9+ Design Resources: for when you’re on a budget…
When you’re starting out with your business branding can seem daunting and expensive. Seeking professional help can really help you get on the right track but when you simply don’t have the budget where do you turn? I’ve collated some of my favourite free/budget resources to help you along your brand journey.
IMAGES
An impactful image will help grab attention, consider investing in a brand shoot with a professional photographer to really get your business across. When selecting stock images try to be intentional about the style of photos you use and avoid any obvious library images, eg, cheesy smiley business people shaking hands. Here are some of my favourite free or budget image libraries:
https://unsplash.com | Pricing: free
https://www.pexels.com | Pricing: free
https://genderspectrum.vice.com
The Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. For more information see the guidelines.
https://affecttheverb.com/collection/
This is a disability-led effort to provide free & inclusive stock images from our own perspective, with photos and illustrations celebrating disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC).
Beautiful photos of Black and Brown people, for free. Nappy makes it easy for companies to be purposeful about representation in their designs, presentations, and advertisements.
CREATING A COLOUR PALETTE
ACCESSIBILITY
All public sector bodies and some charities have to meet the 2018 accessibility regulations requirements, unless they are exempt. But whatever your business accessibility should still be a high priority.
The most widely accepted standards for accessibility are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by W3C. It is internationally recognised and provides a set of testable criteria we can measure against. There are 3 levels of conformance: A, AA, AAA (AA is widely accepted as a sufficient standard).
Google fonts: https://fonts.google.com
Many font websites offer free fonts for personal use but note you will likely need to pay for commercial use.
DESIGN INSPIRATION
Hope you find these resources useful. If you need more and would like to explore getting help with your visual branding then take a look at the services I offer here.