Graphic Design on a College Budget : Free Resources For Your Next Project

Being a student in Advertising means that creativity is a necessity. It means constantly looking to expand your skills in every way. And one of the most common skills that people flock to learn is the element of graphic design. Whether it’s MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop, being able to visually layout ideas and create unique works of design is an ability that will grow your portfolio and make you stand out in the world of advertising.

But how do you even get started on building a portfolio or creating unique projects on industry standard software like Photoshop? Don’t worry - it’s not as intimidating as it might first seem. There are thousands of resources available online to help you learn different software and make your designs stand out. And the best part? Tons of them are free! 

We’ll start with inspiration. These websites are a few places you can check out to get inspiration for graphics, logos, posters, web design, and so much more. You can create an account for free on all of these sites to check out what other designers are creating and share your own work!

• Behance : https://www.behance.net/

• Dribbble : https://dribbble.com/

• Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/ 

• Dieline : https://thedieline.com/

Next up are some free photo databases! All of these sites provide super high quality images that are free for you to download. You can search by color, subject, or aesthetic, and be confident that you’ll find the perfect photo for your design. A lot better than the low resolution jpegs from Google Images…

• Unsplash : https://unsplash.com/ 

• Pixabay : https://pixabay.com/ 

• Pexels : https://www.pexels.com/ 

Another aspect I always find myself looking for is a good free font. Unique fonts can be a little trickier to track down, so I have a handful of websites bookmarked that have several free options, as well as weekly resource deals! 

• Font Bundles : https://fontbundles.net/free-fonts 

• Pixel Surplus : https://pixelsurplus.com/collections/free-fonts 

• Kern Club : https://www.kernclub.com/shop?category=Fonts

  • A quick note for this site; the fonts at the top of the page are available for $5 - $10, but if you scroll to the bottom there are several super cool free fonts available!

And finally, a bunch of assorted resources that I’ve come across over the years and found helpful for different projects. These websites are great to have on hand in case you ever need a cool looking gradient for a social media post, or a fresh iPhone mockup for an app design, or a dope color palette for a branding project.

• Pixel True Mockups : https://mockups.pixeltrue.com/

• Mesh Gradients : https://www.meshgradients.design/

• Color Palettes : https://huemint.com/

• Creative Market : https://creativemarket.com/free-goods