Whether you are working for a client, or creating content for yourself, getting a significant web and social media presence shouldn't be high-priced work.
Gaining views, followers, new visitors for any website, or just the mere exercise of catching someone’s attention, requires new awesome eye-catching content to be added to your project, no matter if we are talking about an Instagram profile, or a Corporate Video.
To avoid any trouble, be sure to use only copyright-free resources from reputable sources. Don't worry, though – I've got you covered with a list of trusted websites where you can find all the amazing resources you need without any worry!
Minimalistic icons that look great: Flaticon
I use this website whenever I have to make a tutorial for a web app, or any other explanation/walkthrough video. These icons look great on motion graphics projects, as their PNGs have a great resolution for you to work on them in Adobe AfterEffects, or just for a composition in Adobe Photoshop.
In 2023, too bright, psychedelic, metal tones are not so appealing. People love cleaner, fresher, minimal interface much more nowadays. This website has some "Premium" icons that are required a small fee to be paid if you would want to use them.
From 4K stock videos to beautiful images: Pexels and Pixabay
Pexels and Pixabay are free stock photo and video websites that helps every freelancer who is looking for visuals, photos and videos that can be downloaded and used for free.
Looking for the perfect color palette: Coolors
Coolors is now my essential tool for creating and collecting color palettes. Whenever a new client tells me the color palette he has for its logo or corporate style, I go to this website before starting my project. It allows you to generate perfect matching colors in seconds. Even if you are not so skilled in design (like me).
Graphics and images for cool graphic projects: Freepik
Trying to find graphic resources for a project for free, can also be a struggle. Although I don’t fully use freepik's material to literally copy and paste them into my projects, is for me a great point of inspiration when creating a banner or other graphic piece from scratch, but that doesn’t mean it can work great for you when you are looking for vectors or editable PSDs
Subtle animations that are here to stay: Storyset
Storyset is a website where you can find many collections of free illustrated concepts that you can customize, animate, and download in different formats to use in any kind of project. I especially like that you can easily choose what to animate, and what kind of animation you’ll like for any specific element of the graphic.
You can choose from four styles (or varieties) of graphics: Rafiki, Bro, Amico, Pana, Cuate
The great reliable for the latest trends: Canva
Canva is a tool loaded with enough easy-to-use features and functionality that anyone can create a variety of engaging content that gets shared, from LinkedIn banners, to fully animated Instagram stories (although some features require a small fee or paid subscription). Founded in Australia in 2012, is a great platform to stay up-to-date with the latest graphic trends. I go to it whenever I’m asked to do a corporate card or video for a special Holiday, such as St. Patrick’s Day or Saint Valentine’s. Some friends of mine had also used this to give a facelift to their personal resumés.
What about music? 🎵
These were some cool visual resources to power up your project, but what about sounds? Whenever I have to work on a video that is going to end up on any social media platform, I have to make sure that the music used on it is royalty-free. The copyright-free or royalty-free music definition simply means that no one owns the copyright to said music and no royalties must be paid. For this instance, you can find millions of songs, audio libraries and even playlists for any project by just typing “Copyright Free Music” on your YouTube search bar, and choose the one that is more convenient for you or your client.
