8 Free Graphic Design Tools for Social Media Image Design
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Social media has become part and parcel of our lives. So, businesses have started implementing social media strategies to pull their target audience. It plays an imperative role, especially for startups, to market their products and services online. Beyond amazing copywriting, your social media content must include creative graphical elements and here you can check out free design tools.
When it comes to social media, you just have a few seconds to grab the attention of your viewers before they scroll down to the next post. It’s absolutely necessary to include vibrant colors and the latest designs to stay in the competition.
Look at these stats that don’t lie: Social Media posts that have got compelling visuals to boast a comparatively high engagement rate than those that don’t. On Facebook, it doubles while tweets with graphical elements receive 150 percent more retweets than those without. So all these points to one fact. For doing a killer social media campaign, the visuals need to be a spot on. A lot depends on how to find the best images for social media, but more than that, you need to find a dedicated tool that lets you work with speed and efficiency. Explore, how graphic design can help businesses in social media.
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Free Design Tools List
Canva
Canva has more than 10 million users worldwide and is the go-to tool for creating social media graphics without hassle. It gives you access to thousands of templates and visual assets, as well as plenty of fonts. All you need to do is to subscribe for $9.95 per month.
It is a simple drag and drop interface which is accessible for beginners too. But if you already possess an eye for design, you are sure to create some pro-quality assets with very minimal effort. But due to the popularity of the tool, you would have to work a little bit harder on the template to stop them from looking alike. Canva also has built-in pre-set sizes for all platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Also, you can work on custom dimensions for your blog posts and it is one of the best free design tools.
Piktochart
Infographics are the most shareable media on social media platforms such as Pinterest. But it can be notoriously expensive to start from scratch, especially if you want to use them on a regular basis. Of course, a bespoke approach is fine if you have the time and budget, but an infographic creation tool such as Piktochart can make it hassle-free and cost-friendly. You can start with basic templates by inputting your own data and images to customize the outcome. Like Canva, there is a free entry version to get you started. The templates range is extended in Lite Version ( $15 per month). But if you prefer to use it on a regular basis, then go with the Pro version, which is at $29 per month. Explore the top ideas to create Facebook cover images for top brands.
iStock Editor
Finding the best visuals for your social media campaigns is just half the battle, and the free templates can only get you so far on the front. There are plenty of premium choices to choose from iStock by Getty Images. With the iStock editor, you can turn them into compelling social media graphics in a breeze. The tool also has pre-set crop dimensions for various social media platforms, so you can preview the image before making a decision. Istock also gives you the liberty to add filters and text from iStock editor, without using Photoshop. You can also have a look at Does size matter? (Social media Images)
Snappa
According to the standard for popular brand image social media, it is the ones with striking graphics, overlaid with classy text. This simple format is what Snappa follows. It is a very easy, single-purpose application that enables you to create polished and easily shareable images as quickly as possible. Like all other applications, even Snappa comes with a library of decent templates and pre-set crop sizes. But the main emphasis is on coming up with a spot on the background image. It is trusted as one of the best free design tools.
You can choose from their ( royalty-free options) or prefer to upload your own. Once you figure out the image you want, you have the effects panel where you can darken or brighten it however you want. Also, it has a wide range of text editing tools like alignment, spacing, opacity, drop shadow effect, and much more. Though the free version has few limitations, if you are planning to use it regularly, it’s better to subscribe to the $10 per month annual plan or $15 per month on a rolling basis.
Word Swag
Word Swag is the best choice if you are someone who prefers to edit and post your social media graphics on the move. Using this simple yet effective tool, you can add stylish texts to your images directly from your mobile and post it on your channel right away. You can choose from hundreds of thousands of free stock images available in the app, or you can upload your own if you prefer that. Then either adds your text, or you can choose your pre-set style from the word swag library. For IOS, it costs $4.99, and for Android, it is $3.99.
Infogram
Just like Piktochart, Infogram too is designed to make infographics creation a breeze. It also comes with 35 different charts and maps to present your data in a format ideal for social media sharing. The free version gives you access to a limited number of themes and layouts to choose from, which is sufficient for occasional use. But if you always have a constant stream of data to be made into infographics, then it would be apt to take the paid version, which offers extra features like adding your logo to the infographic. You can buy the pro version at $19 per month, and the advanced business users can pick the business version, which costs $67 per month. Also, they have a third variant, the enterprise version- you need to contact the team for a quote. Check out 9 ultimate tips for social media graphic design.
Pablo
Pablo is a minimalist image editor from the makers of popular social media scheduling tool Buffer. You could choose from their library of free and royalty-free images or upload your own. Also, it has a straightforward dashboard that gives you options to resize it for social media platforms, add filters to adjust contrast, and finally create an overlay for text and logos. You can add text boxes to each image- these are called ‘header,’ ‘body,’ and ‘caption,’ but you can adjust them according to your needs in practice. Pablo also has a Chrome extension, and it’s just a click away. You know what’s the best of all, it’s free, and you don’t need to have a Buffer subscription to use it. Check out the guide, how to create engaging social media videos.
Over
Just like Word Swag, Over lets you create simple yet effective graphics on your mobile. It could be social media graphics to invites, wallpapers, and many more. The only drawback is that it is available only for IOS users, which will frustrate the Android users. You can upload an image and add a variety of shapes and graphics with just a few clicks, swipe to adjust colors, fonts, and spacings. It’s amazingly designed, user-friendly and the results it gives is professional and classy. Though a free version is available, advanced functionalities are available in the Pro version, which is priced at $59.99 per year.
Check out inspiring ideas at All Time Design to make creative images and you can also check out killer t-shirt color combinations. Explore some more graphic design tools here.
