The website that I am going to introduce this time is called "Peeps." It is a website that specializes in generating Q version 3D personal avatars. The images produced on this website can be used completely free of charge for personal or commercial use. On the website, you can automatically generate 3D images, and you can make fine adjustments to the facial features and styling of the image. When you download and save the image, you can get two 1000x1000 pixel PNG files at once, one with a background and the other without, which can be used in different situations. Additionally, neither of these images will have watermarks. Lastly, I want to remind you that even though "Peeps" provides free downloads, they cannot be resold.
Artvee
Artvee is a website that specializes in collecting artworks from around the world, and focuses on collecting painting artworks that belong to public property. This means that the artworks on this website can be used for personal and commercial use, and do not need to be marked for the source. The website not only allows users to search for artworks by keywords, but also to find artworks by category, such as paintings, murals, illustrations, posters, etc. The website also provides high-resolution images for users to download for free. The website's way of earning revenue is that if users want to download the highest resolution images, they will have to pay a fee to them, so that they can continue to maintain the website, which means spending money to save you the time of collecting artworks.
Feedrabbit
In the past, before the era of social networks, RSS was a convenient tool. It allowed you to subscribe to a website's real-time updates, similar to a mailbox concept, that let you subscribe to many websites' latest news. This service usually required you to go to a specific website to read the subscribed website's articles. At the same time, the subscription method also had a newsletter service. Now, "FeedBurner" combines the two by subscribing to articles through email and it's a free service. After registering, just enter the website address you want to subscribe to and then select the email frequency, you can easily access the information you want.
GhostlyStock
Recently, there are more and more images created by AI and more tools to generate them, from free to paid, and even tools that are specifically extended for specific themes. This kind of tool only needs the user to enter a text description, and the AI can automatically create an image. The online tool that I want to introduce to you this time is "GhostlyStock AI" This free website also creates images with AI, but it uses a search method to find AI images that have been created. Once you enter the website, first select the style, which include Photo, illustration, Render, etc. Currently, there is no copyright restriction, but the resolution of the downloaded image is low, which is more suitable for use on the internet.
時短だ
This is a material website from Japan, "Shigoto" which contains various types of design materials, all of which are free to download. The website provides four file formats to download, including vector formats SVG and Ai, as well as raster formats JPG and PNG. The website also provides an online editing tool for users who do not have graphic design software installed. Users can modify the image's single color or apply other color combinations automatically, change the image's size, and add text. The text can be customized with color, size, line spacing, and horizontal or vertical alignment, also support Chinese input. Although the website is free to use, if a single use exceeds 20 materials, you need to indicate the source of these materials. It's a very generous material website.
OSGL
Feeling tired of designing? Let's play some games. The website "OSGL" (Open Source Games List) is a collection of open source games and 311 game simulators and tools. It has over 1000 games and each game has an introduction and is sorted into categories. This website is an online database completed by many volunteers and it is a convenient place to find information about open source games. Some games can be downloaded directly or played online or through a link to the game's original developer's website. You can also check the latest development progress of the game. It's also nice to play small games during breaks. Oh, by the way, there's a G-EIGHT game exhibition in Taipei from December 9th to 11th, 2022, where independent game creators and players can exchange ideas, so you might want to check it out.
Icônes
Icons are an important aspect of design. A piece of work can be made more refined by adding small icons to the small details, making the overall refinement level rise to a new level. The website "Icônes" collects hundreds of sets of open-source icon sets, with a total of tens of thousands of icons. The website design is simple and clear, with a large number of icon combinations available upon entering. You can download individual icons or whole batches, each of which will have detailed instructions. There are many types of formats to download, and the most important is the vector SVG file. They also provide icon font packages, and if you are doing web design, you can use external links to use it. "Icônes" also provides a black background mode for you to switch, making it easy to view the icon's state in a whitewashed situation. You can download and use it without registering as a member.
Branding Style Guides
Many students in design departments will face the task of designing a corporate identity system for a brand during their school years. If you have seen a lot of corporate identity examples, designing will become more comfortable. This time, I would like to introduce the website "Branding Style Guides", which contains a lot of design specifications from companies around the world, with over a thousand copies. We can find the corresponding brand guidelines in the website's database through keyword search, even advanced search by document language or the country of the company, etc. By registering for a free account, you can directly download these corporate identity system documents in PDF format, which is very suitable for use as a reference when formulating documents.
PikWizard
PikWizard offers millions of free commercial-use photos, with over a million high-quality photo materials that can be used for commercial purposes for free, without having to label the original author or photo source, using the CC0 license. In addition, this website provides a lot of video materials, you can preview the video directly on the website, and you can choose different resolutions to download. The highest can reach 4K high-definition resolution. In addition to using search to find the material you want, PikWizard can also quickly find similar materials with the website's default keywords. As for the video license, it is the same as the photo material, and you can use it for personal or commercial use for free without registering an account, and you can directly download and use it.
Picreator
Picreator is a powerful AI image generation tool. Like other similar services, such as Midjourney, it can create realistic photos and art illustrations through its powerful, intelligent AI. By inputting descriptions of the image you want into the Picreator website (currently only supporting English input), the AI can create four beautiful images in about 20 seconds. This platform greatly reduces the threshold for beginners, mainly by compiling several commonly used AI drawing subjects into a drop-down web menu. Users first choose the type of image they want to produce, such as photos, illustrations, graphics, games, and concept designs, and then select sub-options based on the main topic, such as painting style, scene, and imitating the style of a certain artist. Then, you can produce the desired image. Currently, free accounts have limitations on the number of images that can be produced, but you can also upgrade by paying a monthly fee to unlock more refined images.
Designevo
Designevo is an online tool that helps you design a logo quickly. By selecting the category, you can quickly find the type of logo you need, such as clothing store, bookstore, restaurant, etc. After choosing the category, enter your brand name and you will be presented with hundreds of logo styles to choose from. Designevo offers a free version, but it has some limitations, such as no original files, and image resolution is only 300x300 pixels. Of course, by paying, you can get advanced services from DesignEvo, the highest level version of the fee is about $50, you can get the logo in the original vector format and the font files of the trademark, and you can edit the trademark freely in the future.
Regarding trademark legality, first, you need to pay for official website authorization. Then, in Taiwan, the image and text parts are separate. Registering text trademarks is relatively simple, but if the image similarity is too high, it cannot be registered as a trademark. Jieidv has tested that the logos designed on the platform and searched for online using images are rarely registered as trademarks. It is more suitable for start-up companies or online sellers to use. First, register the text trademark, then use Designevo to quickly create a professional trademark to enhance the corporate image. After the company's profits are stable, find a professional designer to design a new logo and register a trademark. This is a transitional method. In addition, there is an exclusive discount code for Jieidv in cooperation with the official website. Readers can register through the link and enter the code "JieidvDE" to get a 20% discount.
Happy Hues
This is an online color reference website that contains 17 sets of color schemes. Each set contains five colors and a background color combination. Clicking on a color scheme will show you its application effect on the website. The color code of each color element used will be labeled and can be copied by clicking on the color. In addition to color schemes, the website also shares some explanations of color terms, such as hue, saturation, brightness, chroma, and common scenes and uses for each color. For example, red is a very emotional and visually strong color that can affect the body's metabolism, breathing, heart rate and make people feel hungry. Red is also very eye-catching, so it is often used by fast food chains. This website is a good resource for novice designers.