Graphic Design on a Budget
Dec 17, 2008 Design
While some youth pastors enjoy the luxury of hiring professional designers, others have a budget. And for those on a budget, finding tools to create graphics can be challenging. Today I present to you several options for DIY design. While I can’t give you a designer’s eye, I can certainly give you some resources to help you get started. This list is by no means the end-all be-all of resources – simply a guide , especially for those who are beginners.
Software
- Pixelmator - Similar functionality as Photoshop for Mac ($59)
- GIMP – Alternative to Photoshop for Mac (free)
- Seashore - Basic image editing software for Mac (free)
- Inkscape – Vector editing software fpr PC/Mac (free)
- Photoshop Express – A limited web version of Photoshop (free)
- Paint.NET – Image editor for PC (free)
Tutorials
- Smashing Magazine – More free design resources than you can dig through in months. They offer tutorials, free templates/graphics/backgrounds/fonts, and more.
- Gimp-tutorials.net - The name says it all
- Bits and Pixels - Pixelmator tutorials
- Graphic Design Tutorials (About.com) – Introduction to graphic design with tutorials
Fonts
- DaFont.com – My personal favorite for free fonts
- Urban Font – Clean an easy to use
- Better Fonts – Also easy to use
Pictures/Graphics
- iStockPhoto – The ‘default’ of stock photo site. Thousands upon thousands of images and design elements
- Cyclops – The best tool for searching for stock photo. Searches across more than ten sites at once, finding the best pictures/deals
- Every Stock Photo – same as Cyclops
When purchasing stock photos and fonts, please be sure they are always royalty free. Most sites specify this.
Patterns (for low resolution web graphics/banners)
Printing
(This list will be updated on a regular basis)
