Top Graphic Design Platforms

Create impressive visual content, fast and easy.

There's no doubt about it – humans are visual creatures. In fact, a study conducted by Microsoft revealed that the average human attention span is currently around 8 seconds. The notoriously ill-focused goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds. Yup, we now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. No thanks to the internet and digital gadgets.

What does this mean for marketers? It means you don't have very long to capture and hold your audience's attention before they get bored and move on to something else. This is why it's important to create content that's easily digestible and skimmable. The solution? Visual content: photos, infographics, videos, GIFs, memes, diagrams, slide decks, and more. If you don't have a visual content creation strategy, you're going to lose your audience real fast.

Don't believe us? Consider these statistics:

• Only 20% of visitors read the text on your webpage; 80% just scroll down and skim everything.
• 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content is boring or unattractive.
• Colored visuals increase people's desire to read content by 80%.
• Posts with images produce 650% higher engagement than text-driven posts.
• Content with visuals gets 94% more total views and is more likely to be shared on social networks.
• Facebook posts from brands that included images earned 87% of total engagements.
• Infographics can increase website traffic by 12%.
• Tweets with embedded images get 18% more clicks, 150% more retweets, and 89% more favorites.
• Pinterest records 600 million searches for visual content a month.

The bottom line: You need strategic visual marketing to get a leg up on your competition.

"But I've never designed anything in my life! How can I create high-quality visual content?"

No worries! You don't have to be a design whiz to create visual content that has the potential to go viral. Non-designers, or those who briefly dabbled into it, can use a graphic design platform to take their marketing materials to the next level. What is it? It's a full graphic design suite, some with drag-and-drop functionality, that you can use to create stunning designs quickly and easily.

What are the benefits of a graphic design platform?

• Flexible and accessible. You don't need to have a fancy creative nook or invest in tools and gadgets. All you need to do is create an account with your chosen platform and sign in. Voilà! An instant creative workspace where you can create and manage your design work. There's no need to do actual photoshoots, too! You'll have access to millions of stock photos, graphics, videos, audio, and templates. And you know what's even better? You can do this any time and from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection!
• It's easy to learn. You don't need to be tech-savvy to learn using these tools. You don't even have to design anything! Many of these graphic design platforms have drag-and-drop functionality that lets you create your own designs in just a few clicks. Canva's templates, for example, are fully customizable. You can drag and drop your preferred image, adjust the colors, or change the font to suit your needs and preferences!
• Cost Efficient. Freelance graphic design rates vary between $15 to $50 per hour. Say, for example, that you need highly engaging visual content for your Facebook ads and social media posts every week. If you hire a designer for your weekly visual content needs, the cost quickly adds up! On the other hand, some graphic design platforms cost as little as $7.50 per month, and most have a starter or basic plan for free.
• Create a strong brand identity for your business. Graphic design platforms can help build or maintain a professional brand image. Watermark or embed your logo on your marketing collateral, or set up a brand kit to keep designs on-brand across your team.
• Your designs are always fresh and up-to-date. On top of millions of graphics and stock photos, graphic design platforms upload new templates and designs every day, so your visual contents are always on-trend and exciting.
• It's easy to collaborate and share your designs. Most graphic design platforms come with collaboration and management tools. You can share your projects with your team via links, emails, or folders and invite them to view or edit in real-time. Some graphic design tools like Easil even feature brand restriction and locking permissions which controls what design elements can be edited and by which team member.