8 Design Tools to Make an Impression This Thanksgiving

Every year as the time of Thanksgiving approaches, we witness a rush of users looking for turkey-basting tips and creative ways to make delicious stuffing and pumpkin pie, so that they can create an impression. Well, this Thanksgiving we are getting creative too but in a different way.

Ever wondered how some design tools can help create an impression. Well, for one, they make you work faster, and secondly, you don’t need to learn the tool. The ease of operation and handiness of some online tools are the key criteria of choice. A few of these tools are font resources, while others offer visual material for branding and marketing. Hence, you can create design surprises this thanksgiving with these tools in your arsenal. Let’s deal with and discuss some new design tools separately.

1. FontStruct

Image Source: fontstruct.com

FontStruct is the first online tool on my list. If you have been searching for an all-in-one typography kit, then FontStruct can be your typography creation kit. Craft your own fonts, save them, edit them later or even share them within Fontstruct community. It’s a free of cost must-have tool for designers, especially, beginners who can use the shared fonts in their print designs. Fontstruct is a browser-based tool that is free of cost.

2. Darktable

Image Source: darktable.org

Do you want to be picture-perfect this thanksgiving? Edit your images using Darktable for a change. It is a photo-editing tool that adds a level of quality to your pictures. This software can add virtual light table and dark room effects, just the way professional photographers do. It features no-destructible editing and zoomable user interface. Apart from that, you can crop and rotate the image, control the white balance, temperature and exposure of photographs.

3. Easel.ly

Image Source: easel.ly

Easel.ly is an online platform that stores an amazing stock of visual themes smartly abbreviated as “vheme” It covers question trees, maps, timelines such that you no longer need to manually produce the framework of your infographic. The best part about this online app is that almost everything is customizable once you dig into the vheme. However, the limitation of font choice is one negative aspect that truly devalues this important tool. Nonetheless, it’s a must-have for designers.

4. Phatch

Image Source: launchpad.net/phatch

Have you ever encountered a situation in which you have to edit digital images where most of them require almost the same type of editing? Well, there is a solution for that too. Phatch is a digital image editor that can perform assigned actions on a folder full of images. This batch operating tool can mask, crop, rotate, contour and invert a set of images at a time. Phatch is compatible for Windows, Linux and Mac and will make an outstanding choice for designers who wish to use new tools this thanksgiving.

5. Pixlr-o-matic

Image Source: pixlr.com/o-matic

We have seen how slight editing of images can change the meaning everyone gleans from an image. Designers edit images to add the right tone and emotion to make it compelling for marketing and they have been using Photoshop for that. The one-click photo filters from Instagram introduced a new photo editing alternative for faster facelifts. But now designers can have an even better tool in their arsenal. Pixlr-o-matic takes photo editing one step further. Instead of working on multiple sliders, the designer can make edits on the web-based applications in a jiffy. It has hundreds of filters categorized as vintage, subtle and creative.

6. Canva

Image Source: canva.com

This online app has a remarkable series of ready-to-go templates that you can apply for presentations and various other documents. Whether you wish to update your Facebook cover this thanksgiving or simply wish to add a festive theme in your project, use the online Canva resource. I will name it as the game changer for designers. Even if you are not a professional designer or just a beginner, Canva templates have some great inspirations in store for you.

7. Fontographer

Image Source: Fontlab

Do you fancy digital fonts? This software is an eye candy for every designer who wants to work with customizable fonts. FontoGrapher is an amazing font creator that helps you adjust spacing and kerning. The best part is its compatibility with both Macintosh and Windows. It enables you to work with existing fonts or create new ones from the scratch. Whether you are a professional or a beginner without any knowledge of font technology and formats, FontoGrapher is your tool to simplify type manipulation. As the latest version of Fontlab, Fontographer is a major overhaul of the product.

8. Logo Maker

Image Source: zilliondesigns.com

If you are a designer who’s out of ideas how to start your next logo design project then, here’s your savior. The logo maker by ZillionDesigns offers you tons of ideas and get inspired. Well categorized by shapes and industry, with the logo maker you are bound to find a symbol that would match your client’s needs. Just be careful though – don’t get too hooked on it.

We know that the design element makes the visual suitable for various marketing campaigns. As long as the expectations for professional designs escalate, there stays a tremendous pressure on the marketers. For most designers learning new software is too time-consuming, whereas, outsourcing every design project is not practically feasible.

Try using these latest design apps and let us know if we have missed any good ones. Share your comments below.