Great design and intriguing media can do a lot to add clarity and interest to your content. Unfortunately, these things aren’t the easiest to include when you don’t have a design background or the budget to hire someone who does. But does this challenging situation mean that professional-looking design and media is completely out of reach? No. It just means you need to find inexpensive options to help you out.

In this session you’ll explore the wide range of cheap (and even free) tools and resources that you can use to create polished projects. You’ll look at inexpensive options for acquiring pre-created design assets and media, including a few completely free sources. You’ll then look at what budget-friendly tools are available help you create your own well-designed content on your computer or mobile devices. This session will concentrate on tools that aren’t just cheap, but also easy to use regardless of your design experience. You’ll then finish with a selection of resources that can help you further build your design skills.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why cheap doesn’t always equal poor quality when it comes to design tools and resources
• Which free and cheap web-based tools can assist you with design
• Which budget-friendly apps can be used with your smartphone or tablet to create your own media
• Where to find inexpensive images and media for your projects

Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, developers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
A wide selection of web-based tools (such as Infogr.am, Adobe Spark Video, and Canva) as well as apps (including Retype, Composition Cam, and Quik).