Graphic Design With FotoJet
Remember a couple of weeks back when we talked about adding compelling images to your content without breaking the bank or the law? Well, what if you are looking for something just a wee bit more customized than stock imagery? If so, you’re in luck because in this installment of the MAC5 Social Tools Suite, we’re talking about a new graphic design app we recently got to test drive called, Fotojet.
What Is FotoJet ?
Fotojet is a “freemium” graphic design application available online. What the heck does “freemium” mean you ask? Simply put, Fotojet offers a free version of their software with limited capacities (although after reviewing the product I can say with confidence that the free version is robust and generous enough for most small business needs) and a second tier offering particular to members who pay a monthly fee. The fee is reasonable at $34.99 USD annually when you opt for an annual payment over month to month options – which is available for all you commitment phobes out there!
What you get ?
At the base level, you get a dashboard that is reminiscent of Canva’s in that everything is clearly laid out for you with template options galore, more fonts than you’ll ever use, clipart and backgrounds. In some templates you can use free stock imagery from Pixabay and in all temples you can upload images from your computer or Facebook account. You will find it particularly useful for creating collages.
Some of the options available for stylizing text include “Glow” and “Shadow” which are not always standard with other graphic design tools and are, to my mind, a welcome addition.
When you upgrade you gain access to advanced editing tools, 600+ premium templates, 300+ premium clipart images, overlays, photo effects, 30 premium fonts, shapes, frames and all new updates will be included in your account.
Value for Small Business ?
In terms of value for small businesses owners I think you can’t go wrong using the templates offered by Fotojet. To a certain degree, they’ve done most of the layout work for you. They have posters, social media headers and posts (with appropriate sizing so you don’t have to worry about that), invitations, cards, magazine covers and even banner ads. Each category has several options available and all are beautifully designed, all you need to do is customize it to suit.
You can even share your creation on social media directly from the application, or if you prefer you can download a high quality jpeg or png file to use at your leisure.
As you can see, I had some fun while checking out the application and I must admit the features on Fotojet are excellent. The best part is you will never need to worry about learning how to use Photoshop.
Final Thoughts
To sum up: Fotojet offers an easy to use platform for non-designers to create marketing material that will impress their bosses and customers. The free version is nice and simple to use but you can get more for a totally reasonable price should you choose to upgrade.