Tools for Choosing Colors and Fonts
If you don’t know much about web color, you might want to spend some time exploring this cheat sheet and Web-Colors-Explained — a handy website we found that will teach you the difference between the RGB and CMYK color systems. You might also want to brush up on your basic HTML skills so you can learn how to use a HEX code (a 6-character alpha-numerical code that represents a color such as #FF0000). These HEX codes come in handy whether you’re working on a website, designing an ebook or manipulating an image in photo editing software.
- Peruse DesignSeeds for bold and seasonally relevant color palettes inspired by photos.
- Use Color Scheme Designer to pick one key color, and view various schemes of your choosing — monochromatic, triad, analogous, complementary and more.
- Browse colors, palettes and patterns on COLOURLovers or create your very own. Upload a photo and generate color palette based on it using the PHOTOCOPA tool.
- Check out Google Web Fonts, a directory of almost 600 fonts that are ready to use on your website.
Tools for Creating or Editing Your Own Visual Content.
- Create, edit or manipulate an image using Photoshop-like editors like Pixlr or Sumopaint.
- Take a screenshot of something on your computer screen, and annotate it with text, shapes, and objects using Jing or Evernote’s Skitch.
- Modify photos or create memes with the Google+ Photo Editor (you have to have a Google+ account to do this).
- Create a reusable PowerPoint template with several simple backgrounds that you can easily layer text on top of, then save as a JPEG.
- Create infographics in PowerPoint.
- Snap and edit photos with one or more of these mobile apps.
- Snap and add effects to photos using Instagram, Facebook Camera, or Flickr Mobile.
- Create a word cloud with Wordle.net.
Tools for Finding and Reusing Third Party Visual Content.
- Search Creative Commons for photos and images to borrow, alter and attribute.
- Host a user-generated photo contest on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or all of the above, and use those images in your next wave of designs.
- Use the IcoMoon app to find downloadable icons and navigation buttons instead of recreating your own.
- Borrow wallpapers, icons, and vector graphics from Vecteezy.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
- Why Marketers Should Invest in
Visual Content Creation - 19 Reasons You Should Include
Visual Content in Your Marketing
[Data] - How to Breathe New Life Into Your
Marketing with Visual Content - Photos on Facebook Generate 53%
More Likes than The Average Post - 6 Creative Ways to Make Content
More Visual - 13 Free Design Tools for a Visual
Marketer on a Budget - How to Create Top-Notch Visual
Content in PowerPoint [Tutorial] - The Marketer’s Scoop on Instagram
and How to Use It - How to Engage Facebook Fans with
Images - The Complete Social Media [Image]
Sizing Cheat Sheet by LunaMetrics - A Picture’s Worth 1,000 Links:
How To Find and Cite Images by
BlueGlass - 6 Ways Social Media Marketers
Should Capitalize on the Visual
Content Revolution [INFOGRAPHIC] - 5 Infographics to Teach You How
to Easily Create Infographics in
PowerPoint [+ Templates] - How the New Facebook News Feed
Changes Your Content Strategy - How to Optimize and Measure
Your Pinterest Business Account for
Marketing Success - How to Choose a Typeface
[Infographic] - Color Theory Quick Reference Chart
- Typographical Twins: 20 Perfect
Font Pairings - The Art of Color Coordination
[Infographic] - Drop-Shadows and Gradients: Be
Consistent in Your Visual Metaphors - Understanding Visual Hierarchy in
Web Design