free templates, stickers, free fonts, infographic, and layouts. You can use the free version to create anything from your company logos, poster design, Pinterest edits to social media posts, website design, YouTube thumbnails, and much more. Canva’s premium plans are super affordable and you’ll get full access to various design elements and presets in its library.
2. Adobe Express
Adobe Express, formerly known as Adobe Spark, is one of the most exceptional online design software options. It lets you create designs quickly and efficiently, that’s why it’s named “Express” and is suitable for all types of designers’ speed needs. It features an intuitive interface, including drag-and-drop functionality and a vast library of customizable templates making it very easy to use. You can use Adobe Express to design professional-grade visual assets for web design without prior design knowledge. If you’re a graphic designer, you can also integrate this software with other Adobe products, making it more convenient for professional designers.
3. GIMP
GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program and is one of the best free tools available for editing any type of photos with high quality and professionalism. While this is not part of browser-based edits, you can use it because of the advanced tools it offers, even though it’s computer-installed software. It has easy-to-use templates compared to other challenging professional tools available in the market for photo editing. GIMP is a powerful way to perform advanced photo editing and design, and I feel it’s worth checking out.
4. Fotor
Fotor is another online design tool for editing photos. If you’re looking to enhance photos effortlessly, you can use their user-friendly tools to adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation. You don’t need to rely on Photoshop anymore. You can also use Fotor to perform complex editing techniques, such as blemish correction, background removal, and more. You can use without any complications and prior knowledge. It offers multiple templates that you can customize for various uses, and Fotor’s HDR (high dynamic range) feature lets you merge multiple photos to create beautiful images with depth and detail.
5. Pixlr
Photographers know the importance of making necessary edits to their photos to enhance their appeal by adding filters, using smudges, and more. For a brand, well-edited photographs are necessary to showcase product packaging, use on websites, and include in blogs. But if you have no previous experience with Photoshop, you may find it challenging to edit pictures. Pixlr is a great Photoshop alternative and provides professional-quality editing services for new brands. Pixlr’s comprehensive suite of tools lets you edit images directly from your browser, smartphone, or desktop, and it’s free to use. Now, Pixlr also has free features like an AI image generator that can help you craft unique images for any of your visual needs. You can also make use of its other features, including AI face swap, photo collage maker, AI background remover, and various design templates. You can use Pixlr for any project type, for posts on social media platforms or brochures, blog posts, stock photos, flyers, and more.
6. Figma
For a team of designers and marketers who need constant collaboration on design projects, Figma is a great choice for free design. Figma revolutionized the way teams craft and iterated on designs together. It operates solely on the cloud, allowing simultaneous work on a single file from anywhere in the world and enabling multiple team members to collaborate together. I feel like Figma has powerful UI/UX design and prototyping features, which I haven’t seen in any other tool. Your team can quickly move from wireframes to interactive prototypes while gathering feedback and editing in one place. You can use the free plan, and if your team loves it, you can consider their premium plans, which are quite affordable.
7. Corel Vector
Vector designs are in demand in current marketing trends. So, if you’re looking to create your own professional-grade vector designs without complications, you can use Corel Vector (formerly known as Gravit Designer). It’s a cross-platform tool that provides sophisticated vector illustration features in your browser. You can use Corel Vector to craft logos, icons, and other marketing materials without losing quality. It offers features such as Boolean operations, precision tools, and advanced path editing, all with cloud storage for your projects.
Personal Tip: Graphically.io
Graphically.io is an unlimited graphic design service that offers on-demand designs. If you need a set of graphics and images edited, or videos, for that matter—you can connect with our professionally talented in-house designers and editors, who will do the job for you. Think of us as your savior, as we accept unlimited edits, revisions, and requests, all for a fixed monthly rate. This is much easier than you pulling up your sleeves and trying to edit or design a social media post yourself. Connect with our designers, tell them what you need or envision, and they will deliver it before your eyes with a quick turnaround time. If you’re not satisfied with the end product, you can always request more revisions until you’re happy with it. Plus, you own all the rights to the design without any complications, making it appear as if you created it yourself. So, why wait? Connect with us today!
Final Thoughts
You should always prioritize enhancing your brand’s visual presence in every aspect. Choosing the right online design software can support every marketing effort you’re planning for your brand. Most of the tools I’ve mentioned are browser-based, and their web-based nature allows for seamless access, flexibility, and team collaboration, enabling users to produce professional designs from anywhere. I’d suggest checking their user-friendly interfaces, customizable templates, and cost-effective options and choosing the one that matches your time, budget, and editing style. I hope this article has helped you choose an online design software that will be a crucial asset for creators across every type of industry, niche, and market. Happy editing!
