Running a successful design business can be expensive, but with so many free tools available, you can save a ton of money each year! Below are the top 5 free tools for your design business.

Tool 1: ClickUp

ClickUp is a project management system that likes to do so much more. First, you have a ton of different spaces. You have workspaces (like different businesses), spaces (like different offices or departments), folders (like the organized meeting area for collective work), and lists (like the specific jobs that need to be completed. The lists work in a specific workflow. Those workflows can be the same or different for each list. They can be as simple as you want (to-do and done) or as complex as you want. Within each list, you have a task, they can be a simple todo’s or mini projects of their own. You can also create subtasks, checklists, and dependencies within each task. 

Second, the entire system is designed to be as simple or as complex as you need it to be. With so much flexibility, it’s easy to see why it’s steadily becoming the best project management system out there. Third, ClickUp provides tons of videos, guides, and tutorials to help users as well as weekly guides with updates (which are seriously happening all the time). Finally, ClickUp is completely, 100% free until you need to add others or use certain features. Even the paid program is great if you’re a solo user and less than $10 a month. If you have a team and want to add members of your team, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid program, with a fee per user. 

Tool 2: G-Suite

The methods we used to share materials before G-Suite seem so archaic now. Online cloud storage is a thing I’m sure we all can’t live without now. Personally, I love G-Suite because it’s an all-in-one house for everything. Gmail, Calendar, Google Meet, Drive. I love that Google plays well with other programs. If I need a pdf or a Word doc, Google will save it that way for me. And Google Drive documents autosave! That little bit has saved me a few times. Google products are easy to use and free. If you want a professionally branded email, you can purchase that for a nominal fee, but that taboo about not looking professional if you have an @gmail.com email is less often an issue. 

Tool 3: Canva

As designers, we know all the fancy tools that we have in our wheelhouse, but sometimes, we need something quick and easy. Canva is just that. Canva is an online editing tool. It’s like if Publisher and InDesign had a beautiful baby. You can create pretty much anything you need in Canva easily. From posters to business cards, there are thousands of templates and elements available. They have printing services that are cheap, quick, and high-quality. They are constantly updating as well. They offer Canva Pro, which is less than $10/month and gets you access to additional features, including branding and uploading your own fonts.

Tool 4: Planoly

Planoly is a way to visually plan, manage, and post content on various social media channels. The free plan offers connections to Instagram and Pinterest. You can upload up to 30 posts/uploads per month per profile. The free version even includes analytics and tools to drive traffic to your website. My design eye loves the look and layout of Planoly, but my budget loves the price. 

Tool 5: Loom

Loom is a recording tool. Sometimes, it’s easier to create a quick video than to type out step-by-step instructions, use screenshots, or take calls. Instead, I like to record short videos to share information and tutorials with clients. Loom sits in the background of your computer and waits for you to launch it. Once you launch it, you get a 3-second countdown before the recording begins. You can record your screen only, your camera only, or both, but the audio picks up your voice clearly. Once you finish recording, your recording goes into a library. You can rename it before sharing it as a link or even embedding it. Not only is Loom quick and easy, but it’s completely free. The free version includes up to 25 videos, but if you’re creating general videos (rather than tailor-made to each client), you’ll have plenty of space. The upgrade, however, is only $8/month. If you’re putting a course together or working with a lot of materials, it’s worth the investment. You can also download the videos, but they stick around in your library for a great storage space. The analytics and view reports are pretty extensive as well.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks, use as many free tools as possible. You can shift your financial investment to other areas and focus on what matters most to you and to the success of your design business.