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 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.
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.