Top 5 Design Tools for Engaging Ad Graphics
- Declan Rix
- Jun 7, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 12, 2024
Enhance your campaigns with these top-notch tools
Introduction
Want to know which design tools create high converting graphics for ad campaigns?
Read through our top 5 list with each covering its overview, key features, difficulty and pricing. Whether your a beginner or an expert these tools can elevate your ads and campaigns to new heights.
Weekly Quote:
"Good design is good business." - Thomas Watson Jr, Former IBM CEO
Our Top 5
#1 Adobe Photoshop
Overview: Adobe photoshop is the go to software and tool for image editing and graphic design. While the skill ceiling may be high the community around the software is wide and welcoming to beginners with many tutorials and courses to be found online.
Key features: Advanced photo editing capabilities, wide range of brushes, filters and effects, Layer based editing system that allows for complex compositions.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Price Level: £22 per month
Price recommendations: You can often find a 50% discount on Adobe products for durations up to 3 months. You can also bundle Adobe apps with Adobe Creative Cloud to get access to the majority of Adobe Apps and services for £56 per month. So if you intend on using more than 2 or 3+ Adobe Apps its better to buy Adobe Creative Cloud.
#2 Adobe Illustrator
Overview: Adobe Illustrator is the go to vector illustrations tool. Great for precise drawings and high resolutions because of the vector format. Just like Photoshop and other Adobe Apps the community for Illustrator is large and helpful so courses and free tutorials are plentiful.
Key features: Scalable vector artwork, variety of brush and typography options. Ideal for creating logos, icons and detailed illustrations.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Price Level: £22 per month
Price recommendations: You can often find a 50% discount on Adobe products for durations up to 3 months. You can also bundle Adobe apps with Adobe Creative Cloud to get access to the majority of Adobe Apps and services for £56 per month. So if you intend on using more than 2 or 3+ Adobe Apps its better to buy Adobe Creative Cloud.
#3 Adobe Express
Overview: Adobe Express is Adobe's response to other web based platforms such as Canva and VistaCreate. With similar pricing, functionality and Adobe App compatibility it is the go to web based tool for basic graphics, templates, videos, stories, social media posts and more all with a beginner friendly user interface.
Key features: Templates, Stock Library, Easy to Use, Integration with Adobe Stock, Compatibility with other Adobe Apps.
Difficulty Level: Beginner - Intermediate
Price Level: £10 per month
Price recommendations: You can often find a 50% discount on Adobe products for durations up to 3 months. You can also bundle Adobe apps with Adobe Creative Cloud to get access to the majority of Adobe Apps and services for £56 per month. So if you intend on using more than 2 or 3+ Adobe Apps its better to buy Adobe Creative Cloud.
#4 Canva
Overview: Canva is an alternative to Adobe Express. It is another web based design tool that is ideal for those wanting to create quick graphics with low complexity. You will be limited on what you can create with Canva as it is capabilities are limited. Graphics similar to those made in Photoshop are potentially possible in Canva but will take more time than an Photoshop user. If you are a true beginner with little to no skill and you want minimal designs or templates Canva is a solid choice.
Key features: Templates, large stock library, icons and fonts. Customisable elements and a variety of exportable options.
Difficulty Level: Beginner - Intermediate
Price Level: Free or Pro Plan £13 per month, £100 Yearly
#5 VistaCreate
Overview: VistaCreate is yet another alternative to Canva and Adobe Express. It shares many of the same features and functionality. The only apparent unique selling point to VistaCreate in comparison to its competitors is its library of content that will be of a different variety to that of Canva and Adobe Express.
Key features: Templates, large stock library, icons and fonts. Customisable elements and a variety of exportable options.
Difficulty Level: Beginner - Intermediate
Price Level: £13 per month, £10 per month annual commitment.
Conclusion
With all the above considered, I personally highly recommend the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of apps. This is the industry standard for professionals and while it may be daunting for some at the beginning it will be worth it in the end. A high skill ceiling in any activity is fun to chase and reach. Pursue greater creativity with Adobe.
While these tools are fantastic for creating compelling graphics, mastering them takes time and expertise. Why not let the professionals handle it? Save time, boost your ROI and grow your business with our custom tailored design solutions.
Contact us today to get started!
Call on 01502 819777
Best regards, Declan Rix
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