June 19, 2020
4 min read
As a digital designer, I wear a lot of different hats and need all the free graphic design resources that I can get my hands on. If you’re a web designer, graphic designer, brand designer, video editor, social media manager, content creator, or any other kind of creative then you probably want a closet of unlimited design resources like me.
For your benefit, here is a list of my favorite FREE graphic design resources to ease up your workload and help you work smarter, not harder.
Free Photography Resources for Graphic Design:
Let’s start with one of the most common needs between digital graphic design and content creation. Lack of photography can pause a timeline or workstream and we don’t need that! Bookmark these free photography resources now to save yourself from the headache later.
My go-to when it comes to stock photography that looks better than stock photography. Where this resource lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Browsing through collections is my favorite way to scroll besides the obvious search bar. I use Unsplash when I want a stunning hero photo or an aesthetically pleasing social content photo.
My second favorite for stock photography that is better than your regular stock. The home page feed alone keeps you scrolling through engaging content. Use the search bar for quicker finds but don’t forget to make an account and “heart” your favorite images for later use.
This site is great in a pinch for happy hour content and filler photography for my websites. The foodie content is endless between flatlays, bar scenes, sushi, pizza, and more. Grab a cocktail and start scrolling.
Free Graphic Icons Design & Iconography Resources:
Next up, a few icons can go a long way in design and these sources house some of my favorite downloads and iconography libraries.
Flaticon offers the largest free icon library in my opinion. If I’m looking for a particular style or set I refer to Flaticon first.
I’m a sucker for a monoline icon design and Icons8 is the best free resource for monoline icons. I would definitely recommend sticking to particular categories to keep your downloads uniform.
Free Graphic & Accent Font Resources for Design:
First let me clarify that I am a font snob. I’m like the Regina George of fonts. I have my little font girl gang that I use regularly and rarely ever let new fonts sit at my lunch table. But sometimes I’ll branch out for a client or brand identity that needs a little extra pop in the form of Typography. Here are some of my favorite places to find that accent font.
Let’s support other creatives! You can find original and unique fonts on Behance and most designers offer the demo versions for free. Make sure to give them a thumbs up after downloading!
Even though the ads can become overwhelming, Font Squirrel has plenty of options to choose from regarding fonts. The filters on the right sidebar make your search even quicker. But the real reason I use FontSquirrel is for the Webfont Generator. I use the Generator to convert .otf or .ttf font formats into other formats needed for web. Lifesaver.
The Best Inspiration Resources for Graphic & Web Design:
Creative Block? I got you, fam. Design inspo is just a click away with these inspirational websites. If you’re having a big creative block crisis, then you can check out this blog post about how I avoid and overcome a lack of inspiration and motivation.
The websites featured on Siteinspire are not run of the mill websites. These sites push boundaries and invoke your attention with unnatural styles, unusual navigation, and forward-thinking layouts. You can thank me later.
Sorry, yes, more website inspiration. Updated daily and you can check back regularly for all the continued inspo. You can even make an account and vote on nominees for the daily website winner!
Okay, okay. I’ll hit you with a graphic design reference. Creative Boom has a wonderful library of designs, illustrations, and more for your leisurely perusal. Sign up for their newsletter to get inspo in your inbox!
And Lastly we have –
Graphic Design Resources That are not Free…
… but are worth every penny. Lastly, I have to mention the resources I pay for every month (out of my own pocket, btw). I use these references almost daily and cannot recommend them enough! Sticking to the free graphic design resources and websites above will definitely get the job done but when I need something specific, these are the best assets.
For $11 a month, I get unlimited, royalty-free downloads of everything such as photography, vector graphics, and icons. You’re allowed 5 free downloads per day as a non-member but while creating content I would exceed this too quickly. Because of this, I recently joined as a premium member and I have no regrets!
My queen. My rock. My holy grail of productivity. I finally give you, Envato Elements. If you can spare $33 a month then spend it on Envato Elements. It has anything you could ask for, for real. Lightroom presets, stock video, presentation templates, unique fonts and so much more! This resource is my all time favorite and I have been using it for years.
This was a fair list of references but trust me, I could go on. I hope you are able to use some if not most of these sources for your next project or task! Also, I should clarify that I was not paid to write this blog post and none of these references pay or sponsor me. These resources are all from my personal toolbox and now you can add them to yours.
Do you have any favorites to add to the list? Leave me a comment and let me know! Thanks for hanging out!
Stay Rad,
Katie
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