Resources
Tools and references for creative work
A short list of external tools and references, grouped by the job they do. These are third-party websites. GraphiSphere does not review them, and listing one is not an endorsement.
- Color tools
- Typography tools
- Design resources
- Icon resources
- Image resources
- Mockup resources
- Creative AI tools
- Productivity tools
Color tools
Palette builders, colour extraction and contrast checking.
- Adobe Color (external site, opens in a new tab)
Build palettes and extract colours from images.
- Coolors (external site, opens in a new tab)
Quick palette generation and export.
- Realtime Colors (external site, opens in a new tab)
Preview a palette on a live page layout.
- WebAIM Contrast Checker (external site, opens in a new tab)
Check text contrast against WCAG thresholds.
Typography tools
Font libraries, font identification and type inspiration.
- Google Fonts (external site, opens in a new tab)
Free open-licence fonts for web and print. Check each family’s licence.
- Fontshare (external site, opens in a new tab)
A free font library with a range of contemporary families.
- Font Squirrel (external site, opens in a new tab)
Free fonts that can be filtered for commercial use.
- Typewolf (external site, opens in a new tab)
Typography inspiration with fonts identified from real websites.
- WhatTheFont (external site, opens in a new tab)
Identify a font from an image. Works best with clear samples.
Design resources
Research, portfolios and practice material for designers.
- Nielsen Norman Group (external site, opens in a new tab)
Research-based articles on usability and interface design.
- Smashing Magazine (external site, opens in a new tab)
Long-form articles on web design and front-end practice.
- Behance (external site, opens in a new tab)
Portfolios from working creatives across many disciplines.
- Dribbble (external site, opens in a new tab)
Design shots and portfolios, useful for reference and critique.
Icon resources
Open and commercial icon sets for interfaces and print.
- Lucide (external site, opens in a new tab)
An open-source icon set with a consistent stroke style.
- Phosphor Icons (external site, opens in a new tab)
A flexible icon family with several weights.
- Heroicons (external site, opens in a new tab)
Icons designed for Tailwind-based interfaces.
- Iconify (external site, opens in a new tab)
A searchable hub for many icon sets, with licence details for each.
- The Noun Project (external site, opens in a new tab)
A large library of icons. Check the licence for each icon.
Image resources
Photography sources. Check each image’s licence before use.
- Unsplash (external site, opens in a new tab)
Free photographs under the Unsplash licence. Check terms for specific uses.
- Pexels (external site, opens in a new tab)
Free photos and video under the Pexels licence.
- Wikimedia Commons (external site, opens in a new tab)
Media under many licences. Read each file’s licence and attribution requirements.
Mockup resources
Device and product mockup tools. Check template licences and any brand imagery.
- Mockuuups Studio (external site, opens in a new tab)
Browser-based device and product mockups.
- Smartmockups (external site, opens in a new tab)
Mockups for screens, packaging and branded products.
- Placeit (external site, opens in a new tab)
Templates for mockups, logos and social graphics. Review the licence for commercial use.
Creative AI tools
Generative tools for images, video and design. Read the terms before commercial use. Some are also in our directory.
- Adobe Firefly (external site, opens in a new tab)
Adobe’s generative models. Plan allowances and terms apply.
- Midjourney (external site, opens in a new tab)
Image generation. Check commercial rights and sharing settings.
- Ideogram (external site, opens in a new tab)
Image generation with text in images. Check commercial terms.
- Runway (external site, opens in a new tab)
Generative video and AI editing tools. Plan terms apply.
Productivity tools
Planning, references and project organisation for creative work.
- Notion (external site, opens in a new tab)
Flexible workspace for briefs, calendars and documentation.
- Milanote (external site, opens in a new tab)
Visual boards for moodboards and client references.
- Eagle (external site, opens in a new tab)
Asset management for reference libraries.
- Trello (external site, opens in a new tab)
Simple board-based project tracking.