10 Great Graphic Design Resources
With a degree in graphic design, you’ll have the opportunity to develop visual concepts with computer software or by hand. Companies need your designs to convey ideas that inform, motivate or attract consumers. Once you enter a graphic design degree program, plan to work on school projects that relate to the career field. A number of graphic design resources can help you develop school and real world projects. The top 10 resources include:
• Hexy
• LiveShare PS
• Magdeleine
• WhatTheFont!
• Pixeden
• Bittbox
• Graphic Burger
• Typewolf
• Death to the Stock Photo
• Niice
Hexy
Color is one of the most important elements in graphic design, and Hexy gives you a way to access it easily. Choosing layers can be especially challenging, but on the site, you can just highlight a text section and open the color picker screen to select the best hue for your design. To increase the site’s usability, its creative team added the eyedropper tool. This lets you select a particular color. It will then copy the shade to your system’s clipboard. The resource makes it easy to set a new color as your design’s background or foreground. It will even copy the shade automatically.
LiveShare PS
LiveShare PS is a live broadcasting system that you can use to share documents with others. The system even allows you to make instant document changes that others will see the second that you make them. LiveShare is a site that is handy whether you are still in school or have begun your graphic design career. The program features mobile mirroring, which lets you preview Photoshop documents on your wireless device. You can use the service to work with a study group or coworkers to eliminate project kinks or finalize a design campaign.
Magdeleine
Stock images help you develop design projects that look professional and complete. Magdeleine provides these images. The resource filters them by category to make your search fast and easy. Categories include objects, food and nature as well as city and architecture. With just a mouse click, you can change a photo’s borders to light or dark. You can also search for the right photo by using colors or tags. Color searches include black, gray and white while landscapes, mountains and trees are a few of the site’s popular search tags.
WhatTheFont!
WhatTheFont! is a resource that gives you a way to match fonts that have caught your eye. With access to a match, you can use the site’s lettering to enhance a project’s design. To use the site, take a screenshot of the font and submit it. WhatTheFont! will match your screenshot to the typefaces in its database. You can send the font through image files like JPEG, PNG or GIF. Keep in mind that 2MB is the maximum file size permitted. For the best results, make sure that the text in the image is as level as possible. Also, the site can determine font type more accurately when the letters aren’t touching.
Pixeden
For graphics and general Internet resources, you’ll need Pixeden. This resource is diverse, and it gives you access to a large amount of design material. It features web and graphic design templates as well as vectors and icons. For instance, you can download a landscape Photoshop document to exhibit your branding designs professionally. Trifold mockup templates are also available as are text effects, business card mockups and classic vector sets. On the site, you can download icon font sets and even tile patterns. Free accounts are available. If you need more material, the membership fee is affordable.
Bittbox
The Bittbox website is a graphic design resource that offers a wide selection of textures and brushes. Download the ones that you want to use in Photoshop. Additional material options include paint blotches, wooden textures and scratched backgrounds. On the site’s gallery categories, you’ll see brush options like tree line, water and rust along with concrete, bubble and ink. As you scroll through the site, you’ll notice a font category, which includes titles like panhead, grunge and dingbat. The site’s texture section is next, and in this unit, you can choose smoke, abstract and branches. You’ll also have access to vectors on Bittbox. These include flowers, ornaments and bark.
Graphic Burger
Graphic Burger features mockups including ones for street signs and business cards. The site also has a number of background textures available at no cost. From the graphic design resource, you’ll be able to download a variety of user interface kits, photographs and logo templates. The site features design elements like retro and vintage photo packs, which are perfect for backgrounds, articles and course presentations. You can even download a portfolio template to use as a professional landing page. When new releases are available, the site will notify you through email or social media.
Typewolf
The developers of Typewolf established the site to accumulate the best typography options. Because of the site’s depth and variety, you’ll be able to find the perfect font for every project. Guides are available if you need direction while recommendations from the site’s experts will help you improve your design skills. Free videos are posted for additional inspiration, and the resource also features a blog, which will give you more information. To see different fonts in action, select Typewolf’s catalog. It will display them on a website page or in print.
Death to the Stock Photo
Tasteless stock photos appear to be on the way out thanks to the arrival of the Death to the Stock Photo site. The resource’s developers provide new content for graphic designers. By becoming a member of the site, you’ll receive a new photo packet every month. You can use the pictures anywhere you choose. Add them to a school assignment for completion, or use them in a personal design for your official portfolio. Free accounts are available as is an affordable premium membership that gives you access to 400 unique photographs. The site is continuously expanding its offerings by sending photographers to different places in the United States and Canada.
Niice
As an artist, you know that inspiration can strike at any moment. Take advantage of these flashes with the Niice resource. The site lets you develop mood boards. Build them based on your brilliant ideas even if you don’t have an immediate use for the concepts. Be sure to download the site’s app to document your ideas from any location. Save your mood boards for later use since you never know when you’ll need a new design strategy. The website’s focus is to provide you with a personal inspiration area. Sign up for a free account or pay for a pro program to expand your access to additional materials.
Take Advantage of Today’s Technology
Graphic designers get to use their creativity to produce general layouts and development designs for marketing campaigns, magazines, brochures and even corporate reports. Employment options for graphic designers are diverse, and with your degree, you can work in almost any field. Take advantage of today’s technology to create your own personal graphic designs without dipping into your wallet.
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