30 Best Graphic Design Software for Designers in 2024

Graphic Design Software – Revolutionizing Businesses

Graphic design is essential to any business’s marketing and branding strategy. Graphic design software can be used across various platforms, from website design to print collateral. A selection of the most comprehensive graphic design software, both free and subscription-based, has been compiled to provide creatives with the means to produce remarkable digital artwork. When you search free graphic design software, you can find many platforms with latest AI design tools. Be it a free graphic art software or free visual design software, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is definitely shaping the industry to the best advantage of graphic designers.

Before talking about top Graphic Design software & its uses, it’s important to know how Graphic Designing shapes businesses. Let’s briefly discuss Graphic Designing.

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Introduction to Graphic Designing

Designers take graphic design courses on latest trends and tools, online and offline. These cover basics to advanced AI tools for creativity. Continuous learning and adaptation to changing trends and software are essential for this competitive field. Skilled graphic designers are in high demand, offering many job opportunities. Businesses invest money in graphic design services to create both online and offline branding materials for their marketing activities.

For budget users, free graphic design software options are available, providing professional designs without cost. Designers update their knowledge with free graphic design programs to learn basics and improve skills through diverse projects. Agencies create graphic artwork for clients using tools and techniques. Graphic design software is key for artists and designers to make professional graphics. It includes programs for image and text creation and manipulation, 3D modeling, and animation. Web designers need coding and design software skills for a polished website and branding.

Logo design

Graphic design involves creating visually appealing and impactful designs. Business logo design is crucial for branding and marketing. Logo design creates unique and memorable logos as visual representations of the business, enhancing brand identity. A designer logo design includes expertise and creativity. Digital design is vital for online use. Whether for IT or a non-profit, choosing the right color scheme is key. Designers improve skills through graphic artist programs. Expert graphic designers in design agencies create unique and trendy logos for each brand.

Vector images made with math equations resize well, keeping quality. Finding logo design ideas free online on various platforms is helpful. When you search design Canva online, you will be directed to Canva platform, that is getting widely used for varied design creations. These platforms offer vector art choices for efficient and cost-effective logo design.

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Here is the list of best graphic design software you can try for your work.

Paid

Free

Let us see each software individually, covering the key features and design utilities

Paid Graphic Design Software

1. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a top image-editing software for photographers and graphic designers, offering a variety of effects and filters for unique touches. It is compatible with other Adobe products like Photoshop Elements and Adobe Creative Cloud for easy collaboration and sharing.

Key Features: 1. Layer Basics, 2. Color Adjustments, 3. Brushes & Tools, 4. Textures & Layer Styles. 5. Retouching Tools, and 6. Dodge & Burn Tools

2. Sketch

Sketch software for Apple macOS. Used by web, graphic designers for interfaces, icons, illustrations. Features include pixel precision, pixel grid, export options.

Features: 1. Vector/Raster Graphics, 2. Multiple Pages & Artboards, 3. Layers, 4. Guides & Grids, 5. Symbols, 6. Export Toolkit, and 7. Plugins

3. Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a great software for graphic design. It is a vector-based software used globally by professionals. It creates logos, icons, illustrations, typography, and graphics. Illustrator has tools like the Pen tool, Shaper tool, and PathFinder panel. It also includes features like Live Trace, Kuler panel, and Global Color.

Advantages: 1. Vector Drawing Tools, 2. Typography, 3. Fill & Stroke Controls, 4. Pen Tool, 5. Swatches & Colours, 6. Artboards & Layers, 7. Image Trace & Exporting Options

4. Mega Creator

Mega Creator is an online graphic design platform for crafting visuals from pre-made elements. It is a leading web and mobile app design program for web designers, social media professionals, bloggers, writers, educators, and anyone requiring professional-grade images in a simple format.

Key features: 1. Drag-and-drop builder, 2. Templates, 3. Thumbnails, 4. Animation Library, 5. E-commerce integration, 6. Analytics integration, and 7. Mobile optimization

5. Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is a top vector design software with precise control over artwork. Features include live pixel preview, vector brushes, artboards, non-destructive effects.

Features: 1. Live Tracing, 2. Non-destructive Transformations, 3. Pen Tool, 4. Pixel Preview Mode, and 5. Symbol Library

6. Adobe InDesign

Adobe offers Adobe InDesign graphic software, which is ideal for graphics design. This advanced graphic design platform is widely used in publishing, enabling users to design magazines, booklets, books, posters, interactive PDFs, brochures and more. Its ‘adjust layout’ feature allows for customized layouts.

Key Features: 1. Design Template Library, 2. Advanced Text Editing, 3. Graphics & Images, 4. Interactivity within Documents & Publications, 5. Automation Tools, 6. Print Production Features, and 7. Asset Management Tools

7. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019

CorelDRAW includes AI via LiveSketch to convert free-hand sketches into vector curves. The suite offers design, layout tools, Photo-Paint, and Corel Font Manager for managing photos and fonts.

Advantages: 1. Vector Illustration and Design, 2. Photo Editing & Effects, 3. Typography Tools, 4. Sketch & Paint Tools, 5. Output Formats, 6. Color Harmony Palette, and 7. Graphic Design Suite Bundle Integrations

8. Eagle

Eagle: digital asset management simplifies design file collection, searching, organization – in one place. Eliminates creating design library, any file format can be imported.

9. Xara Designer Pro X

Xara Designer caters to bitmap and vector applications, offering desktop publishing, graphic design, illustration, and photo editing capabilities. Users have access to numerous template layouts, design elements, and a photo library of one million photos. It is popular for creating professional logos quickly with tools for designing logos of various shapes, sizes, and colors. The software provides a vast library of templates, symbols, and fonts for customization.

10. Visme

Visme allows users to create visual content without complex software. Users can access many templates and features through a simple editor. Over 40 template categories available, such as presentations and infographics. Popular platform with 1.3 million users.

Key features: 1. Easy-to-Use Interface, 2. Professional Templates, 3. Powerful Graphic Design Tools, 4. Built-In Stock Photo Library, 5. Branding Options & Social Media Sharing, 6. Team Collaboration Features, and 7. Animations & Videos

11. Vectr

Vectr is a graphics editor with user-friendly tools to make beautiful designs. It lets users draw shapes, apply filters, clone objects, and make custom brushes for unique effects. Vectr operates with mathematical equations, not pixels.

Advantages: 1. Vector graphics editor, 2. Color palettes, 3. Layering, 4. Path operations, 5. Grids & Guides, 6. Text properties, and 7. Export/Import capabilities

12. Colorcinch

Colorcinch is an innovative photo-editing solution with various features to customize photos. Its user-friendly interface simplifies importing, editing, and sharing photos in different formats. Advanced editing features allow contrast, color, saturation adjustments, and precise color corrections. It also provides tools for cropping, resizing, adding text, and shapes. Colorcinch offers filters, frames, and effects for professional-looking photos, turning amateur photos into art quickly.

13. VistaCreate

VistaCreate software is ideal for businesses needing high-quality visuals. It includes tools like 3D rendering, vector illustration, typography, and photo editing for print, web, and mobile. With 10,000 animated objects, it follows design trends to help create impressive visuals.

14. Canva

Canva is an online graphic design platform with a user-friendly interface and a library of over one million stock photos, graphics, and fonts. Canva allows users to make high-quality designs effortlessly. It provides various templates for projects like presentations, posters, logos, and business cards. Users can customize designs with colours, fonts, images, and illustrations. The platform includes features like drag-and-drop design, photo editing, and free stock images.

Advantages: 1. Easy-to-use design templates, 2. Built-In Editing Tools, 3. Ability To Add Graphics, Text & Images, 4. Drag & Drop Interface, 5. Customizable Color Palettes & Themes, 6. Access To Professional Photos & Graphics Libraries, and 7. Shareable Links Or Downloadable Files Available On Demand

15. PixTeller

PixTeller is a user-friendly tool for creating graphics and animations in various formats like PNG, JPG, PDF, MP4, and GIF. Users of all skill levels can make impressive visuals without technical knowledge, suitable for personal or business use.

16. Infinite Design

This Android vector graphics app allows users to create intricate designs with minimal effort. It offers a spacious workspace for zooming, panning, and rotating. The app includes four symmetry types and unlimited layers. Advanced tools like translation, scaling, flipping, and distortion are provided. The created image can be converted into a vector path.

17. Adobe Comp

Adobe Comp is essential for designers, marketers, and creators, allowing quick visual compositions. Users combine images, text, shapes, and drawings in a single canvas. Comp offers auto-alignment, resizing, layer management, and color control for quick idea compilation. It is also cloud-based and lets users quickly share their work with other Adobe products, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Express, and XD. With Adobe Comp, users can quickly create robust comps that can be used as a starting point for their design process.

Key Features: 1. Layer Masks, 2. Custom Brushes, 3. Vector Drawing Tools, 4. Transform & Align Toolset, 5. Creations Library, 6. Mobile Export Options, and 7. Collaboration & Sharing Features

18. DocHipo

The essential drawing tools from DocHipo are straightforward and intuitive. With a few clicks, you can create simple diagrams, labeled diagrams, organic shapes, bezier curves, and more. Beginners can make powerful visuals without much training. This platform allows real-time collaboration with multiple team members. DocHipo lets you join various companies with one login. You can export designs in formats like PNG, transparent PNG, JPG, and PDF.

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Graphic software manipulates images & text, creating original graphics for ads, logos, & digital art. Artists showcase creativity through digital illustrations, paintings, & drawings. Design software allows users to plan & execute complex designs for branding, marketing, & commercial purposes. Adobe Illustrator software has a user-friendly interface and extensive toolset, making it a top choice for designers, artists, and businesses. For a budget-friendly option, creating a logo design for free using online tools is possible. Affinity Designer software is another popular choice for logo design with features similar to Adobe Illustrator.

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Free Graphic Design Software

1. Design Wizard

Design Wizard offers a vast library of 100,000+ template designs by top designers, allowing users to convey their message effectively without design skills. Ideal for visual marketing, logos, and web images with features like image storage, social media integration, and editing tools.

Advantages: 1. Drag and Drop, 2. Templates, 3. Upload Own Assets, 4. Social Media Ready, AI-Powered Design Assistance, 5. Collaboration & Team Accounts, 6. Advanced Edit Mode

2. Setka Editor

Setka Editor: advanced, user-friendly graphic design software for web content. Robust tools for content editing, custom formatting, drag-and-drop media, powerful WYSIWYG editor. Integrated with popular CMS for quick publishing.

Features: 1. Drag and Drop Design, 2. WYSIWYG Editing, 3. Block Library, 4. Reusable Components, 5. Layout Control, 6. Inline Editing Toolbar, 7. Templates And Export Features

3. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is a free alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It supports integration with other Adobe products and is an innovative digital design tool for creating impactful visuals. Perfect for social media pros, digital marketers, and creatives, Spark offers intuitive tools like templates, typography, and image editing for quick visual creations.

Salient Features: 1. Project Creation, 2. Brand Customization, 3. Easy shareability, 4. Automatic optimization & individual access control, 5. Intuitive Collaboration & Reporting Tools

4. Krita

Krita is a free digital painting tool for artists, built on the Qt framework. It offers tools for drawing, shading, perspective grids, masks, and colour palettes.

5. Lunacy

Lunacy is an affordable vector graphic design software with great features, no hidden fees, ads, or locked content. It’s perfect for beginner UI/UX designers unable to afford expensive design apps. Lunacy has flexible styling tools and a Symbols feature for re-using elements. It includes a strong animation system for interactive prototypes. It’s a top tool for creating appealing visuals that are simple to share and use. Plus, it’s free for all to access.

6. Gravit Designer

Gravit is an advanced vector design program by Corel Draw creators. It’s top-tier free graphic design software for Mac, Windows, ChromeOS and Linux. It features vector art tools and an intuitive interface. Gravit helps create professional diagrams with styling options, color palettes, and unlimited object layers. The text tool enables quick typography effects like 3D text, shadows, rotations, and perspective distortions.

7. Blender

Blender software is a versatile 3D creation suite for professionals, free and customizable. Renowned for its intuitive interface, it suits both beginners and experts. With tools for rigging, simulation, and rendering, users can create realistic 3D projects. Regular updates ensure access to the latest features. Highly customizable for unique creations, Blender is ideal for any 3D project.

8. Inkscape

Inkscape is for creating vector shapes, art, and designs. Ideal for logos, illustrations, artwork, and web design. Vector drawings are points connected by lines, scalable for detailed designs. Available on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Great for all users.

Salient features: 1. Vector Graphics Creation, 2. Modifying Existing Bitmap Images, 3. Layer Management Options, 4. Text Editing Features, 5. Export & Import Formats, 6. Complex Shapes Toolset & Path Operations, 7. Scripting Support & Extensibility

9. SketchUp

SketchUp has design plans, free and paid, with the free version offering benefits. The modeling interface is powerful for creating 2D or 3D designs like furniture or intricate objects.

Advantages: 1. User-Friendly Design, 2. 3D Modeling, 3. Dynamic Components, 4. Style Builder, 5. Animated Walkthroughs, 6. Layout Functionality, and 7. Rendering Support

10. GIMP

GIMP, a popular open-source design tool, is often compared to paid Photoshop, with advocates passionate about each program. A key feature of GIMP is its non-destructive editing, letting you make changes without harming the original image. This ensures modifications are reversible, offering full control over your project outcome. GIMP is praised for being free, supporting all file formats, having digital retouching tools, and enabling unique design creation.

Key features: 1. Non-destructive editing, 2. Batch Processing, 3. Colour Management, 4. Selection Tools, 5. Layer Masking

11. Genially

Genially offers professionally made templates for various purposes like presentations, video brochures, infographics, e-cards and more. Templates allow customization of images, videos, buttons, and text for an engaging experience. Genially’s production feature lets users add chroma-keyed personal videos or photos into their creations without extra software. Chroma keys transform background elements into transparent using green, blue, red, and alpha keys. This tool ensures flawless presentations from start to finish!

Advantages: 1. Templates, 2. Animation Tool, 3. Linking Functionality, 4. Embedding Feature, 5. Chroma Key Tools

12. Paint 3D

Microsoft Paint is back, free, with better features. While not as complex as other design tools, Paint 3D has realistic textures, 2D cutout tools, and a variety of 3D tools and effects, perfect for new users seeking a simple design program.

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Conclusion

Using a professional graphic design agency is great for businesses wanting consistent branding. Designers create eye-catching designs tailored to your target audience, providing unique and effective materials. This ensures your branding is consistent and stands out across all channels, crucial for boosting brand recognition.

Why should you hire Visual Sculptors as your Graphic design Expert?

“Visual Sculptors is a leading global provider of Best Presentation Services led by Ex-McKinsey Presentation Designers. A Professional Presentation Agency comprising Business Presentation Specialists with 10+ years of experience at McKinsey. A Top Rated Plus PPT Presentation Design agency in Upwork with 4,080 jobs and 28,254 billed hours. This speaks to our team’s dedication, competing for the Top 10 Presentation Design Agency in India and worldwide. We offer excellent Management Consulting Presentation Services for clients globally, delivering top-notch presentations in PowerPoint/PPT. Our services include Business Presentation, Consulting Slides specializing in McKinsey, BCG, and Bain-type Business Presentations, including think-cell charts”

Experience the power of excellent graphic design services from Visual Sculptors. When it comes to graphic design for your business, you have two options: create a distinct graphic design department or hire a professional graphic design company that is more cost-effective and efficient.

FAQs

1. What software do most graphic designers use?

The most popular graphic design software used by professionals are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign. Other popular options include Sketch, CorelDRAW, and Canva.

2. Which software is use in graphic design for beginners?

Some of the best graphic design software for beginners include Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, and Figma. These programs offer user-friendly interfaces and a range of design tools to help beginners create professional-looking designs. Adobe Express is a cloud-based image editing and desktop publishing service created and developed by Adobe. It allows users to create, modify, and share images in real-time using an intuitive user interface. The service provides powerful tools for editing photos, creating graphic designs, adding text or stickers to images, and more.

3. What are the 8 types of graphic design?

The 8 types of graphic design are:

Visual identity graphic design
Marketing and advertising graphic design
User interface graphic design
Publication graphic design
Packaging graphic design
Motion graphic design
Environmental graphic design
Art and Illustration for graphic design

4. Is Canva good for graphic design?

Canva is a great tool for beginners or those who need to create simple designs quickly. It has a user-friendly interface and a wide range of templates and design elements to choose from. However, for more complex designs or professional-level work, other graphic design tools may be more suitable.

5. How graphic design works?

Graphic design is the process of creating visual content to communicate information or messages to a specific audience. It involves combining typography, images, and other design elements to create a cohesive and visually appealing piece. Graphic designers use various software tools and techniques to create designs for print, digital media, and other platforms. The process typically involves research, ideation, sketching, refining, and finalizing the design.