Free (and very low cost) Resources for Creatives
Photo by Ben Kolde on Unsplash.com
As a graphic designer, I utilize a number of tools to stay efficient and effective in my craft. Here are some FREE (or very low cost) ones I use all the time...
Social media isn't just for personal consumption. I spend more time on Instagram and Pinterest to inspire my clients' projects then my own personal use. This way, I stay in touch with new patterns, colors and trends which are popping into my feed.
Vector Elements: Vecteezy.com
Vecteezy has a massive amount of free vectors files as well as some premium options. If you are using it for personal work, just providing credit is appropriate for use. But, if you are going to use it with paid clients, I recommend purchasing a premium subscription. It is around $100/year and will pay for itself in time saved if you use it often.
Quality Photos: Unsplash.com
Great quality images are so important to support email marketing, web design, print marketing... The list goes on and on. And, they can quickly add up. So, I supplement my image needs on Unsplash. They have a great index of images. Just make sure to credit appropriately.
Free Fonts: DaFont.com
There are a lot of free font websites online. Some are way better than others. I recommend DaFont.com because they have a preview option. I can view different words in the font I'm considering, helping guide my selection. Do be careful, there are some fonts which are free to download but stipulate that they are only free for personal use - make sure you follow guidelines.
I hope these resources prove helpful for you too!