Graphic design for bloggers can be such an overwhelming part of blogging!
If it’s not the niche you’re blogging about, you might find it so hard to get to your head around it!
I know when I started, I was so overwhelmed. I really thought that only people with degrees in design and arts wold be able to figure it out. How wrong I was!
To be honest had I not started, I wouldn’t have ever ended up where I am now. I wouldn’t have learnt all that I did and be able to help my clients with their online presence. I’m so grateful.
When I started, I learnt a lot from free tutorials and YouTube, which was fine but I didn’t understand how valuable courses were until I started investing in them. I wish I’d started earlier! For the amount you pay compared to how many hours it saves you, it’s a no brainer really!
Let’s look at a few courses and resources that will help you get a whole lot more confident with the graphic design department. So much so that you’ll be so proud when you get to show off your new skills!
If you’re new to The Inspired Boss, then make sure you head over to the shop to see the courses we have listed! There are plenty to help you get your online business to where you want it!
This post contains affiliate links, meaning when you click through and make a purchase I receive a commission. This occurs at no cost to you.
Tools of the trade
Canva and Illustrator
I believe there are two main tools for designing that are used. They are Canva and Adobe Illustrator (Photoshop is also an option here but I much prefer Illustrator). When I started out, I didn’t know about Canva. It might have existed then but I hadn’t heard about it. Now, I’m not going to put Canva down, it most certainly has its place but if you’re serious about graphic design for your blog, then I’d highly recommend that you commit to learning Illustrator. It can be overwhelming in the beginning but you’ll be glad you put the time into it!
Canva is a free platform and it does hold your hand and give you the confidence to make graphics without the experience but if you want to keep on-brand with your fonts (and they don’t already exist in Canva), then you’ll have to upgrade. It works out to a similar price to Illustrator as a single product (not the Adobe Suite).
Creative Market
Graphic design for bloggers wouldn’t be complete without Creative Market. It’s my go-to resource for all things design. You can purchase fonts, templates, website themes, social media postables and so many more things! You’ll often need to have either Illustrator or Photoshop to use many of the products but some are able to be used within Canva.
I highly recommend you set up an account, even if the only thing you ever do it get the free products that are updated every week.
Be warned though, it’s a super addictive place to be!
Graphic Design Courses
The Blogger’s Graphic Design Primer by Applecart Lane
The Blogger’s Graphic Design Primer is an introductory course created for bloggers and online business owners who want to learn how to design more intentional visual content. This course covers a simple four-step system that you can apply to any graphic you create that will result in more professionally designed graphics that work harder for you. Two bonus lessons cover important secondary principals. Three additional lessons cover the basics of graphic elements: text, images and colour.
Free course: Graphic Design Mini Course by Applecart Lane
Kirstin teaches the fundamental aspects of graphic design in a way that isn’t overwhelming or too hard to understand. She covers topics such as proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast, hierarchy, whitespace, working with fonts, working with colour and working with photos.
By the end of the course, you’ll have so much more confidence in your work and actually, look forward to putting your business out there!
Design Love 2.0 by A Beautiful Mess
The girls over at A Beautiful Mess have an amazing business and have created some amazing courses, including Design Love 2.0. One that they built from the ground up and have been sharing their knowledge and wisdom for many years. This course was one of the first courses I took. They take the fundamentals of design and apply it specifically to blogs and website.
You’ll be able to map your site’s navigation, know how to make your archives work for you, and how to optimize your posts for Pinterest. This class will help you to customize your online space in a way that fits your style, engages your readers, and looks amazing!
I highly recommend this course!
An Introduction to Surface Pattern Design with Bonnie Christina
It might seem weird that I’ve included a course on surface pattern design in here. I tend to agree but this is the course that gave me the knowledge to be able to use Illustrator. I took this course back in 2016 and I haven’t found a course that has compared to it. Bonnie takes you through the basics of Illustrator and applies it to surface pattern design. It has been really easy to be able to transfer that knowledge to create beautiful graphics for my websites and social media accounts.
She covers topics including the basic tools used, sketching, using textures and how to technically create repeating patterns. To learn more and to take her class, head over to Skillshare. (psst….using that link will give you a free 2-month trial!)
There you are, an outline of graphic design for bloggers. The only extra thing that I’d say is to just give it a go. I had no idea that I’d love it as much as I do. I didn’t ever think I had a creative bone in my body, it turns out you just need to find the thing that you enjoy and want to work on to get better and better.
Happy designing!