#design software

Adobe Express vs. Canva in 2026

The Adobe Express vs. Canva competition in 2026 has split into two distinct markets. Canva, with 265 million monthly active users and $4 billion ARR, dominates accessibility-focused design for non-professionals. Adobe Express, backed by a 96% quarter-over-quarter MAU growth surge and deep Creative Cloud integration, is recapturing professional designers who need Firefly AI's commercial safety, 30,000+ Adobe Fonts, native PSD/AI file editing, and the December 2025 ChatGPT integration. Two original frameworks—the Ecosystem Lock-In Index and the Creative Continuity Score—frame the comparison beyond template counts. The article concludes that for designers already inside Creative Cloud, Adobe Express Premium is the logical consolidation choice, with the 30-day free trial positioned as a practical evaluation step for professionals who haven't revisited the product recently.

Read more at WE AND THE COLOR.

Graphic design is a dynamic field that requires a keen eye for aesthetics, a mastery of various tools and techniques, and access to the right graphic design resources.

Whether you're a seasoned designer looking to expand your toolkit or a novice seeking to enhance your skills, having access to free graphic design resources can be invaluable.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the top free resources available to designers, from high-quality images and fonts to versatile design software and tutorials.

By harnessing the power of these resources, you can elevate your designs, streamline your workflow, and unlock your full creative potential.

1. Unsplash:

Unsplash is a goldmine for high-resolution, royalty-free images that can breathe life into your designs. With a diverse collection spanning countless categories, from nature and architecture to technology and fashion, Unsplash offers designers an endless source of inspiration without any licensing fees.

2. Google Fonts:

Typography is a cornerstone of effective design, and Google Fonts provides a vast selection of free, open-source typefaces to choose from. Whether you're looking for classic serifs, modern sans-serifs, or decorative display fonts, Google Fonts offers something for every project, all accessible with a simple integration into your design software or website.

3. Canva:

Canva has democratized graphic design with its intuitive platform and extensive library of templates, graphics, and tools. While Canva offers premium features with a subscription, its free version still packs a punch, allowing users to create professional-looking designs for a variety of purposes, from social media graphics to business presentations.

4. Pexels:

Like Unsplash, Pexels offers a vast collection of high-quality stock photos and videos, all available for free download and use. Whether you need striking visuals for a website, blog post, or marketing campaign, Pexels provides designers with a treasure trove of visually stunning assets to enhance their projects.

5. Adobe Spark:

Adobe Spark offers a suite of design tools for creating graphics, web pages, and video stories, all accessible for free with a basic account. With its easy-to-use interface and customizable templates, Adobe Spark empowers designers to create eye-catching visuals and multimedia content without the need for advanced technical skills or expensive software.

6. Font Squirrel:

Font Squirrel is a valuable resource for designers seeking high-quality, commercially licensed fonts that won't break the bank. With its curated collection of free fonts, Font Squirrel offers designers a diverse range of typefaces to choose from, ensuring that every project has the perfect typography to make it stand out.

7. Pixabay:

Pixabay is a one-stop shop for free stock photos, illustrations, vectors, and videos, contributed by a global community of creators. With its extensive library and easy-to-use search functionality, Pixabay provides designers with a wealth of visual resources to enhance their projects, all available for free download and use.

8. Freepik:

Freepik offers a vast selection of free graphic resources, including vector graphics, illustrations, icons, and PSD files. Whether you're designing a website, brochure, or social media post, Freepik provides designers with a wealth of creative assets to choose from, all available for free with proper attribution.

9. Gravit Designer:

Gravit Designer is a powerful vector design tool that offers a free version with essential features for creating stunning graphics. With its intuitive interface and robust set of tools, Gravit Designer empowers designers to bring their creative visions to life with precision and ease, all without the need for expensive software.

10. Inkscape:

Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor that rivals premium software with its extensive features and flexibility. Whether you're a professional designer or a hobbyist, Inkscape provides a versatile platform for creating everything from logos and illustrations to diagrams and mockups, all without spending a dime.

In conclusion, mastering graphic design requires not only talent and skill but also access to the right resources. By leveraging the top free graphic design resources outlined in this guide, you can elevate your designs, streamline your workflow, and unlock your full creative potential without breaking the bank.

Whether you're in need of high-quality images, fonts, templates, or design software, the internet offers a wealth of free resources waiting to be explored.

I’ve been putting this specific topic off since forever because ever since I thought about writing about it, I figured I should make a quick and sweet InDesign tutorial for it.

Alas, four whole ass years have passed, I came to the conclusion that I might never do such a thing and thus I’ll try to explain this the best I can in the simple format of a blog post (or several). Let’s talk

Designing your Zine Pt. 1: Software Picks

MacPaint (v1.5)

1984 :: Bill Atkinson & Susan Kare

MacPaint is a raster graphics editor developed by Apple Computer and released with the original Macintosh personal computer on January 24, 1984.MacPaint was notable because it could generate graphics that could be used by other applications. Using the mouse, and the clipboard and QuickDraw picture language, pictures could be cut from MacPaint and pasted into MacWrite documents.