People prefer to read things that are visually appealing. For example, if you create a blog post about something that is not visually appealing, people will be less likely to read it. That is why graphic design is so important for marketers.
There’s lots of research that shows your audience takes just a couple of seconds to decide whether or not they will stick around to read your content. One research found that visitors only take 2.6 seconds on average to focus on a specific area of the website.
So, marketers typically only have one chance to capture their audience’s attention. If they can’t do it, or if they leave a bad impression, chances that visitor will leave and never come back.
Good graphic design is key, but it can be expensive to hire a designer! Fortunately, there’s no shortage of free graphic design tools that are awesome at helping you add a visually-appealing edge to your content.
Here are a few of our favorites;
Canva
Canva is a powerful and free graphic design tool that has something to offer to both newbies and skilled graphic designers. Even if you’re new to graphic design, you’ll be able to quickly create visually appealing creatives using their easy drag and drop tools.
Canva also provides a user-friendly interface and countless templates that can easily be used to create the right-sized creatives for your favorite social media networks. You also get 8000 free templates to choose from.
While there are some features that require users to upgrade to a premium membership, Canva’s core free features are all that’s needed to make amazing creatives.
Easel.ly
Infographics are a great visual resource because they can communicate a lot of information into a visually appealing graphic that gets the point across to the reader quickly. Easel.ly makes it very simple to create great infographics online.
The software’s powerful features can be used to visualize just about any kind of data. It’s easy to create flowcharts, design reports and maps based on the data. Some of the more advanced features do require a subscription, though.
To help users along, Easel.ly provides free templates and tutorials that makes it easy to get the most out of this free graphic design software.
Adobe Spark
Adobe is well known and highly regarded for making some of the best graphic design software on the market. However, it’s premium products tend to be expensive. The company later launched Adobe Spark as a free alternative to Adobe Illustrator.
It has many powerful graphic design features in addition to free templates that make it very easy to create great graphics. The features it offers are perfect for quickly creating visuals for social media campaigns or blog posts.
The limited feature set also means that beginners won’t be overwhelmed by the software. Adobe Spark is available for both mobile and web, enabling marketers to design using any device of their choice.
Gravit
Marketers who are looking for a free vector design solution will be better served by Gravit. This graphic design software has been developed by the fine people behind Corel Draw.
Gravit provides a wide variety of tools that enable users to create vector art through a self-adjusting interface. In addition to vector illustration, Gravit also enables lighting and color adjustments, filters, blending, effects and more.
The free version isn’t fully adapted for touch-enabled devices, so it’s best used on the desktop. It also lacks some of the advanced features, but the free tier offers more than what most designers will need.
Gimp
Gimp is another well-known, highly regarded graphic design tool that’s been available for free for 25 years! It’s popularly referred to as the open-source version of Adobe Photoshop.
It supports all file formats and enables designers to create artwork from a blank canvas. The advanced features include layer masks, curves, animation, and more. The interface is also customizable for an enhanced user experience.
The best part about Gimp is that all of its features are free since it’s an open-source software. That makes it a compelling solution for even those who are very skilled when it comes to graphics design.
Happy designing!
