Many designers can’t afford to pay licenses for several platforms to get all the necessary fonts and design resources. Sadly, no matter if you’re working on websites, posters, or branding projects, you quickly realize how often you have to use unique fonts to improve your work.
In other words, investing in licenses on a couple of websites doesn’t make any sense, especially for people just establishing themselves. Luckily for you, there are ways you can find more resources completely free with a bit of know-how and effort.
Today we will talk about how you can access more fonts without investing a lot of money. As a designer, you need to be creative throughout the whole process and not just during the actual designing part.
Use free font & design websites
Yes, some paid platforms have unique fonts, but this means that only some free options are such. Many offer quality design resources and elements you can use in your daily work. Thousands of professionals worldwide use these platforms to make money, and they do it successfully.
Don’t reject the idea of using free fonts right away. There’s a long way to go before you’ve run out of unique fonts. Some of the best platforms you can use are Fontdesk, Creativetacos, FontSpace, DaFont, Dribbble, Behance, Font Bundles, and Google Fonts.
Whether you’re looking for fonts for commercial or personal projects, you can find them on these websites. Most of these platforms don’t even require you to register before you can start downloading, so you’ll be able to find what you need in a matter of minutes.
The same rules apply to other design resources, including sites like Unsplash, Pexels, Blush, Flaticon, Coverr, Mazwai, etc.
Use a VPN
Now that we’ve mentioned the platforms you should be using, let’s dig a little deeper. Some of these platforms are entirely free, while others give you a limited number of monthly downloads. However, you probably want unlimited access and don’t want to worry about when you’re downloading and what.
Luckily, there’s a simple solution for this – you can use a free VPN tool. Virtual private networks are tools you can use to browse the web more securely, but the most important thing here is that they can change or hide your IP address.
Since these platforms limit the number of downloads based on visitors’ IP, a VPN lets you download as much as you want. When you’ve run out of downloads, change your IP using a VPN, and you can get your favorite fonts.
Keep up with promotions and free offers
Many of these platforms and other design resources offer special promotions and free giveaways of products and design elements. You should follow them on social media and consider signing up for their newsletter.
You can always stay updated with these two channels and get the latest news. That also includes special offers and free giveaways where you can get many new fonts and other design elements. It’s always a good idea to engage with the designers’ community as people and organizations like sharing valuable information and resources.
You might get some of the newest and latest assets nobody else has for free. It can give you an advantage as a designer and help you create the latest visuals everyone is looking for. Impress your clients and establish yourself as a professional.
Think outside of the box
Everyone has heard about at least two or three of the font platforms we mentioned earlier. It’s pretty much a standard, and everyone uses these sites. Some people have free versions, while others pay for their design resources – but did you know that you can actually find more exciting websites if you look a bit harder?
People often get into a creative bubble in design and art, using the same creative approaches and elements to do their work.
However, there are a lot of local websites that offer fonts you can search for to find new typefaces. For example, you can use a VPN and set your location to some foreign country. Once you’ve done that, search for websites that offer the same materials.
You’ll likely find sites that are known in that country only. If necessary, translate the pages once you visit them and go through the fonts. That’s how you can find less-known but unique fonts. At the same time, some of these sites block foreign users, but with a VPN, you won’t have those kinds of problems.
Conclusion
You don’t have to pay for design materials if you still can’t afford them. Use the advice we’ve shared with you today, and we guarantee you will be short on interesting fonts, logos, photos, etc. With this approach, you will likely find unique elements that will help you make your work stand out even more.
Good luck!
