5 Resources Every Graphic Designer Should Know About
At Studio Seaside, we're big believers in continual growth- specifically in creative businesses. With up-and-coming AI tools, continual software updates, and thousands of creative coaches and mentors, there's no better time to hone in your skills as a designer.
Whether you're a graphic designer trying to scale your business, looking for ways to uplevel your offers, or working to improve your design skills, there are loads of resources out there for you to glean from.
Here are the 5 resources that we think every graphic designer should know about.
Online Design Communities or Memberships
Who doesn't love being part of a community? Joining a creative community of like-minded designers to bounce ideas off of, showcase your work, and potentially book new clients is a great way to sharpen your skills and grow as a graphic designer.
Online communities like Behance and Dribble are great places to start!
Design Software and Tools
It's no secret that Adobe Creative Cloud is the cream of the crop when it comes to design software, but with emerging AI tools, integrating new technology into your design software can help you work more creatively and efficiently!
In addition to AI, there are tons of online tools you can use for design inspiration when starting a project. Here are some of our favorite tools and how we use them:
Coolors - find the perfect color palette for your branding project.
Figma - create interactive prototypes of your website design.
Fontjoy - find the perfect font pairing for your logo design.
Stock Image Websites
Stock photos are critical when presenting your graphic design projects to clients. A good stock photo can take a design concept and turn it into a full-fledged brand identity mock-up that your client will LOVE! Here are our favorite places to snag stock photos:
Design Inspiration Websites
Let's give a round of applause for Pinterest, please! Pinterest is a treasure trove of design inspiration, offering an expansive collection of curated boards that cover a wide range of design topics. Whether you're seeking ideas for brand design, logo design, or website design, Pinterest is the place to be.
Another source of inspiration we love is Brand New. Brand New is a go-to destination for those passionate about brand identity and logo design. This insightful blog offers critiques and analysis of brand redesigns, allowing designers to gain valuable insights into the creative process behind branding projects.
Design Courses
As technology and brands innovate, the need to continually be learning and growing as a graphic designer has never been more important. While there are lots of graphic design and web design courses you could find on platforms like Masterclass or Skillshare, there are also courses created by individual designers who have had years of experience developing their skills and scaling their businesses.
Studio Seaside's Brand Process Savvy course provides all the insights you need to streamline your design process, charge more for your branding projects and have clients sign off with zero revisions. Whether you're looking to position yourself as a brand expert, streamline your processes, or scale your design process, Brand Process Savvy is for you!
Brand Process Savvy
The course is packed with resources to set you up for success in your branding process so you can spend less time going back and forth with clients on design revisions and spend more time designing brands you and your clients LOVE.
