8 Graphic Design Tools to Help Optimise Your Social Media Presence

If social media had a currency, it would be the image. In a rapidly evolving media sphere, the image and the graphic have become the most powerful tool that one can have at their disposal. Adobe rated “the use of images as the most important optimization tactic” in a 2014 survey, and it still applies even in 2021. It is no real secret that graphics and images lead to higher traffic and interaction. The only problem is, if everyone is doing it, how can you stand out? This is where graphic design tools can change the game. We are lucky to have a variety of excellent photo editing and creation apps that all have different functions and offer different benefits that we, as creators can utilise. This article aims to pinpoint the 8 strongest available in different areas and assess how they may benefit you or your company. However, to give you that list in confidence, a few key questions need to be assessed first.

What are Graphic Creating tools?

Graphic creating tools are programs that you can download, usually through an app, that can help you create graphics or images which you can use to promote yourself or gain traffic on social media. The rise in the creation of small business with people working from home due to lockdowns across the world has seen an increase in the use of these tools in order to create personalised logos. If used well, these tools can help you stand out. Most programs offer templates and are typically easy to work with. Allowing you to create solid visual content quickly.

Why Are They Important?

In a time where eyes are constantly fixated on social media home pages, there is no better place to promote yourself or your business. Tools like the ones mentioned below give your posts an air of professionalism, which, when you are looking to gain customers or traffic on to your page, is crucial. Using tools to create a vibrant new logo, or a header, or a theme for your page just increases your chances of standing out in a sea of other users and gives you the opportunity to catch a new potential client or followers eye.

What to Look for When Finding a Graphic Tool to Suit You?

Usability: It is great having a graphic design app that you think looks nice, but if every detail of the design you want to make must be micromanaged, the app then becomes inaccessible for the everyday user. You want an app that allows you to create or design nice logos or graphics with minimum fuss and regardless of skill level.

Streamlined Interface: It would not look too good if a graphic design app did not look smooth and streamlined. You want to look for an app with a clean user interface that gives you full confidence that you can find what you need quickly and efficiently.

A Good Selection of Templates: Templates can save you a lot of time and if an app has thousands of templates that can be used in a variety of forms, it is more appealing to users because they can access nearly made graphics much faster, a little personalisation is all that is needed.

Free Trials: This is probably the most important thing to look for because it allows you to test the app out for yourself. Using a 3 or 7- or 14-day free trial is a great opportunity to see if the app is a good fit for you and what you want to do. A free trial costs nothing and can only make your decision easier if you find one you like so that would be the strongest tip on this list! Try before you buy!

Canva- The All-Rounder: Simply for its well roundedness, Canva had to make the cut. Available as an app or on any browser, it offers thousands of free templates and designs, allowing you to jump in and make or edit graphics quickly. The $12.95 per month premium plan allows you access to a vast catalogue of material to suit any editor, designer or businessperson. A feature that I do like with Canva is the ability to share a design with someone else by adding their email to the design, it parallels Google Docs quite nicely. There is also a convenient drag and drop editor and a toolbar which allows you to add saved photos or images to a design. It had a sleek user interface, offers a free version which gives you access to 200,000+ templates and designs. You can cater for even larger teams with different price packages and get access to 100GB of cloud storage with the premium version and it is easy to use. In terms of an inexpensive and reliable all-rounder, Canva is a great tool for individual users, small start-ups and even the biggest of companies.

Adobe Spark- The Biggest Name in the Game: Adobe is arguably the biggest name in graphic design. Spark is their most user-friendly graphic design tool and is available online or in app stores. They offer a free version, which is good, perhaps a little too good because it gives you about 50% of the 34,000 total templates available on the app, so this may have you questioning why you would buy the premium! Spark makes the list not only because of its name, but because of the ability you get to integrate with other parts of the Adobe library. You can integrate with Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Stock Images, which allows for even more editing capabilities. Also available with premium are Adobe Pages and Adobe Video, which allow you to create web pages and videos, respectively. However, as good as these features are, I feel that other apps on the list are better regarding video integration.

Desygner- The Best for Creativity: In terms of depth, Desygner is not here to win any awards, but this tool does offer some unique features. The pen tool allows you to draw over templates as you require so you can add a more personal feel to your work. It also allows you to reshape your designs quickly to suit whichever platform you wish to use. While its template catalogue is not as extensive as other apps, the ability to use the apps features to create something totally unique is what makes Desygner worth considering.

Pablo- The Best for Efficiency and Simplicity: Pablo by Buffer makes the list for one key reason, simplicity. Everything about this tool is minimalist, from its design to its pricing. For someone not looking to set up an account but looking to create a graphic quickly and with no fuss, Pablo is the tool you want. It allows you to use one of a few templates, or upload your own image, change the shape of your graphic and add text. That’s about it. However, that might be all you need, and you won’t have to spend time setting up any accounts or needing to buy premium subscriptions to access its best contents. Perfect if you are starting up a company or a business for yourself and are low on money or if you need a graphic edited quickly.

Over- The Best for Mobile Devices: This is a graphic design app that I find exciting. I find that with many of the apps and tools on this list, the desktop versions are superior and seem more compatible than the same version on mobile, not with Over. Over markets itself on being a fully-fledged design and editing studio on your mobile and allows you copious editing options that I have yet to see available on any other graphic design mobile app. There is one major con to this, and that is it is only available on the Apple App Store as of now, but in time, once it becomes more widely available on Android devices as well, you can expect Over to become a lot more popular. It is also available on desktop if you do want to try it, but I feel it is optimised for mobile use. It is user friendly, offers you a week trial for premium and allows for a tonne of customisation options. And the fact that it is optimised for mobile means that it is the most portable and convenient tool on the list in my view.

Pixlr- The Best for Freelancers and Start-ups: Another super fun and easy tool that you can use to bolster your images is Pixlr. It is free, and for my money, offers some of the most comprehensive editing tools of any app or tool on the list. It is established and is perfect for freelancers or start-ups looking to design their own logos or graphics. It is also versatile, available on all app stores and across all browsers. Where it differs to Pablo is through its far more comprehensive editing systems and added features like the ‘Quick Fix’ which allows you to quickly touch up on any edits through app or desktop. Considering its free price tag, it offers a lot of features and packs a great punch. Perfect for those just getting started and looking to make some solid edits.

Pattern Library- The Best for Unique Background Designs: This tool has a slightly different function to the others listed. As opposed to focussing on editing a particular graphic, Pattern Library focusses on the background and making it stand out as opposed to the main image itself. The tool is home to a variety of unique and colourful designs created by designers from across the globe. It is a great tool to use if you are looking for something to make a post stand out. Although it is still quite a new project, many of the designs are original and unique. Perhaps a little out of the box, but a good tool to utilise.

GIPHY- For Something a Little Different: GIFs have become super popular on social media over the last few years. People can now have conversations using only GIFs. Adapting to the current social media climate and making fun and creative GIFs will certainly make you stand out. This is mainly because a GIF is not a static image. It offers even more visual stimulation than a picture does and is even more likely than a graphic to catch attention. Certain to separate you from your competitors, it is a free, easy to use, outside the box app. If you have the means to utilise the features included, I could not recommend it enough.