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Illustrator is great for graphic design but it's not for everyone. Here's a list of several powerful vector design tools you don't want to miss.
In this post, we'll explore 14+ paid and free graphic design tools that you can use as vector editor Adobe Illustrator alternatives.
Quickly turn contour lines into surfaces, drape hardscape elements onto uneven ground, and modify existing terrain. Start with 2D CAD files, 3D models, DEM data, or import your own imagery and scan data. Better yet, use SketchUp's Geo-location tool and bring in exact terrain imagery with the click of a button. Sketchpad: Free online drawing application for all ages. Create digital artwork to share online and export to popular image formats JPEG, PNG, SVG, and PDF.
While Adobe Creative Cloud — Illustrator, Photoshop, Adobe XD, InDesign, and more — may be known as the industry standard for graphic design, its expensive monthly subscription model ($20.99 per month or $52.99 per month for the entire Creative Cloud) can bruise a budget.
This post delves into some surprising alternative vector design tools to uncover:
- Features
- Files supported
- Pricing
- Compatible systems (Windows, Mac, iPad, etc.)
- Potential downsides
For a list of some FREE Adobe Illustrator alternatives, scroll to the bottom.
If you're looking for alternatives to Adobe Photoshop, we've also got a handy list here, along with our picks for the best web design software tools.
Vectors vs. rasters: quick lesson for the uninitiated
For context, graphic designers work on two types of static image formats: vectors and rasters. Vectors are made from lines, curves, and shapes (plus some machine learning magic). Rasters are comprised of pixels.
Have you ever noticed an image get super grainy when you try to blow it up? That's raster image pixelation at work (and why you don't want your logo to be a raster).
Vectors: Scale 'em up, scale 'em down. Vectors are easily editable and resizable — perfect for logos, icons, illustrations, print/signage graphics, and even some animations.
Rasters: Preferred for digital photography, enormously wider range of color palette options (16 million), better for nuanced detail
If you're looking for Adobe Illustrator alternatives to create digital graphics, logos, illustrations, and animations for print, web, and interfaces — you're in the right place.
Our list of top Adobe Illustrator alternatives:
- RelayThat
- Affinity Designer
- CorelDRAW
- Sketch
- Figma
- Snappa
- Canva
- Artboard
- Vector Creator
- Boxy SVG
- Graphic
- Gravit Designer
- Inkscape
- Vectornator
- Design Wizard
- + more free Adobe Illustrator alternatives at the end
Sure, Adobe Illustrator may be king. But if you're into coups, here's where you should start:
1. RelayThat
RelayThat flips the whole idea of a professional marketing graphics design tool on its head by allowing you to import your brand assets (or magically upload from a URL). This cloud-based graphics design superstar let's you immediately get to work with thousands of premade, social-friendly layouts based on specific branding.
- Files: Import PNG, JPEG, and SVG. Export PNG and JPEG
- Trial version: No
- OS: Web app, optimized for Chrome
- Pricing model: Pro subscription for $25/mth
Potential downsides: Focus on digital social media graphic creation, limited layout sizes
2. Affinity Designer
Built and continuously improved as Serif's pièce de résistance, Affinity Designer is designed to be intuitive for the experienced Adobe user. With one of the most comprehensive vector design toolsets on this list, plus raster finishing, Affinity Designer might be the alternative you're looking for.
With full compatibility with Adobe's Suite, Affinity Designer supports standards: 10-bit, CMYK, CIELAB, and Pantone. Affinity Designer has some capabilities similar to Photoshop, like bitmap functions. Users like that the program is not too heavy and doesn't take up too much RAM.
- Files: PSD, AI, PDF, SVG, JPG, TIFF, EXR
- Free trial: Yes (for Mac and Windows)
- OS: Mac, PC, iPad
- Pricing: One-time price of $49.99, free and frequent updates (only $19.99 on iPad)
Potential downsides: Relatively newer product, awaiting more advanced editing features that Illustrator has, lack of educational and how-to resources
3. CorelDRAW
Compatible with other tools in the Corel graphic suite including Photo-Paint, a Photoshop competitor, CorelDRAW gives you a robust set of vector illustration tools. Get vectors ready for print fast and easy, edit multi-page documents, convert bitmap to vector non-destructively, and generate QR codes. Imovie ipad pro.
Check out the LiveSketch feature on touch-enabled devices to turn sketching into precise vector graphics. CorelDRAW is the go-to software for many printing industries in certain parts of the world.
- Files: Download to AI, PSD, PDF, JPG, PNG, SVG, DWG, DXF, EPS, TIFF + more
- Free trial: Yes
- OS: Windows and Mac (and tablet-compatible app)
- Pricing: Buy a full license for $669 or get an annual subscription for $198
Potential downsides: Very large application size, fairly expensive, fewer updates
4. Sketch
Built for UI design, prototyping, and wireframing, Sketch also gives users powerful vector graphics editing abilities. Users report that it is fairly easy to use and has strong organizational/breadcrumb features. Plus, Sketch has a diverse suite of educational resources.
- Files: PNG, JPG, TIFF, WebP, SVG, EPS, SVG code, PDF. AI and PSD files are upload-only, giving you a flattened layer.
- Free trial: Yes
- OS: Mac
- Pricing: $100 per year to renew license
Potential downsides: Reliance on third-party plugins and integrations (may be good or bad), focus on UX/UI and prototyping
(For a free Sketch alternative for Windows, check outLunacyfrom icons8.)
5. Figma
As a collaborative wireframing and UI design tool, Figma isn't a direct Adobe competitor, but its collaborative, web app-based approach might be worth your consideration. Share files with links, instead of exporting each time you need another pair of eyes on your work.
Speaking of collaboration, Figma might be most well-known for offering real-time teamwork-friendly possibilities. This Adobe Illustrator alternative is focused in on design made for the web, so its tools for pure vector graphic creation are more basic. But you've still got your pen tool, vector networks, and smart components.
- Files: Export to PNG, JPG, SVG, or PDF. Import .sketch, PNG, JPG, GIF or Figma Files (.fig)
- Free trial: Sort of? It is free up to 2 editors and 3 projects
- OS: Windows, Linux, Mac, and Chrome
- Pricing: Free up to 2 editors and 3 projects, $12-45 per editor per month after that
Potential downsides: Not a pure vector graphics editor, not touchscreen compatible, reliance on plugins, focus on UX/UI and prototyping
6. Snappa
Snappa is great for creating professional marketing designs in that made-for-social-media style. Its UI is a lot simpler and more lightweight compared to Adobe – of course, that comes with many relative limitations as well. Users seem to like its easy graphic resizing feature and library of visual assets. As part of the Stocksnap.io family, you also get access to tons of pre-licensed, free stock images.
- Files: Download to JPG or PNG
- Free trial: Free up to 5 saved/downloaded designs per month
- OS: Web app
- Pricing: $10-$15 per month or $120 annually
Potential downsides: Focus on digital social media graphic creation, limited file export options
7. Canva
Many people who use Illustrator or Sketch rely on tools like Canva when they need to create graphics quickly. Canva is extremely versatile, and while it doesn't have the same deep vector editing features as Illustrator, the tool boasts an impressive range of assets, vector icons, templates, and ready-made design solutions.
- Files: Upload SVG, PNG, or JPEG. Download to JPG, PNG, PDF, Powerpoint, GIF, or MP4.
- Free trial: Yes
- OS: Web app
- Pricing: $12.95 per month or $119.40 annually
Potential downsides: Limited export options, users dislike the feeling of being nickeled and dimed for +$1 additional assets.)
[Looking for Canva alternatives? We've written about 9 different options.]
8. Artboard
Built by the team at Mapdiva, Artboard is a Mac app with surprisingly smart vector editing capabilities. With tons of drawing tools, timesaving workflows, layers, and boolean tools, Artboard is a simplified Illustrator alternative for quick design turnaround.
- Files: Import JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIF, PDF, and SVG. Export to PNG, TIF, JPEG, and fully scalable PDFs.
- Free trial: Yes
- OS: Mac
- Pricing: Starts at $39.99 for a single user license
Potential downsides: User complaints about the lack of a pathfinder tool, struggle to edit text
9. Vector Creator
From the team at Icons8: meet Vector Creator. This tool is uniquely focused on creating those soft people illustrations you see all over SaaS websites.
- Files: Import in SVG, PNG, and JPEG. Export to PNG or editable .SVG with Icons8 license (Pro features include SVG export and attribution removal)
- Free trial: Free version
- OS: Web app
- Pricing: Free or $19.90 per month for Vector Creator Pro (plus all of Icons8)
Snappa is great for creating professional marketing designs in that made-for-social-media style. Its UI is a lot simpler and more lightweight compared to Adobe – of course, that comes with many relative limitations as well. Users seem to like its easy graphic resizing feature and library of visual assets. As part of the Stocksnap.io family, you also get access to tons of pre-licensed, free stock images.
- Files: Download to JPG or PNG
- Free trial: Free up to 5 saved/downloaded designs per month
- OS: Web app
- Pricing: $10-$15 per month or $120 annually
Potential downsides: Focus on digital social media graphic creation, limited file export options
7. Canva
Many people who use Illustrator or Sketch rely on tools like Canva when they need to create graphics quickly. Canva is extremely versatile, and while it doesn't have the same deep vector editing features as Illustrator, the tool boasts an impressive range of assets, vector icons, templates, and ready-made design solutions.
- Files: Upload SVG, PNG, or JPEG. Download to JPG, PNG, PDF, Powerpoint, GIF, or MP4.
- Free trial: Yes
- OS: Web app
- Pricing: $12.95 per month or $119.40 annually
Potential downsides: Limited export options, users dislike the feeling of being nickeled and dimed for +$1 additional assets.)
[Looking for Canva alternatives? We've written about 9 different options.]
8. Artboard
Built by the team at Mapdiva, Artboard is a Mac app with surprisingly smart vector editing capabilities. With tons of drawing tools, timesaving workflows, layers, and boolean tools, Artboard is a simplified Illustrator alternative for quick design turnaround.
- Files: Import JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIF, PDF, and SVG. Export to PNG, TIF, JPEG, and fully scalable PDFs.
- Free trial: Yes
- OS: Mac
- Pricing: Starts at $39.99 for a single user license
Potential downsides: User complaints about the lack of a pathfinder tool, struggle to edit text
9. Vector Creator
From the team at Icons8: meet Vector Creator. This tool is uniquely focused on creating those soft people illustrations you see all over SaaS websites.
- Files: Import in SVG, PNG, and JPEG. Export to PNG or editable .SVG with Icons8 license (Pro features include SVG export and attribution removal)
- Free trial: Free version
- OS: Web app
- Pricing: Free or $19.90 per month for Vector Creator Pro (plus all of Icons8)
Potential downsides: Newer tool, basic features, lacks file export options
10. Boxy SVG
Using SVG as its native document format, Boxy SVG was made just for scalable vector graphics. This tool is available across operating systems and devices.
- Files: Upload PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, PDF and AI files. Download to PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP and HTML. Plus .pdf for Windows and macOS apps
- Free trial: Not really
- OS: MacOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, web app
- Pricing: $9 or $9.99 per month depending on the version, free for Linux
Potential downsides: Dated UI, super focused on vector editing (SVGs) so missing some broader graphic design features
11. Graphic
Graphic started as a vector drawing iPad app, but it's since moved to iPhone and Mac OS X as well. This vector software also gives you tools like layers, editable brush strokes, and UI creation elements.
- Files: Import and export SVG, PDF, and PSD
- Free trial: No
- OS: iPad, iPhone, MacOS only
- Pricing: Mac App Store for only $29.99
Potential downsides: Originating from iPad, this tool has a different feel from native web or desktop apps (may be a good or bad thing)
Free Adobe Illustrator Alternatives:
12. Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer is a free vector graphic design app geared toward professional designers. Choose from a wide library of shapes, illustrations, etc., and export infinitely scalable vector graphics. The paid PRO version has even more vector graphic features, including cloud file syncing and offline mode, as well as way more file import/export options.
- Files: Export to PNG, JPG, PDF, and SVG. With PRO: Import PDF, EPS, SVG, AI, and .sketch
- Free trial: Full free version. Free trial of PRO.
- OS: Any desktop (Mac OS, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS)
- Pricing: Free. Get PRO for $49.99 per year
Potential downsides: Doesn't support graphics tablets, some users complain that it can take up a lot of RAM, missing some key features under the hood like snap to grid functions
13. Inkscape
Free, open-source, and impressive, Inkscape gives you flexible drawing tools, embedded bitmaps, transformations, gradient editor, node editing, boolean operations. Sure, the UI is a bit dated. But with Inkscape, you can design, edit, draw in 2D, easily convert bitmap images into vectors, and create compliant SVG files.
- Files: Import/export: SVG, PNG, OpenDocument Drawing, DXF, sk1, PDF, EPS, + more
- OS: Windows, Mac OS X and GNU/Linux
- Pricing: It's free
Potential downsides: Interface can be overwhelming, can lag or crash when working with super high-res files, no preview features for the visualization of filters and effects
14. Vectornator
Starting as an iPad app, Vectornator is a pretty interesting free choice with some more advanced vector editing tools like boolean operations, grouping, pen tool, anchoring, and masking capabilities. Plus, this will be a tool to watch, since real-time collaboration is coming soon.
- Files: AI, SVG and PDF
- OS: iPad, iOS, MacOS only
- Pricing: It's free
Potential downsides: It's really new and it remains to be seen how all the features will develop and mature.
15. Design Wizard
Design Wizard gives you the freedom to create great videos and images easily. The resize feature is a standout here, and allows you to quickly resize images on the free plan. Design Wizard holds over 1 million premium images and thousands of high-quality videos. And every video and image has also been licensed for commercial use!
Files: Upload SVG, PNG, JPEG or MP4. Download to JPG, PNG, PDF, SVG, M-JPEG, MP4
Free trial: Yes
OS: Web app
Pricing: $9.99 per month for Pro or $49.99 per month for Business
Potential downsides: No print or music integrations as of yet!
Here are more free alternatives to Adobe Illustrator that you may want to check out:
- Vectr – free vector graphics software
- GIMP – free, not for Macs
Free vector-editing adjacent tools:
- Vecteezy (Vector images with an editor)
- Vector Magic (convert files with an editor)
You can also check out our list of discounted graphic design tools to help you create without breaking the bank.
Good luck! We hope you find an Adobe Illustrator alternative that you love — a tool that can scale with you! Comment below letting us know which tool is your favorite to work with!
Whether you are an amateur graphic designer or an experienced digital artist, using the right tools can multiply your talent exponentially. A well-built graphic design software provides intuitive controls and flexibility that can be easily understood by a beginner but also has vastly superior tools for an experienced user.
The best way to know which software would suit you best is to get hands-on with the tool and experiment with them. Each of the software is characterized by its features, ease of use, performance, cost, and availability. Many paid graphic design software provide a free trial for users to give them a better understanding of the product.
We have researched and put together a list of the best graphic design software in the field today. These tools are tried and tested and can help you create spectacular custom designs that will leave your clients spellbound. Graphic design can be used to take your portfolio website to the next level. Do check out our list of the top 25 Online Graphic Design Courses that will help you improve graphic design skills. And while you are honing your graphic design skills, don't forget to create your graphic design portfolio website to showcase your work. Your design portfolio represents a window for the world to view your work and judge your talent, skills, and experience. So, if you haven't built a website to showcase your design portfolio, start today with Pixpa. Here are some great examples of graphic design portfolios created on Pixpa for your inspiration.
Get ready to express yourself in stunning new ways and create awesome digital art with ease and efficiency!
Best Paid Graphic Design Software
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is arguably the most popular software for graphic design and is used by millions of artists around the world. Whether you are looking to create banners, posters, websites, or logos, this best graphic design software can do it all for you. From small edits to sophisticated designs, Adobe Photoshop has tools for every level. If you are someone who works with illustrative designs, you can even draw or paint anything you like.
Along with image editing, you can create naturalistic artwork and composition in this software. You can define the size of your canvas, isolate elements from backgrounds, create custom brushes, work in 3D, do much more.
Platform: Windows and Mac
Sketch
Sketch is a Mac-only graphic design program that focuses mainly on digital design. These digital designs are used to create websites, apps, and interfaces. Unlike Photoshop, Sketch isn't built for photo editing or print work. With Sketch, you can create a prototype by collaborating with other designers on the platform itself. The program has a smart layout feature in which the component will automatically resize based on the content. There are hundreds of plugins in the software which will let you do vector editing and other design work with precision down to the pixel. Digital icons are another thing that can be created through this software. Sketch, on the downside, is not great for print design or illustrations.
Platform: Mac
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a design software that is centered around vector design. You can create artwork, icons, posters, etc. and the designs created in Adobe Illustrator can be used in business cards or billboards and from smartphones to 8k screens. Logic pro x link button. You can use this software to draw, mix, and refine designs to create something spectacular. Adobe has made a mobile version called Adobe Illustrator Draw, which is one of the best graphic design apps out there.
To draw, you can use the shaper tool and create vector shapes. Geometric shapes can be added to other outlines and can be moved, reshaped, and scaled. Even the fonts in the software can be manipulated according to your needs by adjusting their weight, slant, or width. For beginners, Adobe provides professionally designed templates to save time. The user interface of the program is helpful, but there is a steep learning curve to get good at illustrator.
Platform: Windows and Mac
Affinity Designer
The Affinity Designer is a cheaper alternative to illustrator, which is especially suitable for someone who is in the early stage of design career. The software is known to work smoothly, which can improve your workflow and make you express your creativity more freely. You can move and zoom your artwork at 60fps; see the gradients, effects, and adjustments changing live along with the transforms and curve edits.
Affinity Designer lets you work on both vector and raster workspaces, and you can switch between them easily. This software can work on any device, and you can create unlimited artboards within it. Affinity designer provides a graphic design app for the iPad with the same features offered on the desktop versions. Advanced color controls are provided where you can work in RGB or LAB color spaces with up to 32-bits per channel. You can find a wide range of toolset in the program which can be used to achieve a high level of accuracy and productivity. The grids and guides are fully customizable, where you can change the spacing, sub-divisions, gutters, angles, etc. Another powerful feature of Affinity designer is that you get floating-point accuracy by zooming your artwork, even by more than a million per cent.
Platform: Windows, iPad, and Mac
Adobe InDesign
Another software by Adobe that can be used to create designs is the Adobe InDesign. This graphic design software is used primarily in the publishing industry because you can design magazines, info sheets, books, posters, interactive PDFs, brochures, etc. with it. With the ‘adjust layout' option that InDesign provides, you can change the text of your document, and the graphic will adjust accordingly.
The properties panel has been redesigned to give you more intuitive control over the tools. The Sensei technology integrated into InDesign makes the automatic arrangement and resizing of images. Beginners can quickly learn this graphic design software because it has a low learning curve. To work with other members of your team in creating a design, you can use Adobe InCopy. The Creative Cloud Libraries can help you share text, colors, and graphics with other members.
Platform: Windows and Mac
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019
CorelDRAW was earlier built only for Windows OS; it is now available for Mac as well. With this graphic design program, you can create professional vector illustrations. There are powerful design tools to help you work faster and smarter. You will find numerous customization options, whether you are working on logos, web design, or print projects. CorelDRAW now uses AI technology to provide you with LiveSketch, which converts sketching into precise vector curves. The suite contains tools for graphic design as well as layout. It has Photo-Paint and Corel Font Manager for photo editing and font management.
The software has web graphic tools and presets to develop creative web content; you can publish directly into your Wordpress site through it. The file compatibility is also overwhelming; the program supports over 100 file formats.
Platform: Windows and Mac
Xara Designer Pro X
Xara Designer is built for both bitmaps and vectors. The program can handle desktop publishing, graphic design, illustration, photo editing, all in one place. The graphic design software provides you with hundreds of template layouts, design elements, and over a million archive photos to get you started quickly. While drawing any shape, lines, or curves using vectors, you would not face any loss in quality when you scale it up. You can create custom design elements and use them in any of your designs. Tools like gradients, outlines, and transparency in the software will give your artwork a special touch.
Platform: Windows
Best Free Graphic Design Software
GIMP
GIMP is a free graphic design software that works on many platforms like Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. GIMP is an open-source program that allows you to change its source code and distribute the program. There are many customization programs and 3rd party plugins that can be used in GIMP to improve your productivity and create better designs. GIMP can also be used to retouch images, wherein you can even make creative composites. Interface components and mockups can also be designed, along with print designs such as icons and logos.
Platform: Windows, Linux, Mac
Gravit Designer
This is another free graphic design software that can be used to create vector-based designs. You can create logos, edit photos, and create animations and illustrations in this program. Gravit does not have an offline version in the free plan. The software is fully customizable according to the user's needs. The pro version of Gravit is paid and has more advanced features like advanced export options, offline version, more color space, etc.
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS
Visme
Visme is an online design tool that goes above and beyond basic design capabilities, without requiring you to learn any complex software. It has an easy drag-and-drop editor, which lets both businesses and individuals create stunning and interactive visual content. There are hundreds of templates to choose from across 40+ categories, from presentation and infographics to press releases, reports and social media images. With a free Visme account, you can use some of these templates, but you get full access to millions of stock photos, videos, icons, animated graphics, fonts and graphs to customize these templates as much as you want. If you want to access premium templates and features like the brand kit, you need to upgrade to a paid account. There are multiple download formats available in Visme, from image to offline web. You can also publish your projects online and share them with a live URL. The unique thing about Visme is you can bring your content to life with advanced animation and interactivity features. For example, you can create a custom animated character, or add links, hover effects and pop-ups to your designs.
Platform: Web Browser
Free Building Layout Sketch Tool
Vectr
Free graphics software, Vectr can be used to create vector graphics. These vectors created won't lose their quality when scaled. Imovie content library. Vectr doesn't use pixels to create the design; it uses mathematical equations. This free graphic design software is available both online and for desktop. Vectr provides you with an easy to use platform which you can use to create any 2D graphics. It can be business cards, logos, posters, brochures, etc.
Vectr provides you with detailed guides on how to use the program, which you can use to learn and create anything with your imagination.
Platform: Windows, Web Browser, Linux, Mac, and Chrome OS
Colorcinch
Colorcinch is a fan favorite! It's a simple-to-use free online photo editor that is rich in features. You can quickly and easily edit photos using the array of editing tools to adjust exposure, contrast, color, etc, or crop and rotate images, but Colorcinch goes much further than basic image editing. It can be used for creating all kinds of graphic design projects too. You can use their specialty effects such as the cartoonizer to turn any photo into a cartoon with a huge variety of cartoon styles, and they have the most extensive libraries available on the internet for filters, effects, overlays, masks, graphics, and icons.
All of this is wrapped up in one of the most polished and efficient UI's of any online photo editor. Getting started on Colorcinch couldn't be simpler - there's no need to register with the site, and you can simply upload your image and start editing. When it comes to exporting your finished image, there's a choice of export options to suit you.
Platform: Web Browser
Canva
If you have no previous experience in designing and you are looking for something very easy, then Canva is for you. This free online graphic design software allows you to create designs easily and quickly. There are a ton of templates, fonts images, many of which are free to use. Canva works on the drag and drop concept, where you only need to select the elements and drag it to your work area and customize it. This program does not provide you with advanced features like Photoshop. It, however, solves a beginner's design need who doesn't want to get into the process of learning and purchasing premium software. Canva is available as a graphic design app that can be used in Apple and Android devices. The basic features in Canva are free; you will, however, be charged if you want to use more features in it.
Platform: Web Browser, Android, iOS
PixTeller
PixTeller is an easy to use editor tool that can be used to create graphic images (downloadable in PNG, JPG, PDF format) and animations (downloadable in MP4, GIF format). Anyone can use it to make images, animated gifs & videos for personal or business use, with no technical or design knowledge. Creating graphics is a time demanding process, but with this design tool, anyone can make personalized visuals from scratch or by customizing any pre-made templates in minutes.
Platform: Web Browser
Design Wizard
Design Wizard is an online graphic design software, the pricing of which starts at free and increases along with the features. This graphic design software provides users with more than a million curated images, 15000+ templates. Another interesting feature of Design Wizard is its integration with Hubspot, Marketo, and Buffer.
Platform: Web Browser
Infinite Design
This graphic design app is built only for Android devices, which can be used to create vector graphics. The app can be used to create complex and eye-catching designs without much effort. As the name suggests, this app provides an infinite canvas where you can zoom, pan, or rotate. There are four types of symmetry that you can experiment with, and there are unlimited layers that you can work on. This app provides advanced features also like translate, scale, flip, distort, etc. The image you are creating on the graphic design app can be turned into a fully editable vector path. The advanced features in this app are accessible by purchasing it only.
Platform: Android
Inkscape
Inkscape, like many other platforms, provides multi-purpose use. It can be used by designers, illustrators, or web designers. The software has flexible drawing tools, which make it easy for beginners to understand the software and create art without difficulty. As the text is an integral part of graphic design, Inkscape has a powerful text tool at your disposal. This software is open source and can be used with any platform. A designer has to spend some time to understand how to use this software. This software is best used to create images that are vector-based and needs to be required in SVG format. Inkscape provides a lot of filters and a helpful community for the designer to grow.
Best Free Graphic Design Tools
Platform: Windows, Linux, and Mac
Adobe Comp
Adobe Comp is a graphic design app designed to be used along with other Adobe software like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. Designs can be created with the use of text and shapes. Adobe provides free fonts from Typekit library, which are the same as desktop. With Comp, you can convert your rough designs into crisp graphics and finish the designs on your desktop with other Adobe software.
Platform: iOS and Android
Graphic design software in the early days was hard to use. Technology has come a long way, and software is now intuitive and helps a user express creativity more freely. Selecting the right platform would depend on your work and what you want to achieve with the software.
Businesses are always on the lookout for good graphic designers to boost their business. Therefore, as a graphic designer, you need to present your work in a stunning way through a website. Your design portfolio is the prism through which your work will be evaluated by new clients and potential employers. A great design portfolio can propel you towards success, open up new opportunities and get you just the kind of work you want. However, failing at putting your best foot forward with your design portfolio can lead to rejects and spell doom.
Given that it can make or break your career, creating your design portfolio in itself becomes the most important design exercise of your career. With online design portfolio websites becoming the default medium of presenting your work to the world, its important to make sure that you understand the dos and don'ts of a successful design portfolio website. We had earlier put together a comprehensive guide on 20 pro tips that every designer needs to follow to create a successful online design portfolio website.
Graphic Design Tools And Equipment
However, just following any guide is not enough. You also need to think out of the box, find your own expression and figure out how to present your work in the best way possible. That's where a bit of inspiration comes in handy. At Pixpa, we have witnessed (and helped) thousands of designers around the world create their design portfolio websites. We have curated a list of our favorite design portfolio websites for you to explore and learn from.
Sketch Graphic Design
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