Top Design Resources for Your Creative Brand
I could write an entire book about all the resources I’ve tried over the last 5 years as a creative business owner. Running a small business means constantly trying new platforms to see what works best for me. I want to share with you the platforms that I have found to be so helpful in this industry so that you don’t waste time (or money) trying them all out as I did.
Below I have listed some of the platforms I couldn’t run this business without! All of these programs I use on a daily basis to ensure my process runs smoothly. Even better, some of these are completely free but the ones that aren’t I promise are worth the money!
Unsplash – Free Resource
Unsplash is my go-to for free stock photography! They are great high-resolution images from around the world. When creating brand guidelines, I love to include photography standards that best fit the industry, and most of those images I pull from Unsplash. You can use stock photography to elevate your next creative project or spruce up your social media platforms. Unsplash allows you to use them for commercial and non-commercial purposes completely free.
Asana – Free Resource
Asana is a project management system that I use hourly! Not only is this insanely organized and helpful platform free, but it’s a small business game changer. I have been using Asana for over two years and I use it for personal and business purposes. You can color code your task and assign projects to other members with due dates.
Mr.Mockup- Free Resource
Mr.Mockup has great high-quality PSD mockups to showcase your creative work. I love their modern and realistic mockup options. I use other mock-up platforms but this one I find to be the best free option. I also use Behance, Moyo studio, and mockup world.
Flodesk
Flodesk is my email marketing tool of course. Flodesk is a new email marketing platform. It is dedicated to simplifying email marketing and making it more intuitive. They offer clean and minimal design templates to design from and I know my email marketing has seen a higher open and click rate since switching.
When someone subscribes to my email list Flodesk allows me to automat an email workflow, so I know they receive scheduled content following them joining the list. Flodesk has workflows set up to guide you through what you want to happen – from a lead magnet delivery to a welcome sequence to nurture your email list. I also segment my list to send the right messages.
There is so much that goes into Flodesk that I didn’t cover everything, but I encourage you to check it out. Flodesk is different. They have a flat pricing model, so you’ll never have to worry about how many subscribers are on your list! That means you can grow your list, no matter where you are on the journey.
Rather than paying $38 per month, they offer you 50% off your Flodesk subscription if you're using their member’ link.
Dubsado – Free Trial + First 3 Clients Free
Dubsado completely transformed my client process. I didn’t want clients using one software to sign documents, another to settle payments, and yet another to review content. Dubsado is a content management system (CMS) that really does it all! There are so many ways to utilize this amazing platform such as lead capture, client portals, contract management, invoice management, forms, proposals, canned emails, workflow automation, and time trackers! I did end up purchasing a Dubsado template from https://searchandgrow.com/ to really be able to fully customize my proposals and forms.
These are just a few of the many ways that Dubsado has transformed my business process, it is honestly a life and time saver. My clients give great feedback on the platform and how user-friendly it is.
To get 20% off your first month plus your first 3 clients free, click the button below to use the code “mads” when signing up!
These are just a few of my all-time favorite resources for creatives. If you are interested in hearing of other platforms I’d recommend or my thoughts on ones you're using, leave a comment and I will be happy to share!
