Summary:
For most people, the banking industry has a “conservative,” reserved, and buttoned-up reputation. But times are changing and banks don’t have to follow the same ol’, cookie-cutter branding that started hundreds of years ago. Today, banks are getting more creative - especially in their use of graphics and imagery. Being like everyone else doesn’t stand out or grab people’s attention. The good news is that creating captivating graphics has become so much easier with a plethora of tools available online. And we’re talking super-easy-to-use! Your marketing team can create eye-catching images that will get noticed online (and in real life) and make your bank more memorable. If you are looking to create images for bank/financial branding, then you have come to the right place.
Canva
Canva is one of the most comprehensive tools available for image creation and editing. In fact, I’ve had a personal Canva account for years and loved it so much that our office now used the paid plan for collaborating on images for our own branding and for our clients. Even at the free level, this tool offers countless templates and editing features. Anyone, from beginners or those with image editing experience, can create beautiful, eye-catching social media posts, website headers, profile cover art, and also images for print (brochures, etc.), too! One thing I love about Canva is they have pre-set dimensions for all the major social media platforms. So, if you’d like to update your LinkedIn cover art, you don’t have to worry about setting the image to the wrong dimensions and getting an oddly cropped version when you upload it. It’s ready to go!
Canva is easy to use, you don’t need any design skills, and the possibilities are endless. Their templates include posters, presentations, infographics, social media posts, newsletters, invitations, business cards, flyers, cards, letterheads and so much more.
Website: https://www.canva.com/
Pixlr
Pixlr shines when it comes to its photo editing capabilities. It really makes photo editing a breeze. It’s a great alternative to other hefty photo software, like Adobe Photoshop. This platform offers layers, filters, image retouching, digital painting, digital inking, text and fonts, and object transforming.
Website: https://pixlr.com
PicMonkey
Another great option for creating and editing attractive images is PicMonkey. I highly recommend checking out their blog, too! It has great guides for creating fantastic images. From logos and icons to social media posts, you can get it all done using this great and intuitive image creation tool. Some of the features we love are editing individual layers, the background remover, resizing, adjusting colors, and touch-up tools.
Website: https://www.picmonkey.com/
Logomakr
Like the others in this list, Logomakr is a user-friendly platform that anyone can start using, no matter how much experience they have with image designing. We especially love this tool for creating well-branded icons!
Website: https://logomakr.com/
Stencil
This tool has over 600 templates, over 1.5 million stock photos that are royalty-free (CCO), over a million icons and graphics, and many other features that make the image creation process simple and easy. Definitely check out their database of options, because they are endless!
Website: https://getstencil.com/
Snappa
Snappa is a competitor with Canva. Snappa has great templates, easy to use design features, a full database of stock photos, background remover, and so much more. So, if Canva isn’t your speed, then you might like Snappa’s set up!
Website: https://snappa.com/
RelayThat
RelayThat does a fantastic job of brand consistency. Create something once, and RelayThat will turn it into multiple pieces that you can repurpose. It works great for landing pages, social media posts, and advertisements. All you need to do is upload your brand assets (colors, fonts, logos, etc.) and RelayThat will show you different templates and designs that you can use to create incredible branding imagery.
Website: https://www.relaythat.com/
Easil
The sheer amount of templates available in the tool is mind-blowing. This is a drag-and-drop design tool that makes visual content easy to create and look professional. This tool can be used by beginners and experts. You can use basic features to create branding imagery, or designer-level features like design merging, text effects, using layers, brand locking, brand kits, and more. Amazing features like brand locking can be used to create templates that an entire team can use and stay consistent and on message.
Website: https://about.easil.com/
Your bank’s brand is what makes it identifiable and memorable. Consistency in your brand creates a sense of familiarity for your ideal customers. These tools help you not only create branded images that pop but also keep them consistent across multiple platforms. All of them are easy to use and designed for beginners to still be able to rock it out! If you’d like to learn more about how banks can use imagery most effectively across social media or even on your bank's website, be sure to check out our article here on image strategies for banks!