If you’re a small business owner or other type of entrepreneur, you’ve undoubtedly experienced the frustration of trying to convey an idea to someone who isn’t getting it. Whether it’s a technical explanation or an issue with finances, it can be difficult to make your point even when you’re an expert and can confidently explain it. Humans are visual learners, and tend to understand best when information is available in a visual form. It’s critical for any entrepreneur to have some basic skills in graphic design.
Luckily, there’s plenty of free and inexpensive graphic design programs that don’t require much time to learn and can help you convey anything required for your business. We’ve listed some of them in the next section.
Graphic Design Options
- Vectr
- Vectr is a completely free online image editor. With no software to download, you can open up the website and be editing graphics in seconds. It also features graphics customization through fonts and filters, allowing you to do more than just make shapes. Vectr is the easiest software to start running since it’s completely in-browser and can be accessed from anywhere.
- Canva
- Probably the most widely used program on this list, Canva is advertised as a photo editor. While this is true, the options you get when using Canva go way beyond photo touch-ups. Just like Vectr, you can use Canva in any modern browser, but Canva can also be downloaded to use offline with more features.
- Snappa
- A unique and useful feature in Snappa allows you to start by selecting the dimensions of what you’re working with, then choose photos and effects that work best in it. Snappa is user-friendly and excellent for any stage of your business.
- Adobe Express
- Adobe Express features a free starter plan for beginners, but once you’ve figured out your way around the program it may be worth looking into their upgraded $10/month plans. However, the free version is great to start and the program offers iOS and Android apps.
- Pixlr Editor
- Pixlr is most popular for acting as a simpler version of Adobe Photoshop. It’s also on iOS and Android, making it perfect for the entrepreneur on the go. It’s completely free to use over two million combinations of borders, filters, and overlays, with more available for purchase.
Images
Once you’re up to speed using the graphic design programs, you’ll need to download images. Image copyrights are complicated and it’s important to be cautious and make sure you have the rights to use anything you download. Three websites with completely free images to download are Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash.
The Case for Graphic Design
Whether you’re looking to launch a full-fledged advertising campaign across all of media or you just want to make a chart look nice, graphic design is a must for anyone in the beginning stages of entrepreneurship. Being able to save money on a graphic designer can be the difference between a lean startup succeeding or failing, and making the graphics yourself ensures that they’ll be high-quality. Given the different options listed in this article, there’s a free graphic design program out there for anyone, although plenty of these programs offer paid upgrades for even more features.
Clean graphics convey an air of professionalism and strong business savvy. They don’t need to be too complex; the main function is to demonstrate that you can get an idea across in a clear format and introduce additional people to it. Whether you’re simply optimizing the way a chart looks or managing an entire advertising campaign, the tools listed here will help you get started. For more information on how to use graphic design programs in your business (and plenty of other tips on entrepreneurship) feel free to check out other posts and tutorials on this blog. In addition to tips and tricks for small business graphic design, there are plenty of webinars and courses that focus on getting the most out of your small business.
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