Website design is essential to attracting and making a good first impression on prospective clients, whether you are designing websites, mobile applications, or social media graphics. It may also help improve the user experience for existing users or customers, among many other things.
There are many fantastic and unique web design tools available these days for creating graphic designs, prototyping, and wireframing. Some are web-based or desktop-based, and some even offer web design tools in the form of mobile applications for designing on the go. If you are a beginner web designer looking for a perfect tool to start your web design career or an experienced artist wanting to explore new options, you will find it more effortless to pick your new design tool of choice after reading this blog.
5 Elements to Decide Your Website Design Tool
These are some of the essential factors to consider when searching for the right website design tool.
1. Project type and complexity
Think about the kind of design you want to achieve and whether it is likely to accomplish using the tool you are considering. Some tools may be easier to use but lack the features to create more complex design projects.
2. Ease of use
Consider how challenging the tool is and if you have the required skill level to get the most out of it. Website design tools that come with an abundance of features are also typically more difficult to operate.
3. Supported platforms
Look up what kind of operating systems and devices the design platform supports. This is another crucial factor for those working in design teams, where device types may differ from one web designer to another.
4. Collaboration tools
This factor is crucial for a web designer working with a team. Features like shared team libraries and live coediting are helpful to guarantee seamless communication and collaboration during the design process.
5. Price
Calculate and decide if the design tool you are observing is within your budget. Register the pricing system it offers, as some web design tools are available via a one-time payment while others employ a monthly or yearly subscription system.
5 Great Website Design Tools for 2023
In this section, we will discuss some of the best software regarding website design.
1. Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is a high-performing graphics editor allowing people to create such graphical designs as logos, concept art, and mockups of user interfaces. When using a vector graphics editor, people typically would have to switch to another application to design in raster. With Affinity Designer, nonetheless, users can use a combination of vector and raster web design tools in the same project. Switch between vector and raster workspaces with a single click.
Pricing-wise, Affinity Designer’s one-time payment system makes it more affordable than its competitors using a subscription-based system. Users can buy this tool for $54.99 on Windows or Mac or $19.99 on iPad. Mac and Windows users can also enjoy a 10-day free trial to test the software before buying.
2. Adobe Photoshop
In the Adobe Creative Cloud family of apps, Adobe Photoshop is a well-known raster graphics editor that has become the go-to tool for graphic designers. Photoshop was initially developed for editing photos, but it can now be used to edit videos and develop user interfaces as well. It has extensive photo retouching capabilities. Using editing methods like spot healing, dodge or burn, and frequency separation, users can achieve various effects such as teeth whitening, spot removal, and color boosting.
Adobe offers a 7-day free trial, though users must provide their credit card information in order to do so. There are two pricing plans for Photoshop: Monthly at $31.49/month and Yearly at $20.99/month when billed monthly or $239.88/year when billed upfront. The application runs on Windows and macOS, as well.
3. Figma
Figma is a freemium web-based design tool that people use for web design projects like wireframing, prototyping, and designing user interfaces and experiences. Its strength lies in its collaborative nature, offering real-time collaboration where multiple users can edit the same file simultaneously. It also makes it more comfortable for different teams involved in the design process to connect with each other. Plus, it works seamlessly with its online whiteboard FigJam, which lets users brainstorm ideas together with diagrams and sticky notes.
Users can enjoy the free Starter plan indefinitely, but it has limited features. It offers two premium plans. Figma Professional is at $12/editor/month and Figma Organization at $45/editor/month, and both billed annually.
4. Sketch
Sketch is a desktop graphics editor for macOS often used for creating UI/UX design, interactive prototypes, and developer handoffs. This vector-based tool focuses more on web design. Sketch offers a web application so users can share and view designs or test prototypes in any browser. Viewers can leave comments next to any Artboard using the browser-based feedback tools and notify specific people using mentions. You can keep track of all the discussions using threads.
It offers two premium plans: Standard at $9/editor/month or $99/editor/year and Business, whose price is only available upon request. Sketch also provides a 30-day free trial with no credit card information required.
5. Procreate
Procreate is an award-winning raster-based graphics editor designed specifically for iOS and iPadOS. It helps create sketches, illustrations, paintings, and animations. One of its best features is its Brush Studio. The app lets users customize default brushes or create custom ones. For instance, the app’s Dual Brush feature allows users to combine two brushes to create a unique brushstroke effect. You can even sell the brush packs you make to the Procreate community.
Procreate is available for iPad users, while Procreate Pocket was designed exclusively for the iPhone. This app is one of the most affordable web design tools on this list, even though no free trial period is available.
Bottom Line
Now it is only a matter of finding out which platform fits best with your work or with your business. Decide which tool is your ideal one and use it to make the best website design.
