5 Must-Try Graphic Designing Platforms for Beginners

Out with the stock images, in with unique, more stunning visuals.

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So you’ve made up your mind to put in that extra effort and go in for making your own images for your articles. Know that you don’t need to hire a Graphic Designer. As a beginner, these tools are for you to upskill and offer to your readers, something more than just your written content.

Now that you know WHY you need to add “Learn Graphic Designing” to your to-do list, let me tell you that you don’t actually need to learn Graphic Designing.

Using stock photos on your blogs can seem dull, repetitive, and unoriginal. What’s more, they can also be hurting your SEO. Why not start by making your own images which can be used as a Branding tool to uncover that untapped potential of your blog?

Before going through this piece, I’d advise you to skim through the article below (if you haven’t already).

One Skill Every Writer on the Internet needs to Learn for Better Results in 2021

Now that you know WHY you need to add “Learn Graphic Designing” to your to-do list, let me tell you that you don’t actually need to learn Graphic Designing, especially with these tools for beginners that I’m going to discuss today.

The flow of this Guide would be that we’ll start with the easiest, most popular tools for beginners and gradually go up to the tools that are a bit more advanced. I’ll be sharing the pros and cons of using each of these tools so you can make the best choice that’ll suit you and your blog.

Not going to make you wait any further, here are 5 Must-Try Graphic Designing Platforms for Beginners:

Canva

If there ever was a savior in the form of a Drag-and-Drop Graphic Designing platform, this is it. Perhaps the most popular name when it comes to designing software for beginners, I’ll have a hard time believing if you haven’t heard of Canva already. All that with good reason.

It’s free to use (with some paid tools and templates), thousands of pre-made templates to choose from, whether you’re making a social media post, your resume, or making a unique presentation for work. Apart from the templates, you’ll have access to innumerable, free graphics of all kinds of styles to choose from.

Canva (Desktop version)

Its easy drag-and-drop application is very effortless to get a hang of. After a while, when you know how to use Canva to its fullest, you can start with a blank page, without adding any template, and give it a go with an entirely unique graphic made by you. And voila, you’ll have a stunning, unique visual for your blog in no time.

Its other useful features include Teams (where you can share a space with multiple people by inviting them and edit graphics together), dimensions of various platforms already added so you don’t need to do that extra work, and Brand Kit (for setting branding guidelines in graphics).

Pros:

• Ease of use.
• Chic, free templates, texts, and graphics with a lot of variety to choose from.
• Branding features.
• Can be shared and edited with multiple people.

Cons:

• Widely used, so many templates and graphics seem as repetitive as stock photos.
• The Mobile App version has lesser features than the Desktop version.
• After a while, options in the free version can seem limited.

Pixelied

Pixelied is just like Canva, if not more than that. There’s hardly any added feature that you cannot already find in Canva. You can use a limited number of free templates, icons, and illustrations. Applications are the same as Canva’s drag-and-drop, so you don’t need to pick out an extra handbook to learn how to use it.

My suggestion would be to use it with Canva. Yes, Canva has tones of freebies but after a while, the choices can seem limited. Since Pixelied is less popular, its graphics will not be as mainstream. So you can choose to switch to mix it up a bit, without putting in any extra learning efforts.

Pixelied (Desktop Version)

Pros:

• The application is similar to Canva.
• Stock photos are available within the app.
• Not as mainstream as Canva.

Cons:

• Fewer options for templates and graphics.
• Not much extra to offer if already using Canva.

Visme

A lot like our two contenders before, Visme can actually be a better option for different types of visuals than simple graphics. I’m talking about infographics.

This can especially come into use if you’ve gathered data of your own after an experiment and want to portray it in an innovative, memorable manner. Infographics are catchy and can help you get links to your page on other websites and blogs if some other blogger has used your unique data and infographic.

The ‘Basics’ option on the toolbar on the left can help you navigate through various free templates for infographics, ranging from statistics to diagrams and flowcharts.

Visme (Desktop version)

Pros:

• Best for designing maps and infographics that can enhance SEO.
• Uncomplicated application; easy to use.
• Also good for editing animations and video with audio.

Cons:

• Fewer options for templates and graphics.
• Most of the illustrations available are from the Paid version.

GIMP

GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program is the perfect alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It’s a little more advanced and towards the professional side, which is perfect for when you feel you want to learn more outside of your convenience bubble in Canva or Visme.

The professional graphic design tools make it ideal for not just graphic designers but photographers as well. So if you have any pictures you’ve clicked yourself but can use in your content, here’s where you can refine it a little bit more. After all, personal pictures seem more relatable than stock photos and will help you connect with your readers more.

GIMP

Pros:

• The UI is bright and modern.
• Very easy to use.
• More advanced for editing purposes.

Cons:

• Has a few bugs.
• Takes time to get the hang of it.

Illustrator

Dun, dun, dun, dunnnnnn!

As our last tool for the day, if you feel you have mastered Canva and editing on GIMP or Photoshop comes easy, here’s your final boss to conquer. If you want to use vector art to create logos, sketches, typography, icons, or even complex illustrations for videos or mobile then Illustrator is the tool for you. You can create artwork with seamless alignment by drawing pixel-perfect shapes.

Adobe Illustrator

Pros:

• Touch-type tool is awesome.
• The Free Transform tool is very simple to use.
• Availability for Windows and Mac.

Cons:

• It can be a little pricey.

Takeaway

So there you have it. Five tools that you can use to enhance the images and graphics on your blog/content. Let me know which one worked out perfectly for you, in the comments. Personally, I love to use Canva and Visme (only for infographics).

Lastly, don’t forget why you are doing it. The results can be pretty amazing.

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