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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 discussing about the top Graphic Design software and its uses, it is essential to know how Graphic Designing is shaping the businesses across industries. Let us have a brief introduction about Graphic Designing.

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Introduction to Graphic Designing

Designers attend graphic designing courses covering the latest trends in designs. Many online graphic design programs are available, covering latest graphic design tools. These programs start from graphic design what is it and deep dive into covering the best use of latest AI tools for creativity. Learning the graphic and design programs from online and offline resources is a must for staying ahead in a competitive world. Industry offer pay for graphic designer proportionate to the skill level and expertise. Job as graphic designer involves continuous learning and adapting to changing design trends and using of latest design software. As such, there is a high demand for skilled job as graphic designers in various industries, providing many job opportunities for those interested in pursuing a career in this field.

Businesses invest money in graphic design services to create both online and offline branding materials for their marketing activities. For those on a budget, software graphic design free options are also available, allowing for professional quality designs without the cost. Aspiring designers working in the agency update their knowledge with graphic design programs free to know the basics and hone their skills with the experience from varied design projects. Using tools and design techniques, agencies deliver stunning graphic artwork for their clients in each design project.

Graphic artist software, also known as graphic design software, is a powerful tool utilized by artists and designers to create visually appealing and professional graphics. It includes a wide range of specialized programs that enable users to create and manipulate images, illustrations, and typography. Graphic creation software is designed specifically for the purpose of creating graphics, and often includes features such as 3D modeling and animation. Graphics and design software encompass both of these types of programs, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for all aspects of graphic design and creation.

Web designers possess a wide range of skills, including knowledge of coding, design software, and understanding of user experience. Having the right tool is essential to create best design website that gives a high professional look to your branding.

Logo design

Graphic design involves creating visually appealing and impactful designs. Business logo design is a crucial aspect of branding and marketing for any company. Logo design, specifically, focuses on creating a unique and memorable logo for a business. It serves as a visual representation of the business and helps to create a strong brand identity. A designer logo design takes this process a step further by incorporating the expertise and creativity of a professional designer. Digital design has become increasingly important in creating logos and other brand materials that are suitable for online use.

Be it a IT logo design or logo design for a non-profit organization, care should be taken to chose the best color scheme aligned to their vision and goals. Designers attend graphic artist programs and hone their skills to best levels. A design agency with a team of expert graphic designers come up with companies logo design, that brings unique and trendy designs for each brand. Vector graphics are used in graphic designs, known for its scalability and versatility.

Vector images are digital graphics that are created using mathematical equations, allowing them to be easily resized without losing their quality. Exploring logo design free online will guide to varied platforms and one can get design ideas and inspiration from them. 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 a wide range of vector art options to choose from, making the logo design process efficient and cost-effective.

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

Paid
  1. Adobe Photoshop
  2. Sketch
  3. Adobe Illustrator
  4. Mega Creator
  5. Affinity Designer
  6. Adobe InDesign
  7. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019
  8. Eagle
  9. Xara Designer Pro X
  10. Visme
  11. Vectr
  12. Colorcinch
  13. VistaCreate
  14. Canva
  15. PixTeller
  16. Infinite Design
  17. Adobe Comp
  18. DocHipo
Free
  1. Design Wizard
  2. Setka Editor
  3. Adobe Spark
  4. Krita
  5. Lunacy
  6. Gravit Designer
  7. Blender
  8. Inkscape
  9. SketchUp
  10. GIMP
  11. Genially
  12. Paint 3D

 

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

Paid Graphic Design Software
1. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is an industry-leading image-editing graphic software used by photographers, graphic designers, and other professionals in the creative field. It offers an impressive array of effects and filters, enabling users to add unique touches to their work. Additionally, Adobe Photoshop is compatible with other Adobe products, including Photoshop Elements and Adobe Creative Cloud, so users can easily collaborate on projects and share their work with colleagues. 

Key Features
  1. Layer Basics
  2. Color Adjustments
  3. Brushes & Tools
  4. Textures & Layer Styles
  5. Retouching Tools
  6. Dodge & Burn Tools
  7. Actions Panel
2. Sketch

Sketch software is a vector graphics editor developed exclusively for Apple’s macOS operating system. Web designers, graphic designers, and digital illustrators primarily use it for creating and editing interfaces, icons, and illustrations. Sketch graphic design software also includes advanced features such as pixel precision, custom pixel grid, and export options for multiple formats.

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

Adobe Illustrator is a good software for graphic design. It is a vector-based graphic design software used by professionals worldwide. It creates logos, icons, illustrations, typography, and complex graphics. Illustrator has a comprehensive set of tools, including the Pen tool, the Shaper tool, and the PathFinder panel. It also features advanced features such as 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 innovative online graphic design platform for crafting attractive 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 learners, 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
  7. Mobile optimization
5. Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer is an industry-leading vector graphic design software. It is an incredibly powerful software to design graphics that allows precise control over vector artwork production. It has features, including live pixel preview, vector brushes, artboards, non-destructive effects and more.

Features
  1. Live Tracing
  2. Non-destructive Transformations
  3. Pen Tool
  4. Pixel Preview Mode
  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
  7. Asset Management Tools
7. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2019

CorelDRAW has advanced to embrace Artificial Intelligence with the addition of LiveSketch–an innovative feature that transforms free-hand sketches into precise vector curves. This comprehensive suite has graphic design, layout tools, and 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
  7. Graphic Design Suite Bundle Integrations
8. Eagle

Eagle is a cutting-edge digital asset management solution that simplifies design file collection, searching and organization into a logical structure – all in one convenient place. With Eagle, the tedious and time-consuming task of creating a design library is eliminated, allowing for efficient and stylish results. Any file format can be imported.

9. Xara Designer Pro X

Xara Designer offers extensive features tailored to bitmap and vector applications. With seamless desktop publishing, graphic design, illustration and photo editing capabilities, users can access hundreds of template layouts, design elements, and a library of over one million photos. Xara Designer is one of the design software used to create professional logos for businesses and websites quickly. It has many tools for designers to create logos of all shapes, sizes, and colours that look professional and modern. With its extensive library of templates, symbols, and fonts, you can easily find an existing design template that works with your brand or customize one to make it unique.

10. Visme

Visme enables businesses and individuals to easily create engaging, interactive visual content without complex graphic software or design experience. Users can access hundreds of templates and various features beyond basic design capabilities through its simple drag-and-drop editor. An extensive selection of over 40 categories of templates is available, ranging from presentations and infographics to press releases, reports, and social media graphics. This is one of the popular design platforms with over 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
  7. Animations & Videos
11. Vectr

Vectr is a vector graphics editor that uses simple and easy-to-learn tools to create stunning designs. It allows users to draw shapes with the mouse, apply filters, clone objects, and create custom brushes for unique design effects. Vectr doesn’t use pixels to create the design; it uses mathematical equations.

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

Colorcinch is an innovative and reliable photo-editing solution that offers users a wide range of features to customize their photos. Its intuitive user interface simplifies importing, editing and sharing photos in various formats. Its advanced photo-editing features enable users to easily adjust contrast, colour, saturation, and brightness and make precise color corrections. It also offers easy-to-use tools for cropping, resizing, and adding text and shapes. One of the top-rated software for graphic design, Colorcinch provides a wide range of filters, frames, and effects to enhance photos and make them look more professional. With Colorcinch, users can quickly turn amateur photos into stunning works of art.

13. VistaCreate

VistaCreate graphics designer software is the perfect solution for any business looking to create high-quality visuals that stand out. This graphic software has various powerful tools and features, including 3D rendering, vector illustration, typography, and photo editing capabilities. This makes it easy to create stunning visuals for print, web, and mobile in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional design methods.VistaCreate offers about 10,000 animated objects to follow the latest trends in design and helps you craft high-quality 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 enables users to create professional quality designs easily and quickly. It offers an array of templates for a wide range of projects, such as presentations, posters, logos, and business cards. Additionally, users can personalize their designs with colour palettes, fonts, images, and illustrations. The platform also offers a range of features and tools, such as drag-and-drop design, photo editing options, and a library of 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
  7. Shareable Links Or Downloadable Files Available On Demand
15. PixTeller

PixTeller is a powerful and easy-to-use editor tool that allows users to create graphics (available for download in PNG, JPG, and PDF formats) and animations (available for download in MP4 and GIF formats). Whether for personal or business purposes, users of any skill level can create stunning images, GIFs, and videos without technical or design expertise.

16. Infinite Design

This Android-exclusive vector graphics application enables users to create sophisticated and visually striking designs with minimal effort. As its name implies, the app features an extensive workspace wherein users can easily zoom, pan, or rotate. This graphic design app offers four types of symmetry to experiment with and limitless layers to work on. Advanced features such as translation, scaling, flipping, and distortion are available, and the image created can be transformed into a fully editable vector path.

17. Adobe Comp

Adobe Comp is an invaluable tool for designers, marketers, and content creators. The app is designed to help users create quick and precise visual compositions. It lets users quickly compile their ideas, combining multiple images, text, shapes, and drawings within a single canvas. Adobe Comp provides an intuitive and easy-to-use interface with essential features like auto-alignment, resizing, layer management, and precise color control. It is also cloud-based and lets users quickly share their work with other Adobe products, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, 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
  7. Collaboration & Sharing Features 
18. DocHipo

The essential drawing tools provided by DocHipo are some of the most straightforward and intuitive on the market. With a few clicks, you can easily create simple diagrams, diagrams with labels, organic shapes, bezier curves, and more. These basic features allow beginning users to create powerful visuals without training quickly. This platform enables you to collaborate with multiple team members on any design in real-time. Furthermore, DocHipo offers the ability to be part of multiple companies through a single login. Finally, you can export your designs in multiple formats, such as PNG, PNG (transparent), JPG, and PDF.

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Graphic making software allows users to manipulate images and text, and create original graphics for various purposes such as advertisements, logos, and digital art. Graphic art software provides a platform for artists to showcase their creativity through digital illustrations, paintings, and drawings. Graphic design software offers a more comprehensive approach, allowing users to plan and execute complex designs for branding, marketing, and other commercial purposes.

Adobe Illustrator software offers user-friendly interface and extensive toolset. It is the top choice for designers, artists, and businesses alike. However, for those looking for a budget-friendly option, there is the option to create logo design free with a variety of online tools available. Affinity Designer software is another popular choice for logo design, offering a similar set of features and capabilities as Adobe Illustrator.

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Free Graphic Design Software
1. Design Wizard

Design Wizard has an ever-growing library of over 100,000 template designs from some of the best designers in the world today. This makes it easy for anyone – even those with no design experience – to get their message across beautifully without creating anything from scratch. Design Wizard is ideal for creating visual marketing materials, logos and web images. It also incorporates advanced features like image storage and sharing, social media integration, and editing tools.

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

Setka Editor is an advanced, user-friendly graphic design software for web content authors and publishers. It provides robust tools to streamline content editing, including custom formatting, drag-and-drop images and videos, and a powerful WYSIWYG editor. Additionally, Setka Editor is fully integrated with popular content management systems, allowing users to publish content quickly and easily.

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 the company’s famous, for-pay Adobe Illustrator – a graphic designing software. While it’s not nearly as full-featured, it does support integration with other Adobe products. Adobe Spark software is an innovative and intuitive digital design tool that empowers users to create beautiful and impactful visuals easily. It is the perfect companion for social media professionals, digital marketers, and creatives. It is one of the sought-after graphic design software with its beautiful features. With its intuitive tools and features, Spark allows users to create stunning visuals and graphics quickly. With integrated tools and features like templates, typography, and image editing, Spark enables users to quickly and easily create stunning visuals from scratch.

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 and open-source digital painting software for illustrators, concept artists, and comic book artists. It is built on top of the robust Qt framework, providing a wealth of features tailored to the needs of digital artists. Krita offers various tools, from basic drawing and shading to advanced features like perspective grids, layer masks, and colour palettes.

5. Lunacy

Lunacy is a cost-effective vector graphic design software offering extensive features without hidden charges, advertisements, or locked content. It is ideal for novice UI/UX designers who cannot pay for costly graphic design applications. Lunacy’s flexible styling tools and re-use elements with its Symbols feature. It also offers a robust animation system for creating interactive prototypes. Lunacy software is an excellent tool for anyone who wants to create attractive visuals that are easy to share and use. It is also free to use, making it accessible to everyone.

6. Gravit Designer

Gravit is an advanced vector design program developed by the creators of Corel Draw. Gravit is a top-tier free graphic design software for Mac, Windows, ChromeOS and Linux, featuring a wide range of vector art tools and an intuitive interface. Gravit allows users to create professional and attractive diagrams for showcasing data presentations and concept models. The diagrams have a range of features, including multiple styling options, colour palettes and unlimited object layers to create more detailed visuals. The text tool helps create amazing typography effects quickly and easily on the canvas with clicks, like custom 3D stylized text effects, smooth shadows, rotations and perspective distortions.

7. Blender

Blender software is a powerful and versatile 3D creation suite used by animation and 3D modelling professionals. It is open source, meaning it is free to use and customize. Blender is renowned for its intuitive user interface, making it an ideal choice for beginners and experts. It is cross-platform compatible and can be combined with various other software solutions. It also has a comprehensive library of tools, including rigging, simulation and rendering, allowing users to create realistic 3D projects. It is regularly updated, ensuring that users can always access the latest features and improvements. It is also highly customizable, allowing experienced users to make their creations unique. In short, Blender is the perfect choice for any 3D modelling project.

8. Inkscape

Inkscape is a vector graphics editor allowing users to create vector shapes, art and designs from scratch. This makes it ideal for logo development, graphic illustrations, artwork, and website design. Vector drawings are made up of points with straight lines connecting them and can be scaled to any size for detailed designs. Inkscape is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, making it an excellent choice for any user.

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 offers various design plans, from free to paid, with the free version still providing valuable benefits for designers. A powerful modelling interface makes it a formidable instrument for constructing two-dimensional or three-dimensional designs, such as furniture or intricate objects.

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

GIMP, one of the most well-known open-source design tools, often finds itself compared to for-pay Photoshop, with advocates from both platforms avidly voicing their opinions in favour of their respective programs. One of GIMP’s most powerful features is its ability to perform non-destructive editing, allowing you to make changes without damaging the original image. This ensures that any changes you make are not permanent and can easily be undone or modified if necessary, giving you complete control over how your project turns out. Gimp is widely lauded as a free design tool due to its comprehensive support of all file formats, streamlined digital retouching capabilities, and ability to generate unique designs from the ground up. 

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

Genially offers a range of professionally made templates for different purposes and tasks. These include templates for presentations, video brochures, infographics, e-cards and more. With these templates, you can customize images, videos, buttons and text to create an engaging and interactive experience for your audience. This professional production feature from Genially enables users to easily add chroma-keyed personal video messages or photos into their creations without requiring additional software! Chroma keys allow for transforming any background element onscreen into transparent using only 4 keys—green, blue, red and alpha (transparency). Utilizing this handy tool, you can be sure whatever presentation you design looks flawless 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 has returned, now available for free, with enhanced features. Although it may not offer the same level of complexity as other design tools, Paint 3D offers realistic textures, 2D cutout tools, and a range of 3D tools and effects, making it an ideal choice for new users looking for a straightforward design program.

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Conclusion

Using a professional graphic design agency can be an excellent choice for businesses who want to ensure their branding message is delivered professionally and consistently. Professional graphic designers have the skills and expertise to create designs that will be eye-catching and on-brand for your business. They can also help you to create materials that are tailored to the needs of your target audience. Not only can they provide you with unique designs, but they can also offer advice on making your materials more effective. Professional graphic design agencies ensure that your branding message stands out and is consistent across all channels, essential for any business wanting to increase 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:

  1. Visual identity graphic design
  2. Marketing and advertising graphic design
  3. User interface graphic design
  4. Publication graphic design
  5. Packaging graphic design
  6. Motion graphic design
  7. Environmental graphic design
  8. 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.

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