Alexis Kestler
Hey there! As a technology geek and data analyst, I‘m excited to provide this in-depth look at the top design tools for creating eye-catching visual content. Whether you‘re a marketer looking to make infographics or a business owner creating a logo, impactful design is essential in today‘s digital landscape.
Why Visual Content Matters
Before jumping into the tools, let‘s look at why visual content is so important:
- The human brain processes visuals 60,000x faster than text. Images help convey messages and data quickly.
- Posts with visuals drive up to 180% more engagement on social media.
- Articles with relevant images get 94% more total views than text-only articles.
When it comes to marketing, visuals are key for capturing attention and engagement. Even non-designers can create sleek graphics with the right tools.
Overview of 13 Top Design Tools
Now, let‘s explore the top 13 design platforms for all needs and skill levels:
As you can see, the tools differ across several factors – interface, templates, photo libraries, formats, etc. I‘ll provide an in-depth look at each one next.
#1 Canva
Canva lives up to its reputation as the most beginner-friendly design platform. The drag-and-drop interface makes it super simple to customize one of Canva‘s 10,000+ templates. For social media managers and bloggers, Canva can help you quickly create graphics that resonate with your audience.
Key Features: Photo editing, illustrations, icons, animations
Ideal For: Beginners, simplicity, speed
Use Cases: Social media posts, stories, ads, thumbnails, logos, presentations
Formats: JPG, PNG, PDF
Canva is free to use with an optional Pro subscription that provides more assets. With a Canva Pro team plan, multiple users can collaborate on designs.
#2 Adobe Creative Cloud
For professional-grade design with maximum creative control, Adobe CC is the industry leader. It‘s used by 96% of design agencies! With Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and more, you can design nearly any visual content. But the intricate tools also mean a steeper learning curve.
Key Features: Photoshop, Illustrator, animation, editing
Ideal For: Design agencies, professionals
Use Cases: Print ads, product packaging, photo editing, illustrations
Formats: PNG, JPG, GIF, PDF, SVG, PSD
This makes Adobe CC better suited for experienced designers versus beginners. Adobe CC plans start at $20/month for individuals or $70/month for teams.
#3 Snappa
Snappa markets itself as the simpler graphic design alternative to Canva. It has a large template library for online and print projects. The stock photo library provides free commercial-use images. Overall, Snappa makes it fast and affordable to create visual assets.
Key Features: Photo library, illustrations, drag-and-drop editor
Ideal For: Bloggers, marketers, small business owners
Use Cases: Blog graphics, social media ads, flyers, brochures, reports
Formats: JPG, PNG, GIF
Snappa offers a free plan or paid plans from $9.99/month. The Pro plan includes more stock photos and custom branding capabilities.
#4 Piktochart
As an infographic specialist, Piktochart simplifies data visualization. With easy drag-and-drop, anyone can make sleek infographics, reports, and presentations. If visualizing data is your goal, Piktochart is a top choice.
Key Features: Infographic templates, charts, data visualization
Ideal For: Infographics, data reports, presentations
Use Cases: Infographics, data reports, presentations
Formats: PNG, JPG, PDF
Piktochart‘s free plan limits you to basic templates. Paid plans unlock more features starting at $12.50/month.
#5 Visme
For creating interactive designs, Visme is a solid choice. Bring your infographics to life with animated charts and graphics. Split testing helps you optimize content performance. Visme also has presentation tools and collaboration capabilities.
Key Features: Animations, infographics, presentations
Ideal For: Marketing teams, interactive content
Use Cases: Presentations, infographics, banners, flyers
Formats: PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, HTML
Visme has a forever free plan or paid options starting at $10/month. It intergrates with platforms like WordPress for easy content sharing.
#6 PicMonkey
As a straightforward photo editor, PicMonkey helps you touch up images with effects, edits, filters and graphics. It‘s not as robust for creating full designs from scratch. But if you need to edit visuals for social media and ads, it gets the job done.
Key Features: Photo effects, touch up tools, graphics
Ideal For: Photographers, bloggers, social media pros
Use Cases: Photo editing, social media graphics
Formats: JPG, PNG, GIF
PicMonkey offers a basic free plan while the Pro plan costs $7.99/month. If you only need simple photo edits, the free version should suffice.
#7 Inkscape
Inkscape is a free, open-source vector design tool ideal for illustrators and animators. You can create intricate vector images, cartoons, logos, and animations. As an open-source platform, new features are constantly added based on user feedback.
Key Features: Vector design, illustrations, animations
Ideal For: Illustrators, animators
Use Cases: Logos, cartoons, animations, book illustrations
Formats: PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG
The learning curve is steeper than beginner tools like Canva. But Inkscape provides professional capabilities for free.
#8 Design Wizard
For creating quick, customized graphics and templates, Design Wizard is a handy option for small businesses and marketers. Simply select a template, customize it, and download professional-looking graphics in minutes.
Key Features: Templates, customization
Ideal For: Marketing teams, small businesses
Use Cases: Social media graphics, ads, flyers, invitations
Formats: JPG, PNG
Design Wizard is free to try with available paid subscriptions starting at $4.99/month.
#9 Venngage
Venngage focuses on creating sleek infographics and data visualizations. Choose from hundreds of professionally designed infographic templates across categories like finance, marketing, health, and education. Easily customize the infographics by just adding your own text, visuals, logos, and color schemes.
Key Features: Infographic templates, icons, charts
Ideal For: Marketers, educators, teams
Use Cases: Infographics, reports, presentations
Formats: PNG, JPG, PDF
Venngage has a free plan with limited exports. Paid plans start at $19/month with more infographic options and better analytics.
#10 Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark offers easy graphic, video, and web design capabilities in one platform. For creating social graphics and simple animated videos, Spark has great templates to start from. Integrations with other Adobe CC apps are a nice perk.
Key Features: Graphic templates, animations
Ideal For: Beginners, social media content
Use Cases: Social graphics, stories, ads, animated videos
Formats: JPG, PNG, MP4
The basic Spark plan is free. A paid Pro plan for $9.99/month unlocks additional features. But the free version provides enough functionality for most simple projects.
#11 Easelly
Easelly focuses specifically on creating infographics with an extensive selection of templates covering business, health, finance, and more. Simply choose a template, edit the design, add your information, and export your infographic.
Key Features: Infographic templates, icons, fonts, shapes
Ideal For: Businesses, content teams
Use Cases: Infographics, reports, presentations
Formats: JPG, PNG, PDF
Easelly starts with a free plan while paid plans unlock more features starting at $6/month. It provides great capabilities for informational and data-driven visuals.
#12 Canva Print
In addition to its graphic design platform, Canva also offers a straightfoward tool for designing marketing materials, business cards, book covers, resumes and more for print. Templates make print projects simple for business owners.
Key Features: Print templates, drag-and-drop
Ideal For: Business owners, entrepreneurs
Use Cases: Business cards, letterhead, resumes, flyers
Formats: PDF, JPG, PNG
Canva Print has free templates, or a Pro plan unlocks additional assets. Integrating with the main Canva platform is a major convenience.
#13 Figma
As a vector graphics editor, Figma shines for collaborative team design thanks to multi-platform capabilities. Teams can simultaneously design product interfaces, websites, apps and more. Design systems ensure branding consistency.
Key Features: Design systems, prototyping, collaboration
Ideal For: Product teams, large agencies
Use Cases: App/website interfaces, product design
Formats: SVG, PNG, JPG, PDF
Figma has free and paid plans starting at $12 per editor/month. With capabilities to handle large projects, it works well for big teams.
Finding the Right Design Tool
With the overload of choices, how do you select the right tool? Here are a few factors to consider:
Your Design Skills
- Beginner? Choose an intuitive tool like Canva or Easelly.
- Advanced skills? Use pro tools like Photoshop for maximum control.
Primary Use Case
- Social media graphics? Canva or Spark offer templates.
- Infographics or data visuals? Use Piktochart or Venngage.
- Photo editing? Try PicMonkey or Photoshop.
Features Needed
- Animations or interactivity? Consider Visme or Spark.
- Collaboration required? Figma facilitates teamwork.
- Video capabilities? Check out Spark or Adobe CC.
Budget
Balance features with your budget. Some tools are free while Adobe CC costs $20+/month. Think about usage frequency and what pricing works long-term.
The right tool ultimately comes down to your specific needs. I recommend trying free trials of a few options first. Look for an intuitive interface and ample capabilities to create visuals that meet your goals.
Overcoming Design Challenges
If you‘re not a designer by trade, creating good visual content can be daunting. Here are tips to overcome common obstacles:
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Learn design principles – Read guides on composition, color, fonts, spacing etc. to create attractive graphics.
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Maximize templates – Well-designed templates do the hard visual work for you. Most tools offer thousands of excellent templates to simply customize.
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Hire a freelancer – If you absolutely don‘t have time to create designs yourself, hiring a freelancer may be worthwhile.
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Collaborate – Enlist a team member with more creative skills to partner on content.
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Practice consistently – The more you practice, the more your design skills will gradually improve.
Conclusion
Visual content forms the core of effective modern marketing. From social media to websites to ads, stunning graphics and photos drive engagement and results. Luckily we have access to endless design tools catering to all skill levels and needs. Whether you‘re creating logos, presentations, ads or infographics, this guide outlines the top options. Consider your use case, skills, and budget to pick the right platform. And invest time into sharpening your design abilities. With consistent practice, even non-designers can create beautiful, captivating visual content with help from these 13 excellent design tools!
