A version of this first appeared on CUinsight.com.
I’m always on the lookout for useful tools. As a department of one, I’m short on time, but have plenty to do. Here are three (plus a half more) of my favorite tools:
Wordmark.it: For finding the ideal typeface.
Don’t let anyone tell you fonts aren’t important. A great typeface is what holds your marketing materials together. Wordmark.it allows you to see how a word looks in all the fonts that are installed on your computer. See them on a white background, black background, all lowercase or all caps. This is a great way to find a new font, or isolate a word that you want to stand out in your materials. Here’s one I did using “credit union.”
- Canva: For designing simple graphics.
I am not trained as a graphic designer, so I don’t know all the tricks of the trade. I don’t use Canva all the time, because it does have limitations. I use it for quick social media graphics, flyers or simple invitations. Upload your own photo or choose from free backgrounds, photos and tons of graphical elements. Here’s a quick graphic I did with one of my photos.
3. Colorhex.com: For finding the “right” colors.
Starting a design from scratch? Find hex colors, RGB, tints, complementary and monochromatic colors, plus more.
3.5 Feed.ly: For managing information overload.
It’s not really a tool…but a way to wrestle your your crowded inbox. Feed.ly is a news aggregate that allows you to quickly glance at all the news important to you. Use the RSS feed to customize what you want to see, without jamming your inbox with a ton of emails.And these tools are all free…what are some your favorite tools or websites?
One Kansas Girl 
Great post! As a fellow department-of-one, I am a fan (and user) of Canva and will definitely have to check out those others! A less technical tool I rely on heavily on is using the Bullet Journal method for task organization.
Wow! This is embarrassing…replying back to you almost a FULL month after you left your comment! Eeek! I will have to see what this Bullet Journal is all about…I could use a little more organization in my life, besides post it notes!