In business, we’re always looking for the quickest, most convenient way for us to get the job done. Not only fast but professionally and with a good end product. We’ve used a LOT of systems over the years and thought we’d share some of our favourites with you.

They’ll stop you from having to chop and change the ways you do things (hopefully).

1. Canva

Canva’s awesome features make it easy to turn your ideas into stunning designs. Search for the best graphics, photos, and fonts, then use Canva’s drag and drop tool to create a design. It’s that simple. Whether your next design project is a creative collage, a social media graphic or even a web mockup – Canva’s features make it possible for anybody to create amazing designs quickly and professionally.

Free and paid versions are available so Canva is great for any budget. We really rate the free version as it does so much.

2. Buffer

Buffer has been around for a long time and is loved and trusted by a whole host of businesses to schedule, reply, and analyse their business on Social media. It’s simple format allows you to schedule on multiple platforms at the same time but ALSO allows you to tweak each post so you’re not putting too many hashtags on Facebook, or linking out of Facebook. (They don’t like that)

Buffer is simple in it’s design and easy to work with, making social media what it was intended for – fun.

If you’re just starting out, the free option is great to use but if your a growing business or are already inn your prime, the paid versions will fit you like a glove. There really is an option for everyone.

3. TinyPNG

Oh, how we love TinyPNG. It really is helpful in our industry to make sure we’re not making the backend of a website heavy with graphics and pictures.

TinyPNG uses smart lossy compression techniques to reduce the file size of your PNG files. By selectively decreasing the number of colors in the image, fewer bytes are required to store the data. The effect is nearly invisible but it makes a very large difference in file size!

This can help keep your website super fast as it uploads to the end user.

Need to upload less than 20 pictures? Opt for the free version. Need more than 20 images and fast? check out the Pro version.

4. Smartmockups

Depending how many product mock ups you’re looking to do, there is a package for everyone. Work alone and only need a few mock-ups? Opt for free. Work in a team and need to work together, they’ve got a package for that too. packages range form free to £32 per month.

So, what is Smartmockups?

It’s the ability to show you and you customers what their visions would look like in real life. How their website would look on a laptop, how a coffee cup would look with their logo printed on, how a lorry would look with their company details. You get the picture (See what we did there? Get the picture. Never mind).

There are so many possibilities to help bring your dreams alive that we throughly recommend you check it out if you think pre-product visuals would help your business.

5. Responsive Design Checker

Internet is no longer limited to desktop devices of times gone by. Rather, users access the internet from their home, tablets, and phones. Responsive design gives your website the flexibility to attractively display content regardless of device size.

So, what is Responsive Design?

Responsive design is a technique where the design literally responds to its environment. Website content is automatically adjusted for optimal viewing based on device size. No matter the device, a user will see a layout optimized for their screen. Added bonus? Google improves your page ranking when your design is responsive! Win Win.

It’s important to stay up-to-date with the most popular screen sizes and resolutions when designing web and mobile sites. We all know how frustrating it can be when you’re trying to find information on your phone and the website doesn’t fit the screen. Responsive Design Checker can help stop that happening to YOUR website.