Thursday, 21 November 2019

AD Making the most of free resources

As a freelancer, there are many different resources that I need access to. In traditional employment, the company tends to pay for software and programmes to make your job easier but as a freelancer, that rests on you and you alone. For example, photo editing software and design creation software can be reeeeaaaalllly expensive and if it's only a minor part of your job, as it is for me, it isn't always worth splashing out on it!


Managing your money as a freelancer can be difficult - you've got all these things to think about like stashing money away to pay your tax bill, and putting money in your pension so when you're old and wrinkly you're still able to survive. They're just absolutely not things we're taught about in school, either, so you're relying on trial and error or stories from those who've been doing it longer than you. But you also want to go on holiday and eat out with your friends and treat your loved ones at Christmas - so if you can make savings when it comes to design software, stock photos, website hosting and more then absolutely DO IT.

There are plenty of FREE softwares you can make use of as a freelancer or blogger. One of these is the site Font Bundles, who offer a huge variety of free fonts for you to use and enjoy. I thought I'd take the opportunity to show you three alternative logos for my blog that I made with fonts from Font Bundles; it's so easy to do, and allows you to explore your creative side without spending money on something that you ultimately might not end up using.




If you're looking for easy ways to create logos, or add something special to graphics you're creating for social media - such as pins for promoting blog posts on Pinterest, or making graphics for Instagram - then using free fonts is a good way of doing it. It allows you to play around with different styles and create different looks/vibes until you find exactly what it is you're after.

The fonts come with a premium license, which means you can use them for both personal (like making a poster for your new book club) and commercial (on your blog, or in a social post you're being paid for etc) use. Many free fonts don't allow you to use them for commercial use, so this is a definite bonus!

To make the above mock-up logos, I used Canva which is another free software that comes in SO handy as a blogger and social media manager. There is a free 14-day trial for the pro version, which I've tried, and it's worth it to be able to upload your own fonts - you can then just cancel the trial, and you've made some fab logos without having to spend a penny. Other free software I rely on includes Trello, Unsplash and Toggl; it's so handy to have programmes like this that help you do your job, keep track of what needs doing/has already been done...

What free software do YOU use in your job/hobby? I'd be interested to know!

This post was written in collaboration with Font Bundles but
all words & opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more info.

12 comments:

  1. Free resources are soooo underrated! I use the free version of Canva which is absolutely banging. And VSCO x

    Jenny
    http://www.jennyinneverland.com

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  2. Ok, i had no idea i could do this, thank you so much!

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  3. I tend to use Canva for a lot of things. I find it really easy to use as I am not computer literate at all xx

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  4. Ohh this is such a great idea!

    https://littlemissmelanie.com/

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  5. I think more people should know about places like this! x

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  6. This is actually SO helpful! I love Canva but I'm always looking for more unique fonts to use, so I reckon I'll definitely be trying out Font Bundles. The logos you've made are all lovely!
    Beth x Adventure & Anxiety

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  7. I found this post really interesting - blogging is a rather expensive hobby, so I love finding out about various free resources. Canva is my go-to whenever I need to make some graphics - it's absolutely amazing!

    Dominika | Into the Bloom

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  8. Most of the resources I use for my blog are free! I think I only pay for hosting and tailwind, everything else the free version is brilliant and does what I need it to do for now. Blogging can get expensive, even just as a hobby, so having free resources available makes it a lot easier on the bank account!
    Bella x

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  9. I genuinely use canva as a resource or bugger for anything so this was a really interesting post to read x

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  10. These are so helpful, I have Photoshop so don't need to use free resources but they're really handy for so many bloggers!

    Gemma Louise

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