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How To Find Transparent PNG Images for Your Designs

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searching for PNG images

There’s nothing worse than saving what you believe to be a transparent PNG, only to discover that the checkered background is still there when you open the file. You can save time by downloading only transparent files from the internet, but how exactly can you make sure of it?

Here’s how you can find transparent PNG images to use in your designs:

  1. Only search for transparent PNGs.
  2. Use a specialized website.
  3. Check the image’s properties.
  4. Make your PNG images transparent.

After reading this article, you’ll know how to find, make, and use transparent PNGs in your designs. PNG files are great for website design thanks to their high-quality and small size, so you’ll want to be familiar with using them. Here’s all you need to know!


Only Search for Transparent PNGs

Searching for a Transparent PNG image

First, you can try filtering your image search results to get only transparent PNGs. This method is straightforward, although you’ll need to be careful. Search engines won’t usually sort out images that are free to use. If you use a copyrighted image in your design, you could find yourself in legal trouble.

Here’s what you can do to search for transparent PNGs on Google:

  1. Conduct your search as usual on Google.
  2. Click on “Images”.
  3. Go to the top menu and find “Tools.”
  4. Go to the “Color” drop-down menu and select “Transparent.”

After doing these steps, all the images in your search results will have a transparent area. You’re much more likely to find transparent PNGs in this way. However, you can filter your search even further.

When you type in the search bar, write the phrase “filetype: png” first. When you do this, Google will only show PNG files, making it much easier to find what you’re looking for. For example, entering “filetype: png dog” will cause Google to bring up PNG images of dogs.

This method is pretty convenient, although you may notice fake transparent PNGs still making their way through your filters. To better refine your search, you’ll want to try the other tips below too.


Use a Specialized Website

Use Laughingbird Software’s royalty-free images

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of sorting through all those images, you can use specialized software designed to make your design endeavors easier, such as Laughingbird’s The Graphics Creator.

One of this site’s main features is that you can add transparent backgrounds to all your PNGs. You can also easily find images that are safe to use and come with transparent backgrounds already, which is very convenient.

Designing goes a lot smoother when you have consistent access to transparent PNG files. You won’t spend all your time sorting through fake PNGs and removing the backgrounds so you can use them.

There are also many other sites that you can find online that claim to offer clear PNGs. However, you should always conduct a quick check into any sites that you find randomly through Google. They may not work or, worse, get malware into your computer.

You also have the option to browse databases of transparent images online. But if you do graphic design often, a design-based website like The Graphics Creator will be the most convenient option. All of the PNGs in The Graphics Creator already have their backgrounds removed, and the site is very safe to use.


Check the Image’s Properties

Find an image that you want to use first. Once you have one, you can quickly check that it’s transparent. Some photos still have backgrounds, despite having a “transparent” label.

You can do this by right-clicking the image, then opening the “Properties” menu. If the file is a PNG (and not a JPEG), then it’s likely that the background is transparent. JPEGs don’t support transparency, so they’ll always have a solid background.

Overall, it’s a good idea to check out an image’s properties before you download it—no matter what you’re using it for. There are tons of fake PNGs on the internet.

You can avoid having to check the file format by using Laughingbird’s The Graphics Creator, which only offers true PNGs when you search for them.

Why There Are “Fake” Transparent PNGs

There are many websites out there that make “fake” transparent images. You might have already run into them—they still have the checkered background when you open them up in your design software.

These sites do this to make you download the image from their website directly and not through Google images. However, there’s always the risk of getting a virus on your computer if you download from random websites.

Fake PNGs could also be a way to encourage more people to view a website and collect clicks. 

Lastly, fake PNGs could result from someone not understanding what file format to use. They simply saved the file as something other than a PNG, which filled in the transparent background. This person then uploaded the image online without checking that it was in the correct format.

It’s better to be safe online and first check the image’s properties. That way, you know what to expect before you go through the trouble of opening the image in your design software.


How to Make Transparent PNG Images

If all else fails, you can make your PNG images transparent using design software. You don’t need to be an expert graphic designer to do this either—it’s a straightforward process.

  1. First, open the image you want to adjust.
  2. Use your color selection tool (it varies from program to program) to select the image’s background color.
  3. Then, delete all instances of that color. Your software should select all pixels that use that exact shade, making it easy to delete them.

If the image has the white and gray checkerboard as the background, you’ll need to do this twice—once for the white squares, then again for the gray squares.

This option can be troublesome when there are many instances of the color also present in the image you want to use. You may need to reconstruct some of the images when you delete the background.

Removing the background of an image is always an option for designers, even if it’s not the most convenient. As long as you already have access to some design software, you can remove the background on your own.

This short YouTube video covers everything that you need to know to remove backgrounds easily in Photoshop:

Why You Need PNGs for Your Designs

PNG files are the most convenient file to use in most graphic design projects. These file types come with transparent backgrounds, making them better fit into websites and printed media.

Since it can be hard to find transparent images, some people avoid using PNGs in their work. However, they come with several benefits. Transparent backgrounds allow you to add more depth to your design and create a variety of visual effects.

PNG images are the top choice for use on websites. They don’t have large file sizes but retain a very high quality. They also allow for a vast spectrum of colors—up to 16.8 million different colors!

You might have noticed that JPEGs degrade in quality slightly each time they are copied. PNGs don’t have this issue—you can handle them all you want without losing any quality.

PNGs only have one downside: they’re not great for printing. They use RGB colors plus a transparency channel, known as the alpha channel. Meanwhile, printers work better with CMYK colors.

If you need to print your design, save it as a TIFF or some other print-friendly format. But if it’s meant to be seen on a screen, then PNG is the way to go.


How Do I Use Transparent PNG Images?

Colorful vector image isolated on a transparent background!

You can use transparent PNG images by dragging and dropping them onto your design board. Since they don’t have a background, you can organize them in creative ways. This makes it easier to mix multiple images without them covering each other. Your final design will also look less cluttered.

Transparent PNGs come with many uses and are simple to work with. All you need to do is arrange the images as you want on your canvas. Having access to many transparent images will make the designing process much more efficient.

For example, suppose you’re making an e-book cover. In that case, you can easily move around transparent images to ensure the text fits nicely. You’ll want to pay attention to how all the images look together to get a good design.

In short, you can use transparent PNG images however you want. They’re effortless to manipulate, and they don’t have a background you’d need to adjust to fit your design theme. 

Key Takeaways

PNGs you find online often have fake transparent backgrounds. These images can be annoying, especially if you had your heart set on using them. You can make the image transparent using design software or save yourself the trouble and only download real transparent PNGs.

These are some essential design tips that will help you find transparent images easily:

  • Use the Graphics Creator for easy access to transparent PNGs.
  • Filter your image search for transparent PNGs.
  • Inspect the image’s properties before downloading.

How Much to Charge for an Online Banner Design

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Picture of businesswoman dressed in white shirt sitting in her office and holding money in hand near face

If you’re a graphic designer or artist, you’ll often need to set prices for online banner design in addition to other design projects. However, you might not always know exactly how much to charge. There are many factors you should consider, including how much time and effort the design will take and your experience.

To charge for an online banner design, consider whether you want to charge hourly or a fixed rate for the design and how experienced you are. Most freelancers make between $10 and $600 for a single banner. You always want to charge for your time, so never go below a set amount.

There are many aspects to consider when pricing your design, so I made sure to break them down in this article. By the end of this piece, you’ll know exactly how much to charge for your digital banners. Let’s get started!

How to Price Online Banner Designs

When setting your digital banner prices, you need to consider four main factors. These include:

  • Your experience level
  • The scope of the project (including how long it will take and the difficulty level)
  • The project’s value
  • Other expenses that come from your pocket

You’ll want to consider how much you’ll charge very carefully. You’ll also want to familiarize yourself with other designers’ rates in your area.

Your experience and situation will change over time, so don’t hesitate to change your pricing models with them.

Bold YouTube Banner Graphics
Lower your expenses and make more money by creating a banner design with affordable software: The above design was created with The Graphics Creator.

Your Experience Level

Your experience level should have the most impact on how much you charge for your banner. If you’re still a beginner, you won’t want to charge as much as an expert in the field. Potential clients will notice and look for a different designer.

The more experience you gain, the more money you can charge. Most beginners charge about $20 to $30 per hour, so $25 is usually the perfect starting point for most people. However, you should move to per-project pricing as you become more experienced. 

You should use this time to build a strong design portfolio. Having more banner samples to choose from will help attract more clients.

The Project’s Scope

Next, you need to consider the scope of the project. Not every project will take the same amount of time to complete. You’ll want to make sure you get paid for your work, so complex banners such as video banners, should always cost more than simple ones.

Some projects require multiple meetings, tasks, and deliverables. If you expect you’ll have to put in a lot of time to finish the banner, then charge extra. You won’t need to do this if the banner is a simple, one-time task.

Make sure you consider the project’s scope, whether you charge hourly or per project. It’s best to be upfront with your client about the price so they aren’t surprised later.

The Project’s Value

Many new designers forget to consider the value of the project. Adding this factor into your pricing ensures you’re paid for your skills. If you suspect the banner will help the client make money, you’ll want to charge slightly more.

For example, you might charge more for a business advertisement banner than a social media banner. The business banner’s main goal is to attract customers, earning the brand more income. On the other hand, a social media design, such as a YouTube banner, is there to help someone gain a larger following.

This also includes any other services that you offer the client. For instance, you may include brand strategies together with the banner or adjustments to their website. You’ll want to charge a higher rate for the additional work.

Whether your clients come from small businesses or huge corporations, they’re ordering the digital banner because it means something to them. You want to charge a rate that’s fair to you, so don’t undersell your work’s value.

Examples of Online Banner Design
You might charge more for a YouTube Banner because a business can earn money from it.

Any Other Expenses

Finally, you don’t want to pay out of your pocket while making the design. Make sure you consider any other charges you’ll expect during the creation process. You probably have to pay for a subscription to the software you use to create the banner. Other expenses include access to stock images and your design equipment.

Plus, if you’re a freelancer, you need to cover your insurance costs. You should always factor those expenses into your hourly rate, so you know that you can afford everything you need.

Some projects do require more materials than others. These elements should fall under the project scope, although there will be instances when unexpected costs come up.

Hourly VS Fixed-Rate Pricing

Before you make the banner, you need to decide whether to charge per hour for your banner or have a preset rate. Most of the time, hourly rates are easier to figure out, and you get paid for all of your time.

However, hourly pay doesn’t consider the value of the project as much as fixed-rate pricing does. Because of this, many experienced designers charge per project. They also can complete the banner faster than new designers and still have it look outstanding.

Overall, you’ll want to choose the payment model you’re most comfortable with. It’s not uncommon for designers to switch between charging per hour and per project, depending on the scope of the banner.

This short YouTube video explains the differences between these two forms of pay and how to choose the one that suits you best:

Final Thoughts

To summarize, you’ll first want to decide if you’re going to charge hourly or a fixed rate. Think about how much time and effort the project will take—you will want to charge extra for complex or complicated projects. Lastly, you’ll also need to consider your experience.

As a designer, you can set your own prices. However, you’ll need to be careful not to under or overcharge your work. That way, you can keep clients for the long term without making sacrifices on your end. The more design work you do, the better feel you’ll get for setting your prices.

How Much To Spend on Marketing Design To Be Successful

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woman's hand writing on sticky note

If you have a business, you need to put enough money into marketing design. Otherwise, your company and website won’t grow. However, many people don’t realize how much they should budget for good design marketing.

You should spend between 7 and 8 percent of your gross revenue on marketing design if you want to succeed. Large businesses tend to spend more, around 10 percent, while most small businesses put forth around 8 percent. 

If you want to keep up with the competition, strive for those same ranges.

You’ll need to consider your company’s revenue and how long it’s been in business before building your digital marketing budget. I’ve covered everything in this article. 

So, read on to learn how much you need to spend on marketing design to have a successful business.

The Importance of a Good Marketing Design Budget

When you have a solid marketing design budget, you allow this section of your brand to thrive. You’ll then have access to better, more memorable designs for your site, which helps with conversions and returning users.

Plus, you can use graphic design to tell a visual story. Visitors can better understand your purpose and message after viewing images on your website.

Lastly, marketing design greatly influences whether you gain a new customer. You can have the best-written content ever, but if the layout and graphics on your site are bad, you still won’t get conversions. So, don’t hesitate to put more into your marketing budget.

Watch how you can create your own marketing design for a very low cost!

What Is Marketing Design?

It’s also important to understand exactly what marketing design is. Many people confuse it with other types of marketing, so you’ll want to have a good idea of what it is to create an appropriate budget for it.

Marketing design is a type of marketing that relies on graphic design elements to build strong marketing campaigns. It uses visuals to appeal to viewers and attract them to your brand. 

Suppose you have an appealing website with plenty of nice visuals and an easy-to-navigate screen. In that case, you’ll have a returning audience. We love seeing appealing website designs online- whether we realize it or not. Marketing design focuses on the visual aspects of marketing to create pleasing websites for brands.

Marketing design is very important, whether you run a small, local shop or a huge corporation. You should make sure your marketing design budget has ample funds to provide growth to the company.

Determining Your Marketing Budget

Your budget for marketing design will be unique to your business, so you don’t need to do what everyone else does to have success. Any budgets included in this article are suggestions, and you can choose an amount that you’re comfortable with. However, you’ll need to ensure you don’t put too little into your marketing design.

Setting up a clear marketing budget as a percentage of your revenue makes it much easier to determine what resources you need to put where. Many marketing experts recommend small businesses put seven to eight percent of their gross revenue into marketing. You can determine this by multiplying your revenue by that percentage.

Woman using calculator to determine marketing budget
Determine your marketing design budget before you spend money.

However, your monthly marketing budget should also include raising your SEO rank, online ads, and a stronger online presence. 

At a minimum, it’s best to spend $500 on marketing each month. Most small businesses can afford to fit this into their budget. It’s enough to afford access to good online design programs and plenty of other tools that you can use to build your brand.

It can sound like a lot, but providing a solid budget encourages your brand to grow. If you don’t put any money into your business’s marketing plans, you’re not getting much back out of it. So, even if $500 is more than seven to eight percent of your revenue, it’s still good to put at least that much into your marketing campaign.

Your budget should grow naturally with the rest of your business. When you notice your gross revenue increases, you should also throw more into your marketing design budget. These two feed off each other, so you’ll keep getting good results.

You can always put a slightly higher percentage of your revenue into marketing design if you have the room. In doing so, your business and online presence will grow much faster. You can do this for campaigns, then lower the budget back to your normal amount when it’s done.

Overall, make sure you base your marketing design budget on a portion of your gross revenue. That way, you won’t lose your other important budgets, and you can determine where your money needs to go first.

Marketing works, so you won’t want to ignore it. If you do, you’re sure to lose to your competitors.

Computer monitor showing Graphics Creator Software
The Graphics Creator: Create marketing graphics on your own without hiring a graphic designer!

How Design Costs Break Down

When you’re deciding on how much to spend on marketing design, it’s a good idea to know where your design budget goes. Several options, including logo design, photography, and video creation are available to you. These designs can be very pricey, especially when you have expert designers make them for you.

However, don’t let that discourage you. Think of it as an investment- the better quality design you have, the more money your brand makes.

Here’s how some of those marketing design costs can break down:

  • $15 to $35 an hour for a freelance designer.
  • Between $100 and $850 for a logo.
  • $20 to $150 for a custom social media graphic.
  • $5,000 or more for a high-quality website with multiple pages.

As you can see, the costs can add up quickly. Without a budget in place, you could spend way more than your brand can afford at the moment. More experienced designers can cost even more than that.

If you’re a small business and need to save money on your marketing design budget, you can try using software like the Online Graphics Creator. It’s an affordable tool that you can use to make design elements yourself, so you don’t have to worry about hiring professional designers.

Block of wood with words "spend less money"
Use easy online graphics software and save a ton of money for your small business.

Breaking Up Your Marketing Design Budget

You’ll want to use the 70-20-10 rule within your marketing design budget. This means: 

  • 70% of your budget goes towards marketing strategies you know will work well. 
  • 20% of your budget goes into new strategies and growth.
  • 10% of your budget goes into experimental marketing strategies.

Using this rule, you can further split your marketing design budget. Focus on design content creation that you know works, and your business is sure to grow. As it does, you can put more money into experimental strategies and see what works best for you.

Overall, you can treat your marketing design budget just like any other budget your business has. Even though it’s for creative content, you still want to know if it’ll be effective.

Final Thoughts

To summarize, you can put between seven and ten percent of your gross revenue towards your marketing design. Many small businesses put a slightly smaller percentage towards their marketing design than large corporations.

If you can afford to put more money into your marketing design, make sure you do! You’ll help your business grow and build a larger audience faster, as the advertising will give you more exposure.

How to Design Eye-Catching Ads for Your Target Audience

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Graphic stating How to Design Eye-Catching Ads for Your Target Audience

You have a product or service to offer and want to make an attention-getting advertisement. But how do you decide what kind of ad to make? What image should you put on your ad? What colors and fonts should you use to really grab attention?

The truth is… you’ll never know unless you’re sure about who you want your ad to speak to. That starts with finding out who your target audience is. Once you do this, creating an ad and making sales from it will be easier and faster.

Here’s how to design eye-catching ads for your target audience step by step:

  1. Define Your Customer
  2. Identify Their Problem or Concern
  3. Give the Right Message
  4. Create Eye-Catching Advertisements

Continue reading and following these four simple steps to create perfect ads for your target audience.

Watch this video to see how to design a targeted ad using The Ad Creator templates from The Graphics Creator.

1. Clearly Define Your Customer

You must understand who your customers are in order to create ads specifically for them. The goal here is to find out who is the person who will buy your product without hesitation.

Answer These Questions About Your Target Audience:

  1. How old are they?
  2. Are they male or female?
  3. Do they have children?
  4. Are they married or divorced?
  5. How much money do they make?
  6. How much education do they have?
  7. What’s their occupation?
  8. Where do they live?

You might also benefit by understanding their personal/professional interests and needs. What communities (online and offline) do they hang out in? Is there a common theme with other members of this community? Are they all over age 40 and divorced? All parents with teen children?

Finally, create an “avatar” of that customer (an image of this person in your mind or on paper). You can actually create a visual and stick it on the wall so that this person is easy to keep in mind.

Chalkboard with words "Who is your audience"
You need to define your target audience BEFORE crafting your advertising message.

2. Identify Their Problem

Now that you’ve identified who your customer is, what kind of problem do they have that you can solve? If you’ve identified your customer correctly, these people will be happy to “pay” you to solve their problem.

Therefore, your success with advertising depends on correctly identifying their problem, frustration, or pain. But no worries, you can do this by answering these questions:

  • What are their specific problems, frustrations, or pains? Be specific.
  • Can my product or service solve these problems?
  • What are one or two reasons this customer would “object” to purchasing my product or service (even though it will solve their problem)?
  • How will I overcome these objections? What will I tell them or show them that’ll squash those objections?

Here’s a Laughingbird Software example of an audience objection:

A common objection to using Laughingbird Software’s Graphics Creator is… “I don’t know anything about design, so I can’t create my own graphics!”

In response to the objection above about not having any design experience, I’d say… “You can create professional-looking graphics for ads, social media, etc., WITHOUT any design experience, using ready-made templates and easy drag-and-drop images”.

stressed female in front of laptop
Solve your potential customers’ primary problem or frustration with your product or service.

3. What Message Do You Want to Give Your Customer?

Now that you know who your target audience is, it’s time to be clear on who you are and what you have to offer. Although you’ll do this with the eye-catching design you’re going to create, you can also grab their attention using your words. Graphic design and marketing are different, even though they can both be used to grab attention.

To help you decide what to say, try this exercise. State EXACTLY what you offer, who you will help, and what problem your product or service will solve. Fill in the blank (remember this from your school days?):

I help ___________________ do/achieve/get/learn _______________ so they can _______________ without _________________.

Take a look at the Ad Creator Templates and use the coupon code below in your shopping cart to purchase:

Blue and green graphic showing discount code ADCREATOR10
How to Design Eye-Catching Ads for Your Target Audience

Examples of the Perfect Message for Your Target Audience

Here’s my own example of how to craft the best message for your audience:

I help small, online business owners create their own graphics so they can quickly market their products or service without spending a lot of money or waiting for someone else to do it.

And, here are a couple more examples for various businesses:

I help middle-aged, professional women, get rid of age spots so that they can look great and feel confident without waiting months for a creme to work or getting laser surgery.

I help online solopreneurs create effective business plans so they can easily grow their businesses without feeling overwhelmed and financially drained.

Got it?! Now, translate your “me” statement into a “you” statement.

My example:

Small, online business owners… create your own graphics so you can quickly market your product or service without spending a lot of money or waiting for someone else to do it.

That’s it! Your audience has been targeted and you’ve got the information you need to design your ad.

4. How to Design Eye-Catching Ads for Your Customers

Ad design with woman sitting in field of orange flowers.
Design an ad like this one: Add your message, select the best image, and you’re ready to advertise!

Now that you know who your customers are, understand their problems, and are ready with your offer, create a visual ad with a message geared toward helping them!

This is easy if you use a design tool with pre-designed templates. Make sure to watch this quick tutorial video to see how quickly you can design the best advertisement.

If you don’t already have The Graphics Creator, grab the downloadable Ad Creator templates here (BONUS: get The Graphics Creator 8 software for FREE… Don’t forget to use the coupon code ADCREATOR10 for $10 off!

The Creatorpreneurs Academy brings together strategic marketing with eye-catching design so you have the tools and skills to grow your business fast.

Final Thoughts

Learn how to design eye-catching ads for your target audience by following the four steps in this article. By following these steps, you’ll be sure to create an ad that solves potential customers’ problems. In turn, they’ll be willing to buy your product or service because it is just what they need!

 

12 Best Tools To Create Digital Art for Non Artists

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Do you feel like putting together professional artwork for your company, website, or social media page but feel put off? You might think you need to develop software and art creation skills for several months before you can finally pull off great digital art, but this is no longer the case.

Here are 12 of the best tools to create digital art for non-artists:

  1. Graphics Creator
  2. Visme
  3. Design Wizard
  4. Vista Create
  5. Easil
  6. Snappa
  7. Stencil
  8. PicMonkey
  9. Canva
  10. PlaceIt
  11. Wepik
  12. Desygner

In this article, I’ll further explain what makes each of these digital art tools an excellent choice even for the non-artist. Therefore, if you’re looking to create professional-looking artwork with little to no previous experience, make sure to keep reading.

1. Graphics Creator

Examples of graphics in the Graphics Creator by Laughingbird Software
Non-Artists can easily create digital art using the Laughingbird Software Graphics Creator!

Laughingbird Software’s Graphics Creator is a tool that lets non-artists create eye-catching visuals for any purpose. Whether this is for social media marketing or logos, you can help your small business grow with this fun, easy software tool that anyone can use.

The Graphics Creator has a massive selection of templates, images, and tools for marketing and design. All you need to do is open the Graphics Creator online and choose between the seemingly endless array of creative, tailored templates for various functions, with an editor that allows all of the template designs to be customized.

The templates are all custom-designed to grab viewers’ attention. All you have to do is add your touch using the drag-and-drop design elements.

Screenshot of the Marketing and Advertising Design Templates in the Graphics Creator
The Graphics Creator Digital Art Creator includes Marketing and Advertising Design Templates for Non-Designers.

It’s suitable for complete beginners, and if the intuitive software is still daunting, there is a whole range of tutorials and helpful videos on hand to guide you through the process of producing artwork that will bring you more customers.

There are two models to the software, online and downloadable, so you can choose to use it either on or offline. The online version provides a convenient way to immediately access all of the templates by subscription, starting at under $6 per month on the annual plan.

The design templates can also be purchased separately and come with the Graphics Creator free download. The downloadable software proves to be super helpful if you have a poor internet connection or want to always have access to the software on your computer or laptop even if no wifi is accessible.

2. Visme

Visme specializes in tools for creating infographics, presentations, and graphics. It’s excellent for businesses as you can save company branding information for future use. It’s straightforward for beginning designers with an intuitive drag-and-drop format, meaning you can simply insert and move elements around.

It’s suited to a professional office environment where there is a need for unified branding, sharing with many other people, and collaborating, so this isn’t a useful tool for individual, creative projects.

However, this tool is more expensive than many other platforms, with the business member service starting at $49 per month. Starting at $25 per month, the basic and personal memberships have fewer functions than the business level, so you should consider this when purchasing.

Overall, this software may be better value for larger organizations but not individual creators or small teams.

3. Design Wizard

Design Wizard Art Tool

Design Wizard is great for non-designers who want to make short videos and simple graphics for blogs and posters. There’s no need for design skills as it focuses on speed and ease of use with many templates for social media, graphics, and more.

There’s a free version of the app, but this will place a watermark on any graphic produced, making it unsuitable for business use or those who want to create clean images. The Pro membership starts at $9.99 per month and allows access to 60 design templates per month.

Overall, it sacrifices the wide variety of functions found in other tools for speed and usability but is helpful for businesses who want to appear professional in their graphics for products like business cards or marketing campaigns.

4. Vista Create

Vista Create, formally known as Crello, is a robust tool that is used primarily to create graphics for branding and advertisements and works well with social media.

It has an extensive library of images and templates to choose from, just like the other types of software mentioned until now. It also provides many templates for animations, but there is limited potential to edit these.

Pricing starts at just over $10 per month for the Pro version of this software. Still, there is a free version that includes almost all of the features that the paid subscription provides, with the main difference being the amount of storage included and a few extra tools such as a sticker maker. Overall, this tool would suit advertisers and branders who need a professional graphics library.

5. Easil

Sample design in Easil
Easil for non-designers

Easil is a software that provides several templates for different social media sites. It’s a source of many creative and stylish outlines for Instagram and allows you to create graphics for Instagram stories. An exciting feature of this software is its hospitality tool focused on businesses such as tourism companies and restaurants that need to create branded menus or other displays.

It also provides many ways to edit and customize images, texts, and features, create GIFs, and more. It’s a strong tool for people who want to quickly create graphics for certain functions and advertising on social media.

Despite the stylish appearance and focus on minimal-looking graphics, this software is easy to use with a drag-and-drop function for creating images. It’s also very simple to pick a unified color scheme using the design tool.

Easil design costs start at $7.50 per month for the Plus membership. Still, a free version also allows access to the images and templates but not to the variety of design functions such as text editing that makes the graphics on Easil so stylish.

6. Snappa

Snappa is an image editing tool designed for beginners to create graphics and artwork. One of its key features is its picture editor, which allows users to add effects such as background graphics and speech bubbles, usually achieved using software such as Photoshop but at a fraction of the time and price.

Another impressive feature is that it gives you the ability to collaborate with others on projects and use many images and templates for different graphic types. It’s most similar to Canva or Visme but with a more advanced photo manipulation software.

This tool is focused on social media campaigns, so if your goal is to create custom art for many sites, including Facebook and Instagram, this may be the software for you. The tool is entirely online, so there’s no need to download extra files.

Pricing starts at $10 per month for the Pro version, and although there’s a free version too, please note that this does not include the advanced picture editing functions which add value to Snappa.

7. Stencil

Stencil is a tool built with simplicity in mind. It’s excellent for those who need to make a simple graphic composed of text over image very quickly; however, it is limited in other functions. This tool is most similar to Easil, but takes the concept further, with all procedures included on one page and a minimal range of design tools.

They have also included a social media scheduler so that artwork created in Stencil can be lined up to be sent out at a specific date and time, making life easier for content makers. This focus makes it less suitable for more complex tasks, such as branding or graphics for printed design.

Stencil is priced starting at $9 per month for the Pro membership. However, even the free Basic version is useful for basic functions (as the name suggests) but allows limited access to stock images and templates.

This tool is for those who want to create digital art as fast as possible and don’t need to spend too long thinking about specific design styles. It would work well for people who have a simple, stylish idea in mind for an Instagram story campaign or something similar.

8. PicMonkey

Sample of Picmonkey Digital Designs

 

Picmonkey Digital Designs can be created by non-artists.

PicMonkey has a very broad set of functions, templates, and tools to make a virtually endless number of graphics, and it even has a photo retoucher, similar to the one found in Adobe Photoshop. As well as the common model of selecting and editing templates, this means that you can customize images artistically without having to invest in more expensive software.

This retoucher is one of PicMonkey’s unique features and allows beginners to create beautiful images by adding filters and effects. Although editing images in this way may seem intimidating for non-artists, the walk-through guides and intuitive layout will take you through the process and let you get started quickly.

Pricing with PicMonkey starts at just over $11 per month and includes all of the aforementioned features. However, this tool has no free version, so be prepared to pay for the software after an initial seven-day free trial. Although it may seem complicated, this software has made the art of quality image editing feel very accessible.

9. Canva

Canva is a tool for non-artists to collaborate on a huge variety of online and printable graphics. You can work with teammates by creating joint projects and allowing them to make edits. You can also link to other apps such as Google Drive and Dropbox for seamless file sharing.

It’s also a simple design format that makes it easy for non-creatives to use and allows you to work on many designs, from social media to presentations to videos. Like many other tools, it has a broad selection of templates and stock images and is helpful for business branding.

As well as online graphics, Canva can be used for printed material to match your online branding on t-shirts and mugs.

Canva is priced at $11.99 per month for the Pro membership; however, the software also comes in a free version that allows access to a considerable amount of templates and graphics and includes the collaborative tools featured above. If you’re looking to work in a team and don’t have a background in art and design but want to create great graphics, this is a very functional and wide-reaching tool.

10. PlaceIt

Sample of Placeit Design Templates

 

Placeit Design Templates

PlaceIt is a colorful tool for mock-ups, marketing, and logos. You can easily and quickly draw up graphics for use for your business purposes, and its strength is its usefulness for companies and merchants. However, there are limited options for editing and being more creative, but this makes it very user-friendly, with less to confuse or intimidate new users.

There are many options for displaying designs on printed materials such as prints and apparel. There are also options to produce graphics for sites such as YouTube and Twitch using templates for these formats.

PlaceIt subscription starts at $7.47 per month for unlimited access and is worth the investment if you are a creative entrepreneur who needs help with your product design. However, it may not be great for varied, creative kinds of work.

11. Wepik

Wepik is different from other tools as it’s free to use. As you would expect, this means it’s much more limited in terms of functions, consisting of a library of templates with basic editing tools, but this means that if you need to create something without having to invest in a subscription to a service, this is the software for you.

You can use the templates for social media graphics, printed materials, and even things like résumés. It is ideal for non-commercial uses. If you need to quickly create a good-looking image for a project or social media post, this might be your site.

12. Desygner

Desygner Digital Art Tool example

 

Desygner Digital Art Tool

Desygner is another tool similar to Canva and Visme, with valuable features like a background remover for images and a PDF editor. It’s easy to use and accessed directly through your browser, minimizing the need for separate downloads.

Those who would benefit most from this tool would be online marketers and social media managers, as the templates and artwork created here are ideal for use in ad campaigns such as those using Google ads. It’s designed to be easy to start working on, allowing you to grab a template and start editing.

Pricing begins at $4.95 per month for the Pro version of this software. Still, there’s a free version with many templates and some tools, making this alternative ideal for smaller businesses and beginners who want to start making graphics before committing to a subscription.