Looking to get your hands on the best free graphic design software? Here, we discuss top free software for creating logos, brand identity templates and brand guidelines, mockups and more. We not only look at the free software but also what you stand to lose by using it. And we also highlight the risks that come with using it – sometimes not everything is as it seems!
There are so many different types of design you can do for your website, whether it’s web design, graphic design, logo design or linkedin profile design. You can create logos with Canva or Adobe Spark which are both free online graphic design programs. Those are just to name a few – there are so many categories of free graphic design software.
Adobe Ilustrator
If you’re working with vectors, Adobe Illustrator is the software you need. First released in 1987, this veteran software provides the power and versatility you need to create everything from simple logos and icons to detailed, multi-layered artwork.
Adobe Illustrator requires a Creative Cloud subscription, which may put some people off. But a large number of working creatives will agree that it’s entirely worth the expense. Plus, because it’s subscription-based software, you’ll get all the latest updates for free.
The most recent (June 2021) brings Apple Silicon compatibility to Illustrator so it’ll run on the latest M1 Macs at top speed. It also adds the ability to rotate your view of the canvas to make life easier when you’re working with fiddly, detailed projects.
Since October 2020, there’s also been an accompanying iPad app. That means that you can also start work on a project on your iPad to get all the basics in place, then transfer your work to the desktop for fine-tuning.
Vectr
This is a graphic design free software for creating different projects – from t-shirt prints to full-fledged graphics for websites. Vectr has a simple and intuitive interface, allows you to export created files in real-time.
Also, this software provides functionality for exchanging the information between different devices, which makes it convenient for team design.
Their website tells you several times that it’s not difficult to use and the developers can help you any time and with any question.
The Vectr’s learning curve is low. That’s why if you can’t afford to buy more expensive vector programs, this will be a great option for you to start.
It’s very simple to find various tutorials using Vectr software as there are about 30 of them on their website. You can use this software both online and via download. As for your work, it will be automatically saved and synched.
Gimp
Gimp is probably one of the most popular free graphic design software tools. It is used for editing and enhancing images as well as full-scale graphic design work. The open-source software is quite well known as a free Photoshop alternative, although it doesn’t have as many features. However, you can edit the source code to customise it, and there are hundreds of third-party plugins you can find if you’re looking for specific functionality. There is a steep learning curve if you haven’t used similar software before, but there are many tutorials available online.
Affinity Designer
The monthly subscription to Adobe Illustrator can be just a little too expensive for some people, so many pros are now turning to Affinity Designer from Serif. It may not have all of Illustrator’s features (see our Affinity Designer review for full details), but it’s close enough for many creatives.
Affinity Designer works with both AI and PSD files so you don’t need to worry about compatibility. And it generally runs faster than Illustrator, although that will vary depending on what kind of hardware you’re using.
Affinity Designer also has features you won’t find in Illustrator, including infinite redos and one-million+ per cent zoom. But the most attractive difference is the fact that it’s a one-off purchase and requires no subscription. Despite this, updates have until now been passed on to users for free. The latest update in August (1.10) means that rendering is now up to 10 times faster for complex documents than previously.
Inkscape
This open-source vector free graphics program is widely known as a free analog of Adobe Illustrator. The difference between them is in the fact that Inkscape uses Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) as the main format. Designers, who are familiar with vector graphics, will easily master this program. Here you can create projects of any complexity.
It is a winner in Inkscape vs Photoshop battle, if you need a program for beginning graphic designers as it provides a large number of modern tools and effects, including complex path manipulations, node editing, bitmap tracing, and path-based text.
As soon as you enter their website, Inkscape immediately shows that it’s a professional tool for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. However, there is a separate page that contains instructions and tells how to download it.
Krita
Krita is an open-source raster graphics editor. It’s most useful for 2D animation and digital painting. Krita is designed for ease of use with a drawing tablet, although it is possible to use the software without a drawing tablet. It also supports vector artwork.
Sketch
Finding the best graphic design software often means picking a package that’s most appropriate to your requirements. While there’s no doubt that Illustrator and Affinity Designer are powerful and versatile apps, they might be overkill if you’re after something for work such as UI design, prototyping or simply making icons. In which case Sketch may suit you much better (as long as you use a Mac).
Sketch features a streamlined set of tools that are easy to get to grips with than more full-featured design apps. And you’ll get on with it much better if you need to design a website rather than create detailed vector illustrations.
Visme
Visme is an online tool for branding and creating visual assets such as charts, slideshows, storyboards, and even social media ad units. You can cope with such a variety of tasks thanks to an extensive stock library of graphic resources. Visme focuses on brand aesthetics and has features to preserve color palettes, images, videos and other assets of your brand/company.
In addition to classic presentations, you can create short videos and animations with transitions. The software offers numerous templates and allows you to add text or select the transition you want.
One of the most important innovations is the possibility to work as a team on the same file. You can draw up a special plan and develop a report or diagram of your business for your design team.
Visme integrates with many applications so that you can retrieve assets and data that you already store somewhere. What I really like is the possibility to download and share a file from a view-only link, inviting people to leave comments and annotations on the file.
Paint.NET
Paint.NET is free raster graphics editing software and a more advanced version of the well-known Paint app by Microsoft. It doesn’t have as advanced functionality as some of the more complex apps, but there are many plugins available to expand the features to your needs. It’s extremely quick and responsive, even when working with fairly large files.
Vecteezy
Need a painless way to get started with vectors? Vecteezy may well fit the bill. It’s a free, in-browser vector editor that enables you to work with ready-made vectors that you can customise to suit your needs or build your own designs from the ground up. It’s easy to use and impressively powerful considering that it’s free, and it has some useful features such as advanced transformations and keyboard shortcuts.
You’ll need to create an account to save your work, and if you need more power then signing up for the Pro version gets you a bunch more tools and resources.
Gravit Designer
The developers of Gravit Designer software offer many possibilities. This is something between Inkscape and Vectr.
It has more functions than Vectr and is as intuitive as Inkscape. This program allows you to do everything that you expect from a vector software and have some tools typically available in digital asset management software for photographers.
You can create curves, edit paths, manage layers and use the knife function. It supports SVG, PDF, JPEG, SKETCH and since recently, EPS formats for import and export too. Besides, you can work on your projects on different platforms.
Gravit Cloud provides a smooth transfer of files between desktop and online versions. A portable version of this software is also available.
Among other useful functions of Gravit, there are vector assets available. The library of Gravit Designer assets includes badges, forms, emojis and illustrations that can be combined and modified for commercial and non-commercial use.
Conclusion:
In today’s market, almost every company has a logo. It’s an important part of marketing your brand. The front door to your business, if you will. If you don’t have a logo, you might as well live in a cardboard box. Seriously – do you know any legitimate companies that don’t have a logo? Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any.