5 Social Media Tools Every Designer Should Have

By RIVKAH WALTON

Hi, designers and entrepreneurs, today I am sharing with you my five favorite tools that I use to create social media posts, stories, and ads. These are tools that I use daily to create designs for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and much more. As a designer the opportunities are endless, but for those of you who are “not so artistic” I included platforms that have tons of templates that are updated monthly for users to explore. So let’s get to this list!

First on my list is Canva

Canva is a drag-and-drop platform that allows the user to create, share and print dynamic layouts and designs. On Canva designers can create logos, presentations, social media posts, templates, and printed media. Canva has a bank of icons, graphics, photos, and design templates that are readily available to users. Canva made my list because it simplifies the design process. I cannot count the number of times that I have created designs on the go. The ability to create designs from my phone is the feature that got Canva to the top of my list. Have you tried Canva yet? Another feature that businesses and designers may like is how Canva allows users to share their designs with a team and with clients. Try Canva today and start designing.

Features I Love:

  • Downloadable and printable designs
  • Access to templates
  • Access to vectors, graphics, and images
  • Resizing feature
  • Transparent downloads
  • Sharable with clients and teams

Second on my list is Visme

Visme is a great app that allows users to make professional presentations, eBooks, infographics, posts, and much more online. Visme is a super simple free tool that houses 1000’s of templates and graphics. Users can use stock photos from unsplash to add to their designs. With Visme you can publish what you make online or download designs for offline use. Visme made my list for various reasons, one being that Visme allows users to publish what they create with a generated domain, another being the ability to add members of your team to projects. When I created my eBook Brand Identity, it was super easy to add my copywriter into the project. Other reasons are the ability to animate pages, embed videos and HTML code. Try Visme today for free or get the paid version for a discount using my code below.

Code: https://www.visme.co/?ref=TD

Features I Love: On the paid plan $39

  • Unlimited Projects
  • 10 GB Storage
  • Download as HTML5, PDF, PNG, & JPG
  • Privacy Controls
  • Collect and Store Leads
  • Brand Kit

Third on my list is Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is a free online and mobile graphic design app. Where you can easily create posts, images, stories, videos, and web pages. I use Adobe Spark as a way to create fresh fun social media posts for my business, client mockups, and templates for clients. A feature that make Adobe Spark unique, is the capability to incorporate video. You are able to create stunning videos for instagram stories, presentations, websites and much more. Another feature that landed Spark on my top 5 list is, the ability to add my branding features and colors to the app, incorporating my brand with ease.

Features I Love:

  • Video integration
  • Access to images (stock photos)
  • Access to templates
  • Easily download and share designs
  • Brand Kit

Fourth is Adobe Illustrator

Ok, if you are a designer and you haven’t heard about or used Adobe Illustrator yet, I suggest that you follow the link and download it now. Adobe Illustrator is an app offered as a part of the Adobe Creative Suite. It’s an application for real deal designers, so it’s not for everyone. I use Illustrator to create my entire feed layout for Instagram and to create unique illustrations for my posts.

Features I Love:

  • Download in various forms
  • Complete creative freedom
  • Transparent Downloads

Fifth is Motion Array

Motion Array is a membership based resource for downloading After Effects templates, stock music, stock motion graphics, and stock video elements. Motion Array offers great design and video templates for member to download and use on the Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro applications. So, you need to have After Effects and/or Premiere Pro! This is also a site for real deal designers who have a familiarity with Adobe products. But, have no fear if you do not have experience using the apps each downloaded template comes with a tutorial.

Features I Love:

  • Variety of Video Plugins
  • Unlimited Downloads
  • Editability of Templates
  • Themed Videos
  • Access to Tutorials

 Have you ever used any of these tools before? I want to know your experience with these apps. Share your top five tools with us and let’s build a positive community of entrepreneurs who share resources.

Hi Entrepreneurs share this with everyone!

What Is A Mood Board?

Some of you maybe asking, “what the heck is a mood board?” A mood board is a display of content, such as photos, color swatches, patterns, fabric and typography that depicts the all around mood or feel of a brand. Mood boards can be used in many ways,  so I’m going to share with you my top two ways that I use them. The first is, at the beginning of project I show clients a mood board to give them a general feel and direction of their brand, something much like a vision board. The other way is at the end of a project, I send clients a mood board with all their key information displayed, I do this  so they can see their brand in action.

Take a look at this moodboard that I created for my business on Visme. It has all my brands key identifiers that I use repeatedly in my content.

Moodboards are super easy to make and are a added value for both designers and clients.

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5 Tips for Making A Simple Mood Board

 

Build your mood board on Visme

Visme is a professional tool that allows users to create and share infographics, presentations and other graphics. The application is free and stock full of high resolution photos, fonts, and templates. Visme gives users the ability to add animation to projects, to ublish designs, share or embed content and so much more. Visme is easy to use and you can create mood boards in a matter of minutes. If Visme sounds like a tool you’d like to try out use my link and get a discount on Visme today. Click here.

Show clients their logo(s) in action

Client’s need to see their logo in action, on a wall, in a magazine, on merchandize and so on. Using a mood board can help in securing the bag by allowing clients to see their vision come to life.

Give clients their guidelines

Give the client all the information they need to maintain their branding. By handing the client a mood board with the colors used for their design, the RGB number, the logo, wallpapers, and icons you equipt clients with all the visual guidelines they need without have to make a guildline book. This lessen the number of texts, emails, and phone calls from previous clients needing to know exactly what color you used in their logo from 4 years ago.

Make the mood board shareable

Making it shareable is a great way to attract foot traffic and get in front of potential clients. Not only is it beneficial for you, but it’s beneficial for the client as well. You both gain much needed exposure to grow your business. Try putting the moodboard on Pinterest, make a blog post, or share it on your social site, those are sure fire ways to leave traffic in your direction.

Use relevant photos

If you are going create a moodboard be sure to use relevant photos that relate directly to the business. In the moodboard I created for Your Words Her Pen, I used images of journals, desks, pens, and paper. I also added filters to the photos so that they have the colors of the brand.

I hope these tips will help you in your business as a designer or artist. Don’t forget to follow me on IG, FB, Pinterest, and Youtube.