Best Design Tools for Creating Social Media Images
There are millions of graphics on social media every day but we only stop to look at a few while scrolling. Why? Well, the rest don’t capture our attention much. Or they are just too boring. As a business owner or marketer, you don’t want your graphic to be ‘too dull’ that people will just scroll past them.
Luckily, we have design tools that are will help you create images that wow your target audience and followers. These tools will help you create high-resolution, sharable, eye-catching, and beautiful images for your social media posts. And the good news is that you don’t have to spend $100’s on graphic design software to be outstanding.
But first things first.
What makes a great social media graphic design tool?
When it comes to social media posts, you can’t afford to spend too much money creating a graphic because they have a short shelf life.
Here are some short and sweet factors to consider while shopping for a graphic design tool.
Ease of use
In most cases, graphic designers don’t manage social media pages. In such a case you need almost dummy-proof. Anyone without design software knowledge should be able to play along with the tool and create a masterpiece. Or something almost similar to one.
Smooth user experience
Well, you want an app that loads fast and is easy to navigate. User interfaces that freeze or lag are frustrating to use. Not to mention they waste a lot of your time.
The professionalism of the design features
You have to keep in mind that your graphics represent your brand. Low quality or poorly branded images negatively affect the perception of your brand. Ensure the tool you pick is well suited for your branding needs.
The functionality of the app
How many functions can your design tool handle? Do you need another tool for banners, flyers, blog post images, infographics, etc? It’s tedious and time-consuming to keep learning one tool after the next. You’re better off having design software that caters to all your design needs.
Now let’s get to our free graphic design tools.
Best full-service graphic design tools
1. Canva
If there is one design rock star that provides all-round design options at zero costs, Canva. It gives you access to millions of stock images, graphic templates, illustrations, you name it. Basically, it sorts out all your design needs. You are able to create Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and any other social network graphic you might need. Additionally, you can create infographics, memos, slide presentations, etc.
It has an easy-to-use design interface that enables you to learn on the go.
2. BeFunky
It is another one-stop-shop for all your design needs. If you want to be funky… BeFunky has got you. This tool gives you everything to make your graphics stand out from the pack. From adding cartoon-like characters on your images to creating beautiful collages, fixing saturation, and many more effects. Your graphics remain high resolution and professional.
Once on the website, you hit the ground running. It has a very simple yet intuitive interface.
Other design tools
3. Adobe Spark
You can never go wrong with Adobe. It’s one of the biggest names in the graphic design and editing industry. Adobe Spark gives you thousands of high-quality templates for your graphics at no cost. Well, it’s not as simple to use as Canva but when it comes to editing and fixing quirks, it does a great job. It also allows you to create basic web pages and do basic video editing.
The only downside is that you’ll have the Adobe logo on your free graphic designs. Unless you opt to upgrade.
4. Desygner
If you are on the lookout for a mobile-optimized graphic design too, you’ve found one. Anyone that loves the convenience and designing on the go should give Desygner a shot. It has one of the most advanced design options on the list giving creatives a lot of freedom with their designs. You can create one image and it will resize it to fit different social media channel image specifications.
It also comes with a drawing pen feature that is robust enough to generate any graphic you might dream of. Plus it allows you to export from PSD, PDF, and SVG. All this on a mobile phone. Convenient, right?
5. Pablo
This free app is a child of the social media scheduling app, Buffer. It’s a very basic tool that is straightforward to use and you can create beautiful graphics. Compared to other tools on this list, Pablo is barebones. But it’s free and it allows you to share or schedule posts as soon as you create them.
It has templates optimized for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Plus a library of royalty-free images.