Welcome back to another exciting edition of the Design Download β your monthly source of branding and website design tips!
Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your creative journey, I'll be sharing simple reminders you can apply to your branding or website right away. I'm here to help you enhance your online presence and discover new resources along the way.
So grab a cup of coffee, get cozy, and let's dive in!π
β Browse and select fonts from Google Fonts library to find ones that align with your brand's aesthetic. You can search for fonts based on various criteria such as style (serif, sans-serif, handwriting, etc.), and type in a word or phrase to preview that font. If you feel stuck, here is a fun resource for Font Pairings using Google Fonts. You can download these and use them throughout your branding or website. β
One of my go-to resources for finding the most unique fonts, or even font packs. These are more custom, hand lettered and made by expert designers. Type in a word to preview it, and see what catches your eye. You can sign up for their weekly freebies and you'll be sent not only free fonts, but also other free design resources.
Another resource for a huge library of custom, unique fonts! Adobe Fonts seamlessly integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. It's free with your creative cloud subscription, but you can also find and download free fonts.
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Choosing a color palette that aligns with your brand's personality
The Design Download color palette is vibrant, energetic, and totally approachableβjust like our subscriber community. These colors aren't just hues on a screen; they're vibes. They set the tone for an experience that's fun, modern, and inviting. Because learning and improving your biz IS fun & I want this to be a place that leaves you feeling energized & excited to get the creative juices flowing!
Coolors is an online platform designed for generating cohesive color palettes easily. You can explore millions of color combinations and tailor palettes to align with your brand's personality and target audience. I love using the Palette Generator where you just simply press the spacebar and it comes up with random color combinations, or you can lock in certain colors and it will help you find complementary colors to your locked selections. You can also explore Trending Palettes, it's seriously fun to scroll through these when you need some inspiration. β
Adobe's official color palette creation tool. This is a very in depth tool with many functionalities for creating and customizing color palettes. You can explore trending color schemes, extract colors from images, and create combinations using various color rules such as complementary, analogous, and triad. You can also Explore Palettes, and search by moods like: Happy, Vintage, Spring, Peaceful, etc. This also can sync with your Adobe programs. β
Color Hunt stands out as a curated collection of color palettes made by designers. You'll find an endless supply of inspiration. You can browse by different categories like popular, trending, earthy, coffee, warm, etc. You can save your favorite palettes to your collection and go back to them when you are in need of finding some inspiration, whether it's for a rebrand, a new product or a seasonal website refresh. β β
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My favorite free Shopify apps to uplevel your site design
Grow your email list and increase conversions with customizable pop-ups, banners, and other tools designed to capture visitor's attention and drive sales. You can upload your own branded pop up image so everything stays cohesive and in line with your color palette, fonts, and branded photography. This app has helped me generate thousands of new e-mail subscribers and also thousands in sales. It's a no brainer! β
You work so hard on the look of your feed, so make sure it's also displayed on your website. What you're posting on social should align with your website and overall brand vibe, so displaying your live post feed is just one less thing you have to edit on your website. You can adjust how many images you show, and how many rows or columns, and spacing between each image.
Showcase your top Tiktoks or Reels while also linking to your products. This is an easy app to add that provides customers with immersive and engaging shopping experience. Plus, why not display all your hard work somewhere else besides social media? You can see it in action on my Minny Thrift site.
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β Wrapping up, we've covered some great resources in this month's Design Download newsletter: fonts, colors, and Shopify apps. These are all resources I use in my weekly life and I hope they serve as tools to help you with your branding. Now it's your turn to dive in, get creative, and get to work! β
Need help with some font pairings to get you started? I have a free download below where you can get some ideas for fun font pairings for your next project! Just click the button below to bring it into Canva or download the PDF here. β Have an amazing April & I'll catch you again with VOL. 003 of The Design Download at the end of the month! Thanks for hanging with me & happy creating!
My Notion planner template is the all-in-one solution for creatives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners looking to streamline their lives and achieve their work and personal goals. It's a great place to start if you're just learning Notion (the app is free to download)!
(and I love supporting other small business owners!)β β βMeet Naomi. β A Minnesota-based brand and website designer known for bold, modern, and artistic designs. My passion lies in crafting captivating brand narratives and inspiring others to pursue their creative dreams! Let's get creative together!
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