We asked 20 of today’s top designers and illustrators what advice they’d give to fellow creatives just starting out. Here’s what they said.
The Best Creative Advice from Today’s Top Illustrators and Designers
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What Makes a Great Icon Set?
If you’re contributing multiple icons to Noun Project around a certain topic or theme, here are the top design considerations to help you create a cohesive and unified set.
5 Easy Tips for Building a Powerful Photography Portfolio
Learn how to create a photography portfolio that pops.
Business Communication: Guide to Visual Storytelling
This guide will explore the importance of visual storytelling and the tools you’ll need to elevate your presentations with diverse and compelling icons and images.
Grouping and Proximity in Graphic Design: The Art of Visual Organization
Learn how the principles of grouping and proximity can help make your graphic design compositions more scannable and clear.
Black Women Photographers and Noun Project Partner to Celebrate the Work of Creators Around the World
Our new editorial series will highlight the stories of outstanding Black and African photographers who are members of the Black Women Photographers Community.
8 Productivity Tools for Creative Freelancers
Check out our roundup of top tools for staying organized, tracking tasks, and managing projects for peak personal productivity.
Graphic Design Principles: Rhythm, Repetition, and Pattern
Learn how rhythm, repetition, and pattern can make your designs both more digestible and more dynamic.
Design Icons: Dan Goods, Artist & Creative Director
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
How to Use Inclusive Language for Image Titles and Tags
Learn how we approach photo tagging at Noun Project and get tips for implementing inclusive language in your work.
Graphic Design Principles: Balance and White Space
Learn how to use balance and white space in your designs by distributing your elements to promote visual flow.
4 Free Photography Templates
Use these free photography templates to plan a successful shoot.
Free Photo Shoot Planners: Monthly Guides to Help You Create Stock Photos that Sell
Use Noun Project’s free photo shoot planners to create high-quality stock photos throughout the year.
How to Use Icons in Notion: A Guide to Visually Organizing Your Life
Learn how to use icons in Notion to visually organize tasks, projects, and notes for everyday use.
Free 2024 Marketing and Social Media Content Calendar
Use Noun Project’s 2024 Content Calendar to plan all your marketing and social media content needs.
Icon Design Fundamentals: Mastering Vector Editing Tools
Learn how to set yourself up for success with grid systems and vector editing tools.
How to Create Presentations that Pop
Explore these helpful resources on how to create presentations that are beautiful, memorable, and make an impact.
Design Made Simple: Getting Started with Canva and Noun Project
Canva is a free, beginner-friendly web-based design tool that allows you to quickly create amazing graphic designs with icons and other elements.
Call for Photos: Outdoors for All
Photos have the power to shape, reinforce, and change our perceptions. Join our global community of professional photographers and help us build a more inclusive world.
The Best Free Tools and Resources for Entrepreneurs and Startups
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite FREE tools and resources for design, branding, project management, and more.
Design Icons: Debbie Millman
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
The Pride Icon Collection
Noun Project launches a new collection of 30 icons dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Created in partnership with Out & Equal, Human Rights Campaign, and Canva, all icons are available for free as Public Domain.
Check Out These Design Freebies for Your Next Project
From Public Domain icon and photo collections to free editable templates, here are our top graphic design freebies to ring in the summer of 2023.
Design Icons: Timothy Goodman
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
How Conservation Photography Can Help Save The Planet
Learn how photography can be used for conservation efforts this Earth Month with inspiration from three amazing conservation photographers.
How to Create a Design System in Figma
Save time by tracking and organizing your most common design assets and making them components in Figma.
Explore the Unusual: Noun Project’s Most Wild & Whimsical Visuals
We’re opening a new Pandora’s Box of possibilities this April Fool’s Day, with only the most wild, weird, and whimsical of icons and photos from our collection.
Design Icons: Justina Blakeney
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
How to Create a Brand Style Guide
Learn how to store and organize your assets with clear usage rules – and how Lingo can make brand management a breeze.
Canva x Noun Project: Create with Icons for Everything
Canva users now have access to a curated selection of icons from Noun Project to add to their creations.
Craft and Hobby Inspiration: DIY Design Beyond the Screen
We’ve been rounding up our favorite examples of creators stepping beyond the screen and getting crafty with icons.
Design Icons: Lisa Congdon
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
DIY Holiday Gift Boxes
All you need is a printer, glue, and a precision knife to make these delightfully minimal paper gift boxes.
Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year
Welcome to the Magentaverse with Viva Magenta.
Winter Color Palette Inspiration
Get inspired for your next project with Noun Project’s favorite winter color palettes.
Holiday Icon and Photo Collections
Celebrate winter holidays and ring in the New Year with festive icons and photos.
How to Make Custom Designs on Zazzle with Noun Project Icons
Add a more personalized flare to your holiday shopping this year by customizing gifts on Zazzle with icons!
Combatting Ageism: How to Better Represent Older People Visually
Learn how to create images that better represent older individuals living full, vibrant lives.
Words of Wisdom from Today’s Top Illustrators and Designers
Check out these helpful tips from some of the top creatives shaping the future of the industry.
How to Use Icons in Design: UX and UI Best Practices
Here are the do’s and don’ts of using icons effectively in your user interface designs.
43 Symbols and Meanings in Graphic Design
Learn some of the most common symbols and their meanings, and see how you can successfully implement universal symbols into your graphic design.
48 Graphic Design Quotes for Encouragement
Need some inspiration for your next project — or a laugh? These graphic design quotes are perfect to get your creative juices flowing or to send to your client.
EPS File Definition + How To Open One
If you’re looking to get something printed professionally, you may be considering an EPS file format. Here’s what you need to know.
RGB vs. CMYK: Understanding the Differences
When it comes to RGB vs. CMYK, what’s the difference? These color modes are best for different design formats — RGB for digital work and CMYK for print.
Best File Type for Printing in 2022
There are a lot of file types, but which one is really the best file type for printing? Learn which file type is right for you and your printing needs.
How to Create Minimalist Geometric Designs with Tim Boelaars
The Amsterdam-based designer and illustrator shares his tips for making clean, consistent, minimal geometric designs using grid systems in Illustrator.
What Are Royalty-Free Images? + How to Use Them
What are royalty-free images? This guide will help you understand royalty licensing and how to properly use royalty-free images in your next blog post.
41 Good Color Combinations + How to Create Your Own
Good color combinations are used in a variety of contexts, from web design to branding. Understand the basics and see examples to inspire your own color choices.
How to Build a Creative Career with Headspace Lead Product Designer Frank Bach
Frank Bach is Lead Product Designer at Headspace. We caught up with Frank to learn more about his career path, approach to creative collaboration, and key advice for new designers.
Representing Disability with Jake Hytken of Snap Inc.
Jake “JP” Hytken, DEI & ERG Engagement Manager for Snap Inc., helped Snap introduce the first wheelchair Bitmojis – and shares his tips on how people can better represent disability in design.
What Is a Vector Graphic? + How To Use One
Vector graphics are composed of lines, curves and dots that are based on mathematical formulas created through design software.
Top Infographic Examples + How To Create an Infographic in 5 Steps
Need some infographic inspiration? Learn how to create interesting visuals with our favorite infographic examples and an easy five-step process.
An Introduction to Sketchnoting with Jen Giffen
Learn how to create visual notes for deeper learning and retention.
Raster vs. Vector: Understanding File Formats for Design
Raster and vector graphic file formats both offer advantages and disadvantages. Learn about the differences between raster vs. vector and how to use them effectively.
Microinteractions in UI Design: How to Animate Icons in Figma
Animate your user interface design with Noun Project in Figma using these tips.
7 Tips to Create Beautiful Stock Photos That Sell
Whether you’re a photographer who is well-versed in stock photo practices or someone who is curious on where to begin, follow these tips to create bestselling images.
The Golden Rules of Presentation Design
Read our tips about how to make your presentation designs more visually powerful, using PowerPoint, Google Slides and more
How to Create Icon Effects in Figma
Step beyond flat design and add dimension to your icons with neumorphic effects in Figma.
Nature & Outdoor Photo and Icon Collections
Celebrate nature and outdoor recreation with stunning photo and icon collections on Noun Project.
10 Tips for Creating Stunning Portraits
From candid shots to planned photo sessions, elevate your portrait game with these easy tips.
Master the Basics of Icon Design with Adrien Coquet
Learn icon design basics in Adobe Illustrator from French Graphic Designer Adrien Coquet.
Types of Illustration Techniques
Learn about the history of illustration and different analog or digital illustration techniques.
Using the Rule of Thirds in Graphic Design
Learn how to use the rule of thirds in design as a simple way to bring a greater sense of visual balance into the frame, while consciously directing the viewer’s attention to key elements.
How to Make a Pattern in Photoshop
Discover how to make a repeating pattern in Photoshop with icons, gradient fills, and other Photoshop effects.
A Guide to Using Images and Photos For Powerpoint
Learn some of the best tips for using images and photos in PowerPoint to make better presentations.
Photographer Spotlight: Carol Highsmith
Capturing the beauty of America for 40 years.
Free Resources for Teachers
Use these free templates to create engaging, highly visual educational materials with Noun Project icons.