DESIGN RESOURCES
This is a masterlist of resources shared by members of the TypeHaus Discord server! Please let any of the moderators know if there are any informational errors or issues with links.
* PAID resources are marked with an asterisk.
Un-asterisked resources are free. Be sure to always check the terms of use and attribution requirements with free resources!
LAST UPDATED: 9 April 2022
Table of Contents
Accessibility
TPGI Color Contrast Checker https://www.tpgi.com/color-contrast-checker/
This contrast checker allows for direct sampling and less hassle with hex codes.
WebAim colour contrast checker https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
This website also has resources and articles about web accessibility.
Adobe Alternatives
After Effects:
Free: DaVinci Resolve, Blender
Audition:
Free: Audacity, Tracktion, Garageband, LMMS
Dreamweaver:
Free: Brackets, Sublime, VS Code, Atom
Illustrator:
Free: Inkscape, BoxySVG, Vectr, Krita
* Paid: Affinity Designer, Corel Draw
InDesign:
Free: Krita, Canva, Scrimbus
Paid: Affinity Publisher
Photoshop:
Free: GIMP, Paint.NET, Krita, Photopea, Darktable
Paid: Affinity Photo, Pixelmator Pro
XD:
Free: Figma, Invision, Framer
* Paid: Sketch
Learn more about Affinity programs here: https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/
Colours
Adobe Color https://color.adobe.com/create/color-wheel
Colour palette generator. Includes accessibility check feature.
Mesh - Create Beautiful Gradients https://meshgradient.com/
Pigment by ShapeFactory https://pigment.shapefactory.co/
Colour palette generator.
Communities
Queer Design Club https://queerdesign.club/
Community where LGBTQ+ designers can share work and connect with one another.
Contracts
AIGA Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services (PDF) https://www.aiga.org/globalassets/aiga/content/tools-and-resources/46874510-standard-form-of-agreement-for-design-services.pdf
Harry Vincent’s guide to contracts https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aKVvQ1ox2Mv4mEOVvokRPr4fF9d9SGc7
From @harry__vincent on Instagram
Design Prompts
7 Design Prompt Generators (Dribbble article) https://dribbble.com/stories/2019/05/07/7-design-prompt-generators-to-inspire-your-next-design
Blank Poster https://blankposter.com/
Foxrockettsudio https://www.instagram.com/foxrockettstudio/
“Weekly wordplays” - make a graphic using a specific word and colour palette
Goodbrief https://goodbrief.io/
Hellotayloramy https://www.instagram.com/hellotayloramy/
Weekly design briefs
Sharpen Design https://sharpen.design/
Fonts
100 Best Free Fonts for Designers https://www.awwwards.com/best-free-fonts.html
(Published January 2020)
* Atipo Foundry https://www.atipofoundry.com/
Pay what you want.
* Bageo
https://creativemarket.com/Omar_Ichigo/6234998-Bageo
Beautiful Web Type: Guide to Only the Best Open-Source Typefaces https://beautifulwebtype.com/
* Brandon Nickerson Studio https://www.bnicks.com/
Climate Crisis Font https://kampanjat.hs.fi/climatefont/index.html
Free for personal and commercial use. Intended for use when writing about the climate crisis and its diverse phenomena.
Dinamo Typefaces https://abcdinamo.com/
Paid? But with free trial fonts.
Dirtyline Studio Freebie Fonts https://dirtylinestudio.com/freebies/
Additional paid fonts available.
Etcetera Type Company https://www.etceteratype.co/
Open-source variable fonts.
* Font Brief https://fontbrief.com/
NOT a foundry. Discovery tool that finds fonts based on input criteria, then directs to external sites to download or purchase fonts. Free to use, but recommended fonts are not necessarily free.
Fontesk https://fontesk.com/
Thousands of free fonts for personal and commercial use.
Fraunces Font https://github.com/undercasetype/Fraunces
Variable font.
Fontshare https://www.fontshare.com/
50+ fonts free for commercial and personal use. *NOTE: it’s governed by an ITF EULA so make sure to read the agreement before downloading*
Geometric Font (Free for personal use; commercial licenses available) https://www.behance.net/gallery/121988721/GEO-Free-Geometric-Display-Font
Indieground Freebies https://indieground.net/shop-category/freebies/
Fonts, mockups, textures, etc.
* Kern Club https://www.kernclub.com/
$10 fonts, but sometimes discounted to free.
* Lavonia
https://www.youworkforthem.com/font/T15243/ed-lavonia
Lucky https://pixelsurplus.com/collections/free-fonts/products/lucky-free-decorative-display-font
Free decorative display font.
Mayenne Sans https://studiotriple.fr/travaux/typefaces/mayenne/
Open-source font.
Oddity https://www.rsztype.com/fonts/oddity
Omnibus-Type https://www.omnibus-type.com/
Open Foundry https://open-foundry.com/
Open-source fonts.
Pink Fur Font https://creativemarket.com/Handmadefont/6101560-Pink-Fur-Font
Recursive Font https://www.recursive.design/
Redaction Font https://www.redaction.us/
* Sudtipos Foundry https://www.sudtipos.com/
* Taklobo Typeface https://www.behance.net/gallery/120844777/Taklobo-Typeface-Free-to-try
Free to try
* Top 10 Most Popular Humanist Sans-Serifs https://www.typewolf.com/top-10-humanist-sans-serif-fonts
* Type Foundry Directory https://typefoundry.directory/
The League of Moveable Type https://www.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/
Open-source fonts.
Tunera Type Foundry http://www.tunera.xyz/
Open-source fonts. Free for personal & commercial use (must credit typeface and creator if using for commercial).
* Type 63 https://type63.carrd.co/#type63-directory
Type directory featuring Filipino type designers. Mix of free and paid resources.
Uncut https://uncut.wtf/
Libre typeface catalogue, focusing on somewhat contemporary type.
Use & Modify https://usemodify.com/
Open-source fonts.
Velvetyne Type Foundry http://velvetyne.fr/
Open-source fonts. Must credit type designer & foundry in every instance of use.
Images & Vectors
Altphotos https://altphotos.com/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Barnimages https://barnimages.com/
Photos free for personal and commercial use.
British Library Collection https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/
Public domain images from the British Library collection.
Burst https://burst.shopify.com/
Photos free for personal and commercial use.
Creative Commons search https://search.creativecommons.org/
Cupcake https://cupcake.nilssonlee.se/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Foca Stock https://focastock.com/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Free Nature Stock https://freenaturestock.com/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Foodiesfeed https://www.foodiesfeed.com/
Food photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Google Fonts Icon Library https://fonts.google.com/icons
Open source.
ISO Republic https://isorepublic.com/
Photos and videos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Jay Mantri photography https://jaymantri.com/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
LibreShot https://libreshot.com/
Photos free for personal and commercial use.
Life of Pix https://www.lifeofpix.com/
Little Visuals https://littlevisuals.co/
Free photos, available for commercial use.
Lospec Palette List https://lospec.com/palette-list
Colour palettes for pixel art.
Magdeleine https://magdeleine.co/license/cc0/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Morguefile https://morguefile.com/
Photos free for use.
Moveast https://moveast.me/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Nappy https://nappy.co/
Photos of Black and brown people licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Negative Space https://negativespace.co/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
New Old Stock https://nos.twnsnd.co/
Vintage photos free for use.
New York Public Library Digital Collections https://www.nypl.org/research/collections/digital-collections/public-domain
Public domain images from New York Public Library.
Official SpaceX Photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/
Old Book Illustrations https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/
Published under Creative Commons CC0.
Open Access at The Met https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/policies-and-documents/open-access
Explore more than 406,000 hi-res images of public-domain works from the Met collection, all of which can be downloaded, shared, and remixed without restriction.
Pexels https://www.pexels.com/
Photos free for use.
Picography https://picography.co/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Pixabay https://pixabay.com/
Photos free for personal and commercial use.
PxHere https://pxhere.com/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Reshot https://www.reshot.com/
Free photos for personal and commercial use.
Same Energy https://same.energy/
Visual search engine.
Smithsonian Open Access https://www.si.edu/openaccess
Download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images from across its 19 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
Startup Stock Photos https://startupstockphotos.com/
Free startup, office, and tech stock photos
StockSnap.io https://stocksnap.io/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
SVG SILH https://svgsilh.com/
Free vector images, licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
The Noun Project https://thenounproject.com/
Free icons, stock images.
The Pic Pac https://thepicpac.com/
Pay what you want.
Travel Coffee Book https://travelcoffeebook.com/
Photos licensed under Creative Commons CC0.
Unsplash https://unsplash.com/
Photos free for personal and commercial use.
All free resources
Awwwards https://www.awwwards.com/
Web design awards.
Arabic Cover Design Archive https://www.instagram.com/arabiccoverdesignarchive/
Cari Institute https://cari.institute/aesthetics
Library of visual styles and trends.
Melba | Sofia Design Festival
The Drum Design Awards https://www.thedrumdesignawards.com/thedrumawardsfordesign2021/en/page/home
Peculiar Manicule https://www.peculiarmanicule.com/
Archive of 1960s and 1970s graphic design. Books, ephemera, posters, and more.
Poster inspiration thread https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/shamma-buhazza-thread-of-inspiration-graphic-design-031220
Prague transit system https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96gt35VM37g
Roast Fine Foods https://www.roastfinefoods.com/
Butcher shop branding.
Typographic Posters https://www.typographicposters.com/
WANGZHIHONG CO.
Learning Resources
Codeacademy https://www.codecademy.com/
Learn to code.
* Domestika https://www.domestika.org/en
Paid online courses for creatives.
W3Schools https://www.w3schools.com/
Learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, and more.
Literature/Media
5 Ways to Develop Your Eye for (Good) Design https://dribbble.com/stories/2021/01/11/develop-eye-for-design?ref=webdesignernews.com
10 Common Graphic Design Interview Questions (And How to Answer Them) https://dribbble.com/stories/2021/05/10/graphic-design-interview-questions
21 Exciting New Tools for Designers, April 2021 https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2021/04/25-exciting-new-tools-for-designers-april-2021/
APLEN Time Management Technique https://blog.trello.com/aplen-time-management-technique
A to Z of Figma: Tips & Tricks! https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/tutorials/a-to-z-of-figma-tips-tricks--cms-36837
Best Books for Graphic Designers 2021 (Jesse Nyberg) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7f88hXhxI&feature=youtu.be
Best Free Fonts for Designers [2021 Adobe Fonts] (Jesse Nyberg) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aal5eWygm6k&feature=youtu.be
Design Thinking is a Rebrand for White Supremacy https://www.are.na/darin-buzon/design-thinking-is-a-rebrand-for-white-supremacy
Discord Blog: Walkthrough of 2021 Rebrand https://blog.discord.com/happy-blurpthday-to-discord-a-place-for-everything-you-can-imagine-fc99ee0a77c0
Discover Figma: A Practical Guide https://marcandrew.me/discover-figma-a-practical-guide/
Forget design templates. Touch Type is an extraordinarily fun way to create your own typography.
Freelance Business Design Advice with Hoodzpah Design (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b16JgiDB5ds&feature=youtu.be
How Much Should I Charge? https://thenuschool.com/how-much/#/start
How to Charge for Design (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivKnj9ffcmE&feature=youtu.be
How to Calculate Out Your Day Rate https://www.ellwoodatfield.com/event/how-to-calculate-out-your-day-rate/
How to Run a Creative Business (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8BN2YSyYkg&feature=youtu.be
Learn How to Launch a Clothing Brand with Johnny Cupcakes (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg4DsKLjsUg&feature=youtu.be
Major Players Salary Survey https://www.majorplayers.co.uk/salary-survey-2021/
UK based; informative document with average salary bands for different creative positions from designers to marketing, and reports on diversity, inclusion, and industry trends
Resources for Accessibility and Inclusion in Design http://jessicaoddi.com/resources/
Scaling Up: How to Run a Successful Studio & Go from Freelance to Entrepreneur (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAcdX5jRRgQ&feature=youtu.be
Should You Set Up an LLC: Answering Your Questions (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNeUfQDDerA&feature=youtu.be
Software for Artists Book: Building Better Realities https://pioneerworks.org/publishing/software-for-artists-book/
Free PDF available.
The Junior Designer Starter Pack https://www.viget.com/articles/the-junior-designer-starter-pack/
List of “10 tools every designer should use.”
The Rise of Non-Binary Fashion
https://mag.perfectnumber.co/the-rise-of-non-binary-fashion/
The Sans Selection https://tejas-bhatt.medium.com/the-sans-selection-8d91bbe47741
Walking through the process of choosing fonts for an online publication.
The Tip of the Iceberg https://intern-mag.com/tip-of-the-iceberg/
“The recent revelations from Everpress serve a stark warning that workplace racism is still a systemic issue in the creative industries.” (Published June 2020)
The Top 5 Blockers to Your Productivity (And How to Hack Each One) https://blog.trello.com/productivity-blockers
Twitter’s new font and Last of Us 2: an accessibility lesson to be learned (article)
Unique and Unusual Vinyl Record Packaging
Vector speed art (The Creative Plan) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e75VqLlTDU4
This channel contains a bunch of vector speed art as well as longer form videos.
What is Branding? 4 Minute Crash Course (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO4te2QNsHY&feature=youtu.be
What is Branding? A deep dive with Marty Neumeier (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpZfNNYUZEc
What is Branding? | Branding Explained (Branding by Garden) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClFPRt3PYmM&feature=youtu.be
Why the Dutch Government Has the Best Graphic Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMwUOWCnQ6Q&feature=youtu.be
Win the Interview - Job Interview Tips (The Futur) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKMfPGAZHYI&feature=youtu.be
Mockups
Anthony Boyd Graphics https://www.anthonyboyd.graphics/
Mockups and textures. Free for personal and commercial use.
BLKMARKET Free Archives https://beta.blkmarket.co/product-category/free/
* Doron Studios https://www.doronstudios.com/downloads
Apparel Mockups. Paid resource.
Freeject https://www.freeject.net/search/label/PSD
Mockups, textures, text effects, etc.
Free PSD templates https://free-psd-templates.com/
FLYERWRK Freebies https://freebies.flyerwrk.com/
Free mockups & textures.
Graphic Burger https://graphicburger.com/
Free mockups, icons, etc.
* Hockey mockups https://dribbble.com/tags/hockey_mockup
Not 100% sure, might be a mix of free and paid
Indieground Freebies https://indieground.net/shop-category/freebies/
Fonts, mockups, textures, etc.
Mockups-Design https://mockups-design.com/
Free mockups.
* Mockup Maison
MockupWorld https://www.mockupworld.co/
Free mockups.
Portfolios
Gabriel Ucci
Inside the Mind of Samuel Day (portfolio example) https://www.samuelday.de/
Leah Maldonado “The portfolio that got me my first job” https://www.are.na/block/6409661
Free to view and download.
Portfolio Inspiration https://www.awwwards.com/websites/portfolio/
Printing
* Mixam https://mixam.co.uk/
UK-based printer, but also has branches in the US, Canada, and Australia. Sample test prints available. https://mixam.co.uk/sampletest
* Print on Paper https://printonpaper.com/
UK-based printer for newspapers, zines, posters, etc. Free UK delivery. Worldwide shipping.
Programs & Tools
Affinity https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/
Cheaper, one-time payment alternatives to Adobe programs.
Dotgrid https://hundredrabbits.itch.io/dotgrid
Grid-based vector drawing software. Free and open source; pay what you want.
Figma https://www.figma.com/
Design, prototype, and gather feedback all in one place. Free & paid options.
Figma plugins https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/08/figma-tools-plugins-resources/
Free Render https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1D3zJvx7V0zXLKqNKjaRVRQaQyA6cRSf_
Use this Google colab notebook to render blender scenes using Google servers at real fast speeds for free
Runway https://runwayml.com/
Video editing with artificial intelligence. Free & paid options.
Vectornator https://www.vectornator.io/
Vector program for iPad.
Webflow https://webflow.com/
Web design - no coding required.
Textures
Lost and Taken https://lostandtaken.com/
Free texture stock photos.
Paper Co https://free-paper-texture.com/
Free paper textures
Texture Fabrik https://texturefabrik.com/
Textures and vector graphics free for personal or commercial use. If using these resources, must credit texturefabrik.com
* Texturelabs https://texturelabs.org/
Mix of free and paid resources, plus tutorials.
Texture Ninja https://texture.ninja/
Public domain textures.
True Grit Texture Supply Sampler Pack https://www.truegrittexturesupply.com/pages/newsletter
Over 100 free brushes, textures, swatches, vectors & templates when you sign up for the True Grit newsletter. Additional paid products are available on the site.
Tutorials
3D Type Animation Tutorial with Rishabh Gandhi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNJP_zT9MCA
Best Photoshop Export Settings for Instagram (BLKMARKET)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIComFaiPCg
Bleeding Ink / Watercolor Effect Photoshop Tutorial (Texturelabs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVKsVhGvV_o
Blender Beginner Tutorial Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPrnSACiTJ4&feature=youtu.be
Blender Tutorial - 2D Drawing to 3D Model (Part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlPPYkZg9D4
How to Create Grainy Gradient with Noise in Adobe Photoshop (Jesse Nyberg) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6F8y2lRZi0&feature=youtu.be
How to Export Transparent Background Videos in Adobe After Effects https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFLBJH2aMpU&feature=youtu.be
How to Properly Save and export Adobe Illustrator Logo Files (Jesse Nyberg) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STSY0TiaDR0&feature=youtu.be
How to respond to potential client emails (Jessica Hische)
https://www.jessicahische.is/helpingyouanswer
There are a couple filters that you can use to tailor the email template to your situation!
How to Round Corners in Illustrator in Older Versions than CC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Cyd0sqY6A&feature=youtu.be
How to Stretch, Warp, Glitch, Distort Text | Kinetic Typography | Slit-Scan | After Effects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF-xVGxBOiY&feature=youtu.be
Photoshop Halftone Print Effect Tutorial (using BLKMARKET Inklab) https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&feature=youtu.be&v=GEqfgur2BOU
Slit-Scan Text Distortion Effect - After Effects CC 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_XVJIC876s&feature=youtu.be
Time Displacement Tutorial - Create a time warp effect with After Effects https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDQv9JYqKgg&feature=youtu.be
You’re Using Displacement Maps Wrong - After Effects https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNHl5Dbw3Mw&feature=youtu.be
Miscellaneous Resources
The Bezier Game https://bezier.method.ac/
A game to help you master the pen tool.
Bloo Low Fidelity Wireframe Kit https://bloouikit.com/
Open source wireframe kit for quick designing and prototyping.
Cards for Humanity https://cardsforhumanity.idean.com/
Prompt generator for UI/UX design.
Circulation Zero http://www.circulationzero.com/
Entirety of the Slash zine, free to download. Please be aware that some content is NSFW.
* Creative Market https://creativemarket.com/free-goods
Fonts, patterns, etc. Most are paid resources but you can get 6 free resources per month.
Discord theme for Notion https://www.producthunt.com/posts/discord-theme-for-notion
Fonts in Use https://fontsinuse.com/
Public archive of typography in use in the world. Indexed by typeface, format, industry, and period.
How to Get Your First Graphic Design Job - Jesse Nyberg https://youtu.be/vAlx0OlXgRI
Incompetech https://incompetech.com/graphpaper/
Graph paper generator.
* Intern https://intern.teachable.com/p/the-price-is-right
Online pricing course. Paid resource.
“Kill the Cop in Your Head” Poster https://www.grandpagrandpa.com/
Free poster from designer Kel Lauren.
* Muzli Inspiration https://muz.li/
Chrome extension that delivers design stories and inspiration.
Skin tone palettes https://twitter.com/puppsicle/status/1262247168682778624?s=19
For illustration, etc.
Other Resource Repositories
* There’s a mix of free and paid resources here.
Alec Soth YouTube Channel (photography emphasis)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHIxfgu7HE9_Tok9OGNrQ_g
Artist’s Toolbox https://pilssken.neocities.org/art-tools/
Resources for colours, fonts, programs, and more.
Awesome Stock Resources https://github.com/neutraltone/awesome-stock-resources
Repository of resources including photography, illustration, textures, and much more. Some resources are free, some are paid.
British Library Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/albums
Over a million free photos and assets.
Creative Champs Resources https://www.creativechamps.co/resources
From @kei_maye on Instagram.
Designer rates master sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19c5HPHap-RkOFnAsveB19HngLVowYn4IoTOgZr7D3OA/edit#gid=0
Created by bersletters, this crowdsourced spreadsheet is available for designers to share and compare their rates with others. The spreadsheet includes additional resources as well.
Every Project Self Aware’s Ever Charged For https://selfaware.notion.site/8ac5ae58e3b949828896f5ca2d3d3409?v=df7fb79cc4cb4c0893bab5060ae8e6bf
This is a list of every single project Self Aware has done from 2017–present, including budget, client type, scope, & deliverables.
Freeject https://www.freeject.net/
Fonts, textures, patterns, mockups, etc.
Indieground https://indieground.net/
Jesse Nyberg YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCON_D83JvdS-AQ6ihiXELpw
Oblique Strategies http://stoney.sb.org/eno/oblique.html
Prompts to get you out of creative block!
T. Hopper YouTube Channel (photography emphasis)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuuvwU8Fv1O2h3IqHtXtCRQ
Type Foundry Directory https://typefoundry.directory/
Twitter Thread with List of Free Resources https://twitter.com/tundetash/status/1350159041343991808?s=21
Twitter Thread with List of Open Source Fonts
https://twitter.com/gontijodesign/status/1394624373823348737