Rapid advancements in technology have upgraded the creative arts and expanded the scope of work in this field. Graphic design allows you to express your creativity within digital media and immortalises your designs.

Major industries around the world rely on talented graphic designers to create visuals that can supplement different brand marketing campaigns. Graphic design is one of the coolest professions in the media industry and thanks to the internet, you can start your career any time you want by accessing hundreds of graphic design jobs. There are multiple online resources that can help hone your craft and impress your clients.

If you are an aspiring graphic designer and wish to explore these online tools and resources further, this blog is a good guide. If you’re already pursuing a qualification in this area such as an HNC graphic design course or a graphic design BA Hons degree, this blog will give you a better idea of which direction to take your career in.

The different classifications of online graphic design resources

There are different types of resources that can help you and they are classified in different categories depending on the requirements they fulfil.

Images and Illustrations

Images and illustrations like icons, royalty-free stock photos or textural images are the basic components of graphic design. They bring texture, energy and action and make visuals more attractive.

Inspirational platforms

Inspirational resources offer creative guidance that can help improve your skills. Most inspirational resources are platforms that display the work of other professionals to help you develop new ideas.

Typography resources

There are many graphic designs that are made up of texts aligned in a specific manner. Typography tools and resources provide access to thousands of different text fonts and formats in different languages.

Editorial tools

A perfect graphic design involves hundreds of hours of editing images, adjusting the colour and contrast and resizing different elements to create a beautiful visual. There are hundreds of graphic editorial tools that can help you create mock-ups for clients.

The best graphic design resources

Below, we’ve listed some of the best tools to make use of:

  • Pexels: A free website that offers high-quality stock images and videos shot by talented photographers for graphic artists. You can choose and download from thousands of images and modify and edit them.
  • Drawkit: Get access to print and digital-ready illustrations that can be adapted and added to any graphic design.
  • Humaaans: A unique illustrative tool that allows you to customise illustrations of hundreds of human forms in different contexts.
  • The Noun Project: If you need icons, use The Noun Project.

Apart from these tools, there are many other online resources like Font Squirrel, Adobe Colour, Httpster, GIMP and Adobe Photo Editing software.

For a successful design career, you must have more than just talent and access to online resources—you also need a comprehensive understanding of different design systems and knowledge of how the industry operates.

Graphic design courses can provide all this in addition to teaching you new techniques. Some graphic design degrees even provide access to placement opportunities.

If you’re searching for a course to advance your career, consider enrolling onto the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Graphic Design from the London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA). This programme will prepare you for professional success in this field.

Click here to get more details about the course.