Graphic design hacks (from a graphic designer)
I am currently working with my dad on several different start-ups that he has built (family helps family pursue that indie dream), these are the tools and hacks that I have used to help design and launch them in a short amount of time.
- Canva.
Despite paying way too much for an Adobe license per year, I find myself defaulting to Canva whenever possible. It is so easy to use, has thousands of graphics and stock images, and has really solid templates. It also has a one-click background remover tool, animations to make gifs, and all of that good stuff. I've created social media posts, website graphics, email banners, Reddit ads, blog thumbnails, and directory entries with this tool alone.
link: https://www.canva.com/
- Coolors for color palettes = money
You can create your perfect color palette by clicking on your spacebar. I also like their contrast tool to make sure my text color is always easy to read off from the background color.
link: https://coolors.co/
- Everyone can (and should) implement the principles of design
There are rules that must be followed (or broken properly) to create quality content. When I realized this, I was much less intimidated and became more confident in what I was creating. I wrote this article that talks about the principles of design and which ones you should focus on when getting started: https://boxshotking.com/article/4-most-important-priciples-of-design
- Create 3-D mockups (Photoshop is optional)
Mockups are a hack in themselves for graphics, because you direct all of the attention to your product and can let it speak for itself. Boxshotking is a tool that we recently acquired and are renovating/repositioning, but it has ended up being really helpful for all of our other startups: I upload a 2-D image into the template I want and I get a 3-D mockup. As someone who has Photoshop to do the same thing, I find this much more straightforward.
link: https://boxshotking.com/
- Use Bitmojis and Emojis
Because everyone is so familiar with emojis and Bitmojis, subconsciously you get more credibility in peoples' minds when you use them. They are recognizable, trusted, and can make you look "hip" or whatever.
link: https://www.bitmoji.com/
What tools or hacks do you use that I am missing out on!? Let me know what you have done for your start-up in the comments.
"1. Canva
I totally relate! As a seasoned designer, I never thought I'd be drawn into the Canva ecosystem. While the software has its limitations, it proves to be an excellent tool for expanding a marketing team when its members aren't well-versed in design. As a creative director, I can establish brand standards, share resources, and empower the team to craft designs.
2, Coolors
One feature that would make it awesome is to implement the 60–30–10 rule for web design
Learn the rules then break them. Only way to create anything interesting.
Needs work. Better mockups to be found @ creative market, but requires adobe suite. I could see the appeal for an individual that doesn't have access to design software.
Classic site for grabbing icons!
Thanks for the share!