Thanks for this article, great resources. I wanted to add another favorite font identifier -- identifont.com. This or whatthefont have almost always given me the right font info.
..till I actually tried to use Folder Share. 1. It's a beta site, at least for Macs, 2. It doesn't work, which substantially decreases its value :) and, 3. Help page doesn't load. So, overall a real woof-woof. Maybe you should test cross platform before recommending?
Submitted by diannefiumara on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 18:20.
FolderShare does work once you get the hang of it. The interface could be more intuitive, for me anyway, but it actually did synchronize all of my safari bookmarks. I could not, however, synch only the bookmarks without also synching the history and last session links. Never could get support page to load, though.
Submitted by diannefiumara on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 20:16.
Don't get me wrong i agree that all those tools are great, but why not look for one tool that can do most of the stuff? like for example http://www.comindwork.com has project management, collaboration, file sharing, invoicing etc. Or for example even a more powerful http://www.attask.com will be more expensive, but has even more enterprise features.
You asked for suggestions. If you need to use movie clips, say from youtube, there is a great site that will convert it to a format you can use on your computer. Doesn't matter whether you are a PC or Mac person and what format you require.
Go to www.zamar.com - all the instructions are there. You can choose whether you want to convert a file you have already downloaded or put in a URL for a site.
While not advocating violation of trademark/copyright laws, sometimes you just need a logo in EPS format and your client refuses to send you anything besides the logo they got off their website. In those cases: http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
I'm glad everyone liked the article! Thanks so much for the compliments.
I'd like to respond to a couple comments, if I may.
re: Basecamp: Basecamp is indeed an excellent--and popular--tool. Although I really wanted to include it in the list, the fact that the free account is so limited compared to other applications knocked it off. Although I think it's a great value for the money they charge, I wanted to provide a list of useful tools that were completely free. Now, if Creativepro.com lets me write "10 Low Cost Online Tools Every Designer Should Know," well, you'll definitely see Basecamp on it (as well as some of the other offerings from 37Signals).
re: Identifont.com: I wasn't kidding when I said I had a huge short list of free tools for this article. Identifont.com was on it from the very beginning. I didn't want to use up my limited 10 slots by including two font identification tools, so I chose WhatTheFont.com because I thought it wasn't as well known as Identifont.com, but should be. Although I couldn't include it in the main list, I'm VERY glad to see that Identifont.com got mentioned in the comments. It's an absolutely wonderful tool.
re: Zamar.com: Ooh! Sounds great! I'm going to check that out as soon as I finish this comment. Thanks, Jenni!
Submitted by PariahSBurke on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 14:16.
By the way, Creativepro.com and I are strongly considering other similar articles to this one (I'm pitching, they're considering)--lists of the best resources, free or low-cost tools, and so on. Infact, with all the resources I couldn't fit into this article,I already have "10 (More!) Free Online Tools Every Designer Should Know" written!
CP says that whether I get to write those is predicated on how popular this first one turns out. So, if you like this article and want to see more like it, please share the link around and get your colleagues, friends, clients--heck, even your parents--to come visit and drop a comment and/or click the rating at the top of the article.
Submitted by PariahSBurke on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 14:18.
I use What the Font regularly because it is built into CorelDRAW, and it has never let me down. One tip: if you have a less than optimal image to sample, try sampling only one distinct character. Works more often than not when sampling a whole word gave me no result or an incorrect result. Another favorite site for great high quality letterpress ornaments, many of them free: Briar Press (www.briarpress.org).
Great starter list, and I hope for many more to come. Like I assume most of us, I've been developing my own list of free online resources, but am always on the lookout for more.
Some from my list...
A couple great free texture sites:
http://cgtextures.com/, http://free-textures.got3d.com/index.html
A couple free vector (& more) art/icon sites:
http://www.vecteezy.com/, http://www.fordesigner.com/
& a couple favorite free font sites (favorite because they feature higher quality fonts, arranged by category):
http://www.fontsquirrel.com/, http://www.urbanfonts.com/
Submitted by John S Brandt (not verified) on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 14:00.
Thank you so much for the time and thought that went into this compilation.... I've explored some of the sites and already found several tools I'll be using. And thank you also to the many comments posted with additional sites!
Identifont is another great free site for finding fonts. There is a newish feature that allows you to enter the letters that you have if you only have, say, a company's name. It's not perfect, but it gives you a place to start, and the list of similar fonts can be very helpful.
Liquid Planner looks good, but these days there is no free LP, but there is a 30 day trial period. After that there are different choices, including $25/month.
I would like to suggest HourDoc Time Tracking Software. It is useful for web designers who work as a freelancers. http://www.HourDoc.com is right treatment for time tracking of virtual assistants, has to be an easy-to-administer and affordable solution for Freelancers.They offer free application to Freelancers/companies less than 50 Users.
I'd like to find an app for logging time on various projects, wherein you could start and stop the clock for times that you switch to another project. Then, the app would total up the time fo that day. Must be a simple few clicks operation; something small and lightweight that could sit on the desktop.
Something that would work like this:
Select project.
Click START CLOCK
Click END CLOCK
I use this online time clock. It is very simple tool for calculating how long you spend on jobs for clients. You can add as many different logs (jobs) that you want. You can email the times to yourself for invoicing, or they can remain forever on the server if you register.
Freshbooks is awesome. Have you also come across a time tracking tool called 1DayLater? It's focussed around being quick and easy. An essential tool for any freelancer or consultant types who do their billing or invoicing on a per-hour or per job basis - http://1daylater.com
Our company is small but growing fast, and outgrew our Excel timesheets. We are now using Pacific Timesheet On-Demand (http://www.pacifictimesheet.com) for the last few months and it has really streamlined time tracking, time report and billing. We added payroll integration last month to integrate with our Lawson system, and have seen near 100% adoption across the company.
So, I would suggest to add the software on the list.
We saw an ad for ReviewPad here on CreativePro and it has really helped us manage our review & approval process for mockups and design comps. It give you the ability to share files with an unlimited number of clients and allows the recipients to view, comment, annotate, and approve the files. It is free and it only takes a minute to get the account setup.
nice info!
Thanks for this article, great resources. I wanted to add another favorite font identifier -- identifont.com. This or whatthefont have almost always given me the right font info.
Ten Free Online Tools
Great list. Thanks! Looking forward to the updates too!
Good list, Pariah!
I prefer 37Signals' Basecamp to Liquid Planner. Also, I love logopond.com for inspiration.
Sounded like a good idea...
..till I actually tried to use Folder Share. 1. It's a beta site, at least for Macs, 2. It doesn't work, which substantially decreases its value :) and, 3. Help page doesn't load. So, overall a real woof-woof. Maybe you should test cross platform before recommending?
I stand corrected
FolderShare does work once you get the hang of it. The interface could be more intuitive, for me anyway, but it actually did synchronize all of my safari bookmarks. I could not, however, synch only the bookmarks without also synching the history and last session links. Never could get support page to load, though.
I think you need an all in one tool
Don't get me wrong i agree that all those tools are great, but why not look for one tool that can do most of the stuff? like for example http://www.comindwork.com has project management, collaboration, file sharing, invoicing etc. Or for example even a more powerful http://www.attask.com will be more expensive, but has even more enterprise features.
http://management.blogvis.com
Free online tools
You asked for suggestions. If you need to use movie clips, say from youtube, there is a great site that will convert it to a format you can use on your computer. Doesn't matter whether you are a PC or Mac person and what format you require.
Go to www.zamar.com - all the instructions are there. You can choose whether you want to convert a file you have already downloaded or put in a URL for a site.
Jenni Wright
Public Speaker, Emotional Intelligence Trainer and Coach
www.emotionalintelligenceaus.com
www.askjenniwright.com
Logos and Icons
While not advocating violation of trademark/copyright laws, sometimes you just need a logo in EPS format and your client refuses to send you anything besides the logo they got off their website. In those cases:
http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
Ever do a Google search for "free icons"? Nightmare!
Try this instead:
http://www.maxpower.ca/free-icons/2006/03/05/
Freebie List
Pariah,
This is a seriously cool list. Thank you, thank you!
Thank you!
I'm glad everyone liked the article! Thanks so much for the compliments.
I'd like to respond to a couple comments, if I may.
re: Basecamp: Basecamp is indeed an excellent--and popular--tool. Although I really wanted to include it in the list, the fact that the free account is so limited compared to other applications knocked it off. Although I think it's a great value for the money they charge, I wanted to provide a list of useful tools that were completely free. Now, if Creativepro.com lets me write "10 Low Cost Online Tools Every Designer Should Know," well, you'll definitely see Basecamp on it (as well as some of the other offerings from 37Signals).
re: Identifont.com: I wasn't kidding when I said I had a huge short list of free tools for this article. Identifont.com was on it from the very beginning. I didn't want to use up my limited 10 slots by including two font identification tools, so I chose WhatTheFont.com because I thought it wasn't as well known as Identifont.com, but should be. Although I couldn't include it in the main list, I'm VERY glad to see that Identifont.com got mentioned in the comments. It's an absolutely wonderful tool.
re: Zamar.com: Ooh! Sounds great! I'm going to check that out as soon as I finish this comment. Thanks, Jenni!
Want More Articles Like This One?
By the way, Creativepro.com and I are strongly considering other similar articles to this one (I'm pitching, they're considering)--lists of the best resources, free or low-cost tools, and so on. Infact, with all the resources I couldn't fit into this article,I already have "10 (More!) Free Online Tools Every Designer Should Know" written!
CP says that whether I get to write those is predicated on how popular this first one turns out. So, if you like this article and want to see more like it, please share the link around and get your colleagues, friends, clients--heck, even your parents--to come visit and drop a comment and/or click the rating at the top of the article.
EPS Logos of the World
Download thousands of logos from Best Brands of the World in EPS format. Also some fonts and photos are available. Great resource.
EPS Logos of the World
Forgot to include: http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
bar codes and email-address disguiser
Here are two that I use occasionally:
www.barcoding.com/upc/
will make a barcode.
www.fantomaster.com/fantomasSuite/mailShield/famshieldsv-e.cgi
will translate an email address to Unicode, so you can use it on a web page without it getting picked up by spammers.
Thanks for a great article!
Thank you!
This was excellent! Thank you for sharing!
wow
thanks a bunch... some will come in hand for me to :)
Another Free tool...
I have only one advise, use Projectplace.com. It's Free, it's fantastic! Planning, document management, online meetings...
/Pat the cat
pixels to em
http://pxtoem.com
to make conversion a looooot easier
Another free tool
dafont.com has some decent fonts. The auto kerning is often something to be desired, but for free.
WhatTheFont
It is also available as an App for the iPhone. Works great. The one thing you do need to do is have the photo straight and clear.
'nother freebee
filehero.com - another great video conversion utility online
A tip and another useful site
I use What the Font regularly because it is built into CorelDRAW, and it has never let me down. One tip: if you have a less than optimal image to sample, try sampling only one distinct character. Works more often than not when sampling a whole word gave me no result or an incorrect result. Another favorite site for great high quality letterpress ornaments, many of them free: Briar Press (www.briarpress.org).
Textures, vectors & fonts
Great starter list, and I hope for many more to come. Like I assume most of us, I've been developing my own list of free online resources, but am always on the lookout for more.
Some from my list...
A couple great free texture sites:
http://cgtextures.com/, http://free-textures.got3d.com/index.html
A couple free vector (& more) art/icon sites:
http://www.vecteezy.com/, http://www.fordesigner.com/
& a couple favorite free font sites (favorite because they feature higher quality fonts, arranged by category):
http://www.fontsquirrel.com/, http://www.urbanfonts.com/
Best article ever!
I work alone and miss the exchange of ideas that comes from an office of creatives. Thanks for this!
Tremendous resources! - Thank you!
Thank you so much for the time and thought that went into this compilation.... I've explored some of the sites and already found several tools I'll be using. And thank you also to the many comments posted with additional sites!
Free font identification
Identifont is another great free site for finding fonts. There is a newish feature that allows you to enter the letters that you have if you only have, say, a company's name. It's not perfect, but it gives you a place to start, and the list of similar fonts can be very helpful.
Liquid Planner
Liquid Planner no longer seems to have a free plan past the 30-day trial.
You can also try free trail of Timesheet Software
Timesheet Software by Replicon provides complete solution for employee time tracking, expense and employee scheduling needs.
You can try free trail or visit The Timesheet Blog.
More free online tool at OfficeClip
OfficeClip provides suite of online enterprise software such as
Business Contact Manager,
Issue and Bug Tracker,
Web Timesheet and other applications.
Use it free for 2 users or visit OfficeClip Small Business Blog.
workingpoint
Hey, great post. WorkingPoint also has free online invoices and bookkeeping for web desginers.
liquid planner charges
Liquid Planner looks good, but these days there is no free LP, but there is a 30 day trial period. After that there are different choices, including $25/month.
Going with software, I think.
10 free online tools
This is one of the best and most practical article I've read in al ong time! Will check out all 10 tools.
Time Tracking Software
I would like to suggest HourDoc Time Tracking Software. It is useful for web designers who work as a freelancers. http://www.HourDoc.com is right treatment for time tracking of virtual assistants, has to be an easy-to-administer and affordable solution for Freelancers.They offer free application to Freelancers/companies less than 50 Users.
Free Logos
http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
alternative options
Pacific Timesheet is a very good tool to track the time, especially with so many added features, like California Labor law rules, etc.
free trial also available here
Pacific Timesheet Enterprise
Must-Have: Free Online Tool
1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/
2. Firebug: http://getfirebug.com/ (Web Designers / Developers)
Time Tracking, multiple projects
I'd like to find an app for logging time on various projects, wherein you could start and stop the clock for times that you switch to another project. Then, the app would total up the time fo that day. Must be a simple few clicks operation; something small and lightweight that could sit on the desktop.
Something that would work like this:
Select project.
Click START CLOCK
Click END CLOCK
Select diff project
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Ring anyone's bells?
Online timesheet
Nice thought you share it good keep it up.
Free online time clock
I use this online time clock. It is very simple tool for calculating how long you spend on jobs for clients. You can add as many different logs (jobs) that you want. You can email the times to yourself for invoicing, or they can remain forever on the server if you register.
Loo
Another one...
Freshbooks is awesome. Have you also come across a time tracking tool called 1DayLater? It's focussed around being quick and easy. An essential tool for any freelancer or consultant types who do their billing or invoicing on a per-hour or per job basis - http://1daylater.com
another suggestion
Our company is small but growing fast, and outgrew our Excel timesheets. We are now using Pacific Timesheet On-Demand (http://www.pacifictimesheet.com) for the last few months and it has really streamlined time tracking, time report and billing. We added payroll integration last month to integrate with our Lawson system, and have seen near 100% adoption across the company.
So, I would suggest to add the software on the list.
I hope this helps!
Jamil
Pacific Timesheet - Web Time Tracking Software
File sharing and design review
We saw an ad for ReviewPad here on CreativePro and it has really helped us manage our review & approval process for mockups and design comps. It give you the ability to share files with an unlimited number of clients and allows the recipients to view, comment, annotate, and approve the files. It is free and it only takes a minute to get the account setup.
Font ID
Used What the Font? last week for what I thought was an obscure font. Had my answer in seconds. Wish I had this site years ago.
Time tracking
If you prefer something simple I would propose http://mrticktock.com - intuitive time tracker with the agile spirit.
I'm using OroTimesheet
It is a great time tracking software. You can use it free for 45 days.
Great article
Thanks for this - really helpful and I've bookmarked most of the sites. More articles like this please!
Free Online Proofing Tool
One problem I overcame with the right software tool was managing client feedback and approvals. I found Approval Manager from MetaCommunications.
I've been using the free version and have been very happy with the ease of use, particularly the proofing tool itself. Worth a look.