Students all over the world want to learn graphic design. But when it comes to choosing the best software for students pc that they can comfortably use, they don’t know where to start. There are so many software options available on the market that it can make a student’s head spin. As a student it’s hard to afford graphic design software. Luckily there are a lot of free alternatives that are just as good, or even better than paid graphic design software.
To be able to tackle your everyday design needs, you are going to need the right tools. One of the best places to start is with free design software. While the best software for students will be debated for years to come, these options are pretty good.
Microsoft Office 365
When you become a student, everyone tells you that you’ll have to work harder. But actually, it’s more about working smarter. Which means you’ll need productivity software to plan your activities and schedule, which includes features like a calendar, email, document editing, spreadsheets and more.
Microsoft Office 365 is a serious software package that’s widely used across the business world, and as a student you can get a version of it, called Office 365 Education, for free. This includes Microsoft Word for documents, Microsoft Excel for spreadsheets, Microsoft PowerPoint for presentations, Microsoft OneNote for notetaking, and Microsoft Outlook for email.
Featuring Microsoft’s most popular productivity apps, you can sign online, from any device, to organise your activities wherever you are. And best of all, you get a whopping 1TB of online storage.
Canva
Canva is one of my favorite web-based applications for graphic design. In fact, all of the graphics for my blog posts are made through Canva. Sometimes I just don’t have the time to pull everything into Illustrator to create a design. Canva offers an easy-to-use drag and drop feature to create designs for the web or print. In addition to this, they also have a ton of free templates, photos, and graphics to use within your designs.
InkScape
InkScape is essentially the free version of Adobe Illustrator. It’s also a vector graphics design program, capable of creating works that can be adjusted, resized, or transferred without distortion. InkScape software is generally preferred by beginners or those who do graphic design as a hobby. This is a great option for students testing the waters of graphic design.
Pixlr
“With an impressive 2 million+ combinations of Free effects, filters and overlays to get creative, PIXLR turns every mobile device into a complete mobile photo editing tool that works best for simple tweaks right up to the more creative edits. Now you can edit your photos from wherever you are.”
Adobe Creative Cloud
As a designer you’re most likely going to need software to produce your designs. Adobe are the industry leader when it comes to creative software. The Adobe Creative Cloud has all the tools you may need, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, XD or more. If you’re a student, you can get 60% off a Creative Cloud subscription here.
You could also consider Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo or Corel Painter. See the 11 Best Graphic Design Software & Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a flexible and accessible tool. It’s a great option for any type of graphic design, including web mockups, logos, illustrative artwork, and more. It makes use of vector graphics to help designers create outstanding lines that aren’t pixelated. This makes resizing images a breeze—you’ll never worry about fuzzy or distorted linework again.
Pros
- Compact storage so you can send almost any design project through e-mail
- Fully customizable user interface lets you change the setup of your design space
- Works across all devices—never worry about Mac versus Windows compatibility again
- Access to Adobe’s full stock of 90 million graphics, videos, images, and design templates
Cons
- Costs more than other vector design tools – $9.99/mo for personal use
- The program download is large, which will use up a lot of device storage
- It’s so customizable that some designers find it overwhelming to learn
Gravit Designer
“Gravit Designer is a full-featured free vector design app right at your fingertip. It is available for different platforms including Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome and the Web.”
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is perhaps the most well-known design software in the world. It’s primarily used for photo editing that can be used on PCs, desktops, and mobile devices. Its user interface is top notch, and they have dashboard layouts depending on your project. Choose from Painting, 3D, Motion, Photography, or Graphic and Web, then get to work.
Pros
- Open-source software allows you to download a free version of the program
- It continuously synchronizes with Adobe Creative Cloud, giving you access to more tools
- Edit different layers of animated or live video layers
- Work with different canvases, design tools, brushes, typography, and 3D elements
Cons
- You’ll receive Adobe Photoshop when you subscribe to the Creative Cloud, but it’s more expensive and unavailable for lifetime purchase
- Doesn’t support vector graphics well
- A lot of customization might be overwhelming to some designers
Vectr
“Vectr is a free graphics software used to create vector graphics easily and intuitively. It’s a simple yet powerful web and desktop cross-platform tool to bring your designs into reality.”
CorelDraw Graphics Suite
The CorelDraw Graphics Suite is an extensive collection of smaller design programs and tools. You can handle any type of graphics or illustrative project with this package—photo editing, web mockups, drawing, and more. This is a professional-grade product with a hefty price tag, but there are payment plans available.
Pros
- Over 4,000 fonts, templates, gradients, and other design tools come with the bundle
- A customizable UI allows you to change everything from color scheme to layout
- Flawless transfers from PCs to desktops and mobile devices
- Imports and exports files in 48 different design formats
Cons
- The mobile application is not free and must be purchased separately for tablets
- It’s a complex suite that might be challenging for beginning designers
Desygner
“Desygner is a free graphic design software with thousands of ready-made beautiful templates which can easily be tweaked, shared and printed in minutes.”
Sketch
Sketch is another vector design program that’s still relatively new. As such, it costs less than other subscriptions—only $99 a year—but offers a good collection of tools. The Sketch community is active and churns out helpful plugins for every type of project, plus there are a multitude of artboard templates available.
Pros
- Mirror sharing is available, which allows you to a) share your work with anyone and b) see how your design will look on any device
- An autosave option saves designers from the stress of lost work due to power failure
- Easy to learn and use for beginners
- As an Apply product, you can access all iOS icons and the cloud
Cons
- Only available for Mac users
- The illustration tools are limited, making it less suitable for complex products
- It needs further development and debugging because it’s newer
FotoJet
Fotojet is a web-based tool for graphic design, photo collages and photo editing. It has a multitude of templates, resources and tools for students to create high-quality images.
Conclusion:
It’s easy to lament the costs of any higher education. For many students, paying for college is a huge financial burden. So it’s no surprise that many students turn to free design software. Given that design curricula and programs are expanding at many schools, students are given the opportunity learn graphic design without breaking their bank accounts.