The Best Graphic Design Tools & Learning for Non-Designers

Nowadays, graphic design is not reserved for professionals or specialized persons: any person that wants to do it can create visual content for personal blogs, small business or social media. For the same reason, there is a wide range of tools and resources that make graphic design accessible and affordable for everyone despite the level of experience.

Next, we’ll study some of the best graphic design tools and resources for non-designers and their main features.

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Why Are They so Important?

In today’s world digital and visuals have become two of the most important means of communication. It doesn’t matter if you’re a business owner, a marketer, a content creator or anything else, eventually, you’ll need to design something to catch the public’s attention.

Recent research has shown that people are more engaged with visual content than with just text. In addition, good design inspires trust, shows professionalism and creativity and is far more memorable than just phrases and that’s why basic graphic design skills are getting more and more important in today’s world. Many people need them…and anybody can access them.

Top Graphic Design Tools for Non-Designers

Using the right tools make graphic design easier so you can create fonts, icons and pictures very quickly and with a minimum effort. The best graphic design tools include:

Canva

This is probably the most popular tool for non-designers. It has a drag-and-drop interface and a wide library of templates besides stock photos, icons, photo editing tools and illustration features which makes it ideal for graphic, presentations and marketing material creation. All you have to do is select the template that is closer to your vision and customize it with the available writing and visual tools.

It is the most used tool in social media, marketing and branding. It also allows you to export and print designs so, if you work in any of these areas, take a look at our marketing materials on our website and discover the design option we have to offer you.

Adobe Spark/Express

Adobe Express is another useful tool for quick and easy graphic creation for non-designers. Its cloud-based technology allows you to work on your projects from any device as long as you have access to the internet.

It is highly used for social media, web stories creation and basic photo edition. It has a wide library, pre – made templates and brand customization tools.

In addition, it doesn’t require extensive design knowledge so you can create a professional-looking design in just a few minutes just choosing a template and adding the elements you like so if you’re looking for a simple and quick option to design this may be what you’re looking for. Take a look at all the marketing resources we have on our website and start exploring the range of design options we have.

PicMonkey

This is a versatile design tool with a very friendly interface and set of features that are ideal for marketing and social media material creation. It is also the best option for photo edition.

The PicMonkey’s features are pretty similar to Photoshop and it is also very useful for those who want to improve their edition skills. Among its features it is worth to mention the image retouching, overlays, advanced layering and a notable font selection. 

If by any chance you need to improve your edition skills and image is very important in your projects, you should explore the marketing design portfolio we have and find out how you can use it to take your projects to the next level.

Crello/VistaCreate

Another ideal tool for social media graphics design and marketing material creation. It is usually compared to Canva although Crello is more focused on animation and video content. It features an extensive library of templates, stock photos and animations and short videos creation tools. 

Using Crello, non-designers can easily incorporate animations to their graphics to make them more attractive and engaging for social media and digital platforms so, if you have always wanted to incorporate animations into your graphics, but you haven’t had the chance, this is what you’ve been looking for.

In addition, you can also take a look at the animated video design section on our website and discover how to incorporate animations among the other features it has to offer.

Stencil

This tool is widely used by marketers and small business owners since it allows them to create media graphics easily and quickly. It is very friendly and focuses on speed and efficiency.

It has a large collection of stock photos and icons and a social media scheduling tool. It’s very simple to use and that’s why it is ideal for beginners so, if you’re just starting to learn about graphic design and you’re also a small business owner, Stencil can be very useful for you.

You can also visit the social media section on our website and start discovering all the features and tools it can offer you.

Figma

This is a tool that has become very popular in the last few years in the graphic design world. It is ideal for team work and collective projects as well as for interfaces, digital layouts design and digital content creation. It includes extensive prototyping tools and cloud-based editions.

Its collaborative features makes it ideal for team work. It allows sharing and editing projects in real time so, if you’re looking for the ideal tool for work-teams and collective projects this may be the one. You can also visit the marketing materials section on our website and discover all the features it has to boost your work-team

Desygner

Although not very known, this is a highly useful and effective tool for marketing and social media material creation. It’s very friendly and easy to use and also features a mobile app which allows to work – on – the – go

It features branding tools, customizable templates and the option of integrating with stock photo sites, which makes it ideal for business cards and branded material creation. For these reasons, it is highly used for small businesses that are starting to create a brand if you’re one of them, you should also take a look at the logo and branding design section on our website and start to really take your brand to the next level.

Free Resources and Tutorials for Non - Designers

Although it is probably the most important one, choosing the right tool is just the first step. It is very important to also get familiar with the basic design principles to improve your work. Among the most used resources to learn the basic principles of graphic design there are:

Canva Design School

This is a free resource that includes tutorials, articles and courses. Since it is featured by Canva, they use the Canva platform during the lessons which makes it easier for beginners to start designing on the way.

Are you interested in taking a course or a tutorial? Don’t hesitate to visit the website and explore the options it has to improve your graphic design formation.

Youtube Tutorials

This platform has an amazing number of free tutorials of multiple subjects including graphic design. Channels like The Futur, Satori Graphics and Envato Tuts offer tutorials on different design principles and tools. There you can easily learn from typography principles to social media content creation.

Start exploring the graphic design Youtube tutorials and channels and take the extra mile in your learning process.

Skillshare

This platform has a wide range of design courses for beginners. Here it is possible to find specific courses on tools like Canva and Figma. It also offers lessons of design principles.

Blogs and Websites

There are a lot of websites where you can learn the basic principles of graphic design like Creative Bloq and 99designs Blog. In these sites you can learn design tips and find graphic design tutorials. Visiting these blogs will also keep you updated about the latest design trends and allow you to learn new techniques.

Take a look at these blogs and take advantage of keeping up with the latest design trends.

Books

Publications such as The Non-Designer’s Design Book by Robin Williams and Thinking with Types by Ellen Lupton are just some of the best guides for beginners. In these books design principles are exposed in an easy-to-understand way which makes them perfect for non-designers

Essential Design Principles

Even having chosen a design tool and taking a graphic design course, learning some basic design principles can make a very significant difference for beginners. Among the most important graphic design principles there are: balance, contrast, alignment, hierarchy and consistency.

By learning about each one of these principles you will certainly get a significant advantage in your learning journey.

Leave Graphic Design Tools to XMS Professionals and Achieve Great Results

Graphic design knowledge is a valuable and powerful skill that elevates visual content to the next level. 

Tools like Canva, Figma, and Crello, combined with the right resources, make it easy for non-designers to create professional-looking graphics. 

While these tools are excellent for beginners, leaving the handling of graphic design tools to the professionals at Xperience Marketing Solutions ensures outstanding results tailored to your needs.

Contact XMS today

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