By now, you know that visual elements are part of a compelling social media strategy. But what happens when you don't have design software or expertise at your disposal? Free online design tools give those who aren't experienced designers the power to create visual content for blog posts and social media posts.

Free Graphic Design Tools for Beginners

5 Free Graphic Design Tools for Beginners

These are five of our favorite free tools. Dive in and play!

1. Canva

Canva is a powerful, free graphic design tool that's perfect for social media design elements. Canva's templates take the guesswork out of appropriate sizes for each social media platform. Canva is great for simple projects that give your social media posts a creative boost.

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As with any free tool, the options are limited if you're creating a large number of graphics or you need them to be highly customized. But it's an excellent tool for creating Facebook or Pinterest graphics to promote your blog content.Canva free graphic design tool

2. DesignWizard

DesignWizard is similar to Canva, but includes all of its available tools in the free version. With over 10,000 free templates, you can easily create digital items such as social media posts and YouTube channel art, as well as print items like gift certificates and sales posters.

DesignWizard has a library of over 1.2 million images, videos, illustrations, and graphics for your use. You can also upload fonts, photos, and logos, create custom color palettes and resize designs so every final product is unique to your brand.

DesignWizard free graphic design tool

3. Piktochart

Infographics are powerful and shareable. In a little over two years, infographic search volumes increased over 800 percent. We know infographics get the job done, but not everyone has the design know-how to create them.

Piktochart gives non-designers the ability to create basic infographics without relying on powerful design software like InDesign. Choose from 400 templates, icons and graphics to get your message across.

While nothing can replace the expertise of a designer when it comes to creating a compelling infographic, Piktochart is a solid platform to start learning on if you want to understand what goes into the creation of an infographic.

Keep in mind that these are templates, and templates have limitations.

If you want something 100 percent unique to your organization, start from scratch with the help of a designer who understands the strategy behind creating an effective infographic.

Here's an example of an infographic created in Piktochart.

Piktochart free graphic design tool

4. PicMonkey

PicMonkey is your go-to free online tool if you work with photography in any capacity. Quickly resize, crop and color-correct your photos. It doesn't have as many templates and free design elements as Canva, but it's a powerful and quick way to do basic photo editing and design without having to download software.

PicMonkey free graphic design tool

If you use PicMonkey frequently, upgrade to the premium version for access to more fonts and tools.

5. Pixlr

Pixlr's free online image editor allows you to edit your photos with over 600 overlays, effects and borders. It's available as an application on iOS and Android. It's popular with Instagram users and photography buffs who haven't quite leveled up to using pricey photo editing software.

You'll get the most out of this tool if you enjoy editing photos before you share them, but it isn't the most powerful option if you're building shareable graphics.

Pixlr free graphic design tool

Keep in mind that free doesn't mean easy. Don't get frustrated if you struggle to make the most of these online tools. They're best-suited to those who have basic design or photography experience.

What are your favorite free design tools?

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