How do you create good design? The difference between success and failure is often as simple as having the right resources. We’ve rounded up 26 of our favorites, from Photoshop plugins, to UI elements, free imagery and mockup graphics.
Use these tools to work smarter, faster and create good things along the way.
1) Textures
From brick and concrete, to ornaments and landscapes, the thousands of free stock images at Textures has you covered for any project.
Previously called Kuler, this fantastic web app will let you quickly create a custom palette using a number of different color rules. Just copy the provided HEX codes and you’re in business.
At a loss for what color to palette to choose? Head to Colour Lovers where you’ll find millions of palettes created, shared and ranked by an enthusiastic community.
4) Fribbble
Tons of free PSD downloads and resources curated by Gilbert Pellegrom. Whether looking for a iPhone 6 template, a set of minimalist website icons or a sleek UI kit, this site has you covered.
5) Gridzzly
Need some graph paper but don’t want to hit the shop? Gridzzly will create grid, graph, lined and 3 other patterns to print, and scale their size too.
6) GuideGuide
Using guides in Photoshop can be a real hassle. This extension makes it easy to create any guide you can think of, then save your favorites as sets so you can use them whenever you need them.
Seen a font in use and want to know what it is? What the Font to the rescue. Just upload a quality image of the font and this web app will find the closest matches in its database.
8) Typewolf
Looking for good font parings? Typewolf is a wonderfully curated blog that collects great examples in “the wild”. See trending styles, advice from industry leaders and alternatives to popular fonts.
9) Velositey
Crafting a new website? Don’t start with code, use the Velositey extension to create a quick prototype in Photoshop.
Need some Lorem Ipsum to fill in your mockup? If you’re using Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or Dreamweaver, look no further than this simple plugin.
11) UI Cloud
UI Cloud claims to be “The largest user interface design database in the world.” With 46608 UI elements and 1233 UI kits at last count, there’s plenty of free stuff to choose from.
Ready to mockup your product or promote your business? Mockup Zone has a great selection of free PSD files at your disposal.
13) Adobe KnowHow
Whether you’re looking to learn some basic HTML or brush up on your photography skills, Adobe’s KnowHow has a solid collection of free and paid courses to choose from.
There’s a wealth of quality tutorials on design and illustration at Tuts+. Learn animation in After Effects, how to create objects from scratch in Illustrator or just how to draw a pony with a pencil.
15) The Noun Project
Need an icon? The Noun Project has you covered. Just type in a word (probably a noun) and it will feed you hundreds of minimalist images from creators around the world.
16) FontShop
Monotype’s FontShop sells loads of the classic fonts you know well. They also have a large collection of free fonts, each in a selection of styles.
17) Visage
Creating accurate charts in Photoshop or Illustrator is a pain, while other data visualization tools don’t shine next to your well designed work. Visage makes it easy to quickly create branded graphics that beautifully convey the story you’re telling. We use it here on Visual News.
18) Fonts in Use
This independent archive of typography cites examples from the world, pulling from everything from street signage, to vintage album covers and the latest websites.
You already know about the photographer’s wonderland that is Flickr. But if you aren’t using their Creative Commons archive you’re missing out on literally millions of images to use for creative projects. Some need proper attribution, others are free to use any way you like.
20) Pixeden
This is one more generous source for free design mockup graphics, vector art, text effects and other PSD resources. Premium memberships are inexpensive at $6 a month.
21) Kaku
Designing in multiple languages? Kaku is a simple Photoshop plugin to translate your text layers into a different language. Powered by Yandex translate, this can be a real time-saver.
22) Pexels
Pexels is a free stock-photography site with a focus on quality. Rather than add tons of questionable imagery, they add just 10 high-quality photos daily. The attention to detail shows.
23) Cut&Slice me
This simple Photoshop plugin gives you the power to export your assets to different devices in seconds. Cut&Slice me cuts and exports them in PNG format, trimming the pixels you don´t need, and letting you specify the size you want.
24) Layrs Control 2
This free Photoshop plugin is a collection of 7 scripts that make tedious jobs easier. From renaming layers, to deleting empty layers, this will keep your projects organized and save you time.
25) Webydo
Webydo is a powerful tool for creating responsive websites, without using a bit of code. Aimed at professionals, the all-in-one service features a design studio, content management system, hosting and billing.
26) Subtle Patterns
Subtle Patterns lives up to its name, featuring hundreds of free tilealbe patterns for design use.
