Because of the rise of social media platforms and digital media, in general, the demand for graphic designers has skyrocketed. Digital advertising and marketing companies have been commissioning both seasoned and entry-level designers to work for them both freelance and full-time. It has become one of the most in-demand jobs in the last couple of years.
And even when the pandemic started, graphic designer jobs are still hot in the market. Both professionals and young-blood are diving into a freelance career in graphic design. If you are one of these people, you need to have support tools that can help complete your projects faster. In this article, we will discuss the different tools that can help freelance graphic designers in their day to day job.
PDFBear
It’s an online PDF tool that allows you to perform modifications and manipulations with your PDF file. You can convert various file formats to PDF and vice versa. For instance, you can convert PDF to PNG online without downloading any software. You can also edit some pages or add a signature to your PDF. It’s a very convenient web-based platform that lets you finish a task in as easy as four easy steps.
It can come in handy when you suddenly receive projects saved on a PDF file, and you need to edit them using a photo editor. Furthermore, you can also convert your image files to PDF if that is what your employer requires. Regardless of what type of PDF function you need to accomplish, PDFBear can help you with that. It’s guaranteed safe and efficient.
Canva
If you are new to graphic design and you are looking for a startup software where you can edit photos and videos or create layouts and presentations, Canva is the tool for you. It’s also a web-based platform that offers a variety of features that can help you create simple graphic materials such as social media posts and logos, or you can also create other marketing material such as newsletter, brochures and magazines.
Canva is a free membership where you will be required to sign up using an email address. From there, you will be able to use the software and all its functions. However, it is limited to some photos and templates. So, if you want to maximize your experience of using this tool and gain access to all its features, you can sign up for a paid membership.
Adobe Creative Cloud
For more complex graphic design needs, such as high-quality image editing and high-resolution layouts, you may want to sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud. It’s an all in one Adobe tool which includes the entire collection of their creative suites such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, PremierPro, and XD. Furthermore, Adobe Creative Cloud also gives you free access to various Adobe Fonts and Portfolio, Creative Cloud Libraries, and their Cloud Storage.
A collaborative tool that can be shared with other users, Adobe Creative Cloud can be used in various platforms across other devices such as desktop and mobile devices. You can choose to sign up for the entire cloud benefits. Or you can also choose which software you use often and download that. It’s free for the first download, but it will soon ask you for a membership fee after the free trial ends.
Pixabay
Freelance graphic designers also need a go-to website for a photo library. Pixabay is one of the most comprehensive online websites where you can download free images, videos, and music. They have a vast collection of creative files uploaded by your fellow graphic designers.Â
To gain access to their library, all you need to do is sign up for the free account, and you can start searching for photos and saving them on your computer. Furthermore, Pixabay also offers a flexible image file size from 427x60pi to 3456x5184pi. In that way, you don’t need to resize the file once you download it.
Dropbox
One of the hardest parts when working freelance is file sharing. Since you are not connected to the same network as your peers, you may need to send them your finished product via email. Luckily, you can use Dropbox. It’s a cloud storage software that gives you 2GB of space for a free account and up to 25GB of space for paid accounts. Through this, you can easily submit your files to your employers like saving a file on your computer’s folder.
Gear up before you start
Before you start commissioning for a project, make sure that you have all the tools that you need — from a PDF file converter, a reliable creative software, a collection of image sources, and a folder to save your finished work. In that way, you will not encounter any issues as you go along the way.
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