PrintPlace.com Blog

455+ Random Brushes for Unusual Design Needs

PrintPlace.com — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:06:27 +0000

Are you in the mood for a Photoshop brush roundup to elicit creativity? Or do you need a very unique brush for your next project? You may be able to find just what you need in the collection below. No matter if you are planning to use these brushes on posters for online printing or for a website design, the following free sets of brushes can be used for any graphic design purpose.

Over 455 brushes are included in the packs below; some contain a mere 1-5 brushes, while others boast over 80 brushes. Everything from light brushes to techie brushes to even cup stains and retro brushes you will find in this roundup. Some made the collection simply because they were stunning, while others jumped into the line-up on the merit of uniquity.

While this collection is a bit random (and remember, all brushes below are free!), it’s a great place to look for brushes you may otherwise have never come across. Who knows? Maybe one of them will be part of what makes a future project a huge hit with your client!

DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used only to inspire and to provide design resources to our readers.

Ultimate Brush Pack 5

With 87 brushes included, you are sure to find what you need in this incredible pack!

Vector Drip Brushes by Mandy Floss

These 8 brushes allow you to create funky circles and drips in your designs. Contact the designer for commercial use.

Bokeh Brushes by Murder Angel

Give your designs a bokeh look with this quality brush.

8 Bit Brushes by ContaminateDDirt

Despite the name, this pack contains 7 brushes. All have a grunge, pixelated look to them.

Glowing Butterfly Brushes

18 butterflies that glow are included in this set. Give your designs an ethereal look! Be sure to contact the designer for commercial use.

Fake Glitter Brushes by Cacaborges

Need to add some glitter and glam to a project? These 7 free brushes should do the trick.

Fortune Brushes by ShiftJ

Add some good fortune to your designs with this set of 25 brushes. Be sure to contact the designer for commercial use, though.

Kinetic Brush Set by ShiftyJ

This is a beautiful collection 15 abstract grunge brushes, but ask for permission before using commercially.

Euphoria Brushes by ShiftyJ

This amazing set of 24 brushes is free for commercial with credit to the designer.

Siomoi – Marble Brush Set by Boyingopaw

Lost your marbles? Use this pack of 55 marble brushes instead!

Cup Stains by Photoshop Tutorials

With 105 brushes in this splatter pack, you will never have to create your own cup stains again!

Skin and Cosmetic Brushes by KeepWaiting

These three brushes are for non-commercial use, but think of how amazing you can make your skin look in family photos.

Halftone by env1ro

These 11 halftone brushes are quite popular, boasting over 60K downloads on this site!

8 Nasa Space & Nebula Brushes

These 8 high resolution brushes make creating realistic space designs easy.

Tech Brushes by reheadstock

Get technical with your projects using this high resolution pack of 23 brushes.

Feather Brushes by DollieFlesh-Stock

This beautiful package of feather brushes will make creating realistic feathers a breeze!

Tech Brushes Set v2 by Z-Design

Another set of tech brushes, this one contains 30 quite original designs.

Risingsun Brushes by JavierZhX

These 28 rising sun brushes can add quite a bit of pizzazz to an otherwise boring background.

Retr0 Brushes by vwake

Give your art a retro look with these incredibly detailed 50s style brushes.

See any favorites? Anything else we should have included? Be sure to drop us a line to let us know!

Excellent Christmas Ads for Inspiration

PrintPlace.com — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:06:53 +0000

It’s Christmas time and you’re thinking about launching some advertising. Where do you start?! Postcards, posters, brochures? This collection of ads range from the funny to the thought-provoking across several print mediums to get your inspiration kick-started.

Central to the purpose of advertising around Christmas is to connect the brand with the positive message and feelings we associate with Christmas. Sometimes this is easier said than done. Check out how these clever ads tie the brand to the Christmas spirit and leverage their advertising dollars.

DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used only to inspire and to provide design resources to our readers.

Omino Bianco Washing Powder add-on: Laundry before Christmas

Santa should have used a laundry detergent that wouldn’t wash out his outfit! A great ad that ties the product to Christmas and communicates how it can solve a problem, too.

Christmas Tree Decorations

Feeding the poor is the mission of Münchner Tafel, and the holidays are a great time of the year to spread the message.

However You Dress It Up

The Churches Advertising Network, based out of the UK, launched this campaign to reconnect the message of “Christmas starts with Christ”.

Christmas Tree

International Vineries commissioned this piece. The grape vines in the shape of a Christmas tree are a wonderful way to connect their brand to the Christmas spirit.

Coca Cola: Snow Globes

What’s Christmas without a Coke commercial? Once again, Coca Cola hits an ad out of the park with this interesting snow globe concept.

M&M: Happy Holidays

Rudolph gets a new nose, much to the chagrin of the red M&M. A clever ad with the brand front and center. Hard to beat it.

Suzuki Swift: Christmas

A visually interesting piece that says “fun and exciting.” Good color choice focuses the eye on the subject while still being a very interesting ad with lots of detail.

Le Mall: Save Christmas

A striking design that grabs attention and connects with a tender message of giving back.

Mercedes-Benz: Christmas Tree

This ad does a great job of making you stop and take in the piece without making the brand the highlight. Simple but effective.

Jeep: Christmas Tree

Connecting their brand with the wild outdoors has been a hallmark of Jeep for awhile, but managing to do that alongside a Christmas ad can be tough. Well done!

Rubik’s Cube

This edgy ad makes you cringe and smile at the same time, all the while integrating a Christmas theme.

What other Christmas ads have you seen that inspire you, make you smile, or make you stop and think?

Best Free Christmas Vectors for Holiday Design

PrintPlace.com — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:50:47 +0000

It’s Christmas and vectors are the easiest file types to work with simply because you can use them on anything from postcards to greeting cards or even your website. This collection runs the gammut of designs from fun to stylized and everything in between.

When designing with vectors, use the files in this collection to build out your design. For example, use a character from the Christmas Themed Sketch Vectors with some icons from the Christmas icons pack. Just add a Christmas background and any typography elements and you are ready to send the design in for custom greeting card printing! Enjoy and don’t forget to thank the designers who made these available for free!

DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used only to inspire and to provide design resources to our readers.

Christmas Themed Sketch Vectors

This collection of about a dozen vectors has adorable characters in a sketchpad-looking theme. The shapes are easy to use and make for cute designs.

Source | Download

Christmas Icons

This collection has more than 30 icons that can be used for just about any Christmas design project. From Santa to Snowmen, this batch has just about everything.

Source | Download

Christmas Balls

These ornaments are truly stunning. With a little bit of color work, you can brand them to be your own!

Source | Download

Stylized Vector Christmas Tree Set

Here’s a wonderful collection worthy of being the centerpiece of your design. With about a dozen elements to work with, these stunning vectors are easy to use to get your designs to pop.

Source | Download

Vector Christmas Tree

This roundup of Christmas trees and shapes make for fun designs and have limitless uses. Great for quickly stylizing a design.

Source | Download

Christmas XP

These glossy icons are awesome for adding simple, yet exciting Christmas themes to your designs. A top-rated design for good reason.

Source | Download

Christmas Vector Set

Decorate your own tree! Start with a base tree from this collection and use the included decorations to build your own tree from scratch!

Source | Download

Christmas Card

Here’s another wonderful Christmas tree vector that can easily take center stage of your design. Use it as is or modify it for your designs.

Source | Download

Gingerbread Cookies Vector

A great way to avoid any Christmas/Hanakkuk/Holidays clashes is to stick with fun themes that work across all holiday greetings. This gingerbread collection makes a great base for your designs — just add captions and a background, and you’re done!

Source | Download

Christmas Sketch

Another fun sketch set, these vectors are great standing alone or in addition to other sketchy designs on this page.

Source | Download

Beautiful Snowflake Vector Templates

These gorgeous snowflake designs will make any Christmas project look both magical and professional.

Source | Download

What resources have you been using? Any amazing Christmas vectors we should include here?

Brighten Up Brochures with 150+ Incredible Brushes

PrintPlace.com — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:04:38 +0000

Sometimes your design for brochures just needs a little extra something. While you don’t want to overdo it, a subtle touch can take a brochure printing project to the next level. The below collection contains hundreds of brushes you can use to brighten up your brochures with stunning lighting effects.

DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used only to inspire and to provide design resources to our readers.

Shimmer Brush by LightSeer

Pack of Abstract Brushes by Rubina119

Light Beams + Rays Brushes by RedHeadStock

14 Great Abstract Photoshop Brushes for Light Effects by Amix

Streaks of Light by Colorburned

Energy Light Effects by WeGraphics

Fantasy Lighting Brush Kit by KeepWaiting

Delicate Praie Brushes by DifferentXDreeamz

Light II by ShadyMedusa-Stock

Ribbon Brushes by Rozairo

46 Photoshop Light Effect Brushes by Colorburned

Light Rays by Spirit Sighs

Light Waves Photoshop Brushes by AllFreeBrush

50 HD Light Photoshop Brushes by AllFreeBrush

Sparkling Light Effects by Web Designer Depot

Dream Light PS BRushes by CJJ675

Blue Light by Syan-jin

Magic Light by Alex-Zhang

Raging Dawn Brushes by Axeraider70

13 Useful Swirl and Flower Vectors

PrintPlace.com — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:48:57 +0000

Flowers make excellent backgrounds or even key elements for postcards or greeting cards’ backgrounds or borders. This collection runs the range of flower vectors from swirls and curls to realistic designs. Many of these are packs containing dozens of vectors perfect for adding a floral touch to posters.

DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used only to inspire and to provide design resources to our readers.

Cute Flower Vector Graphics by Vector Genious

Fancy Flowers Floral Oval Frame by TattooDonkey

Vectors Flowers by Jay Hilgert

Swirl Flower Vector 1 by T-2-m

Floral Flower Vectors by ZatStyles

Flowers ‘n Plants Vector Set by Dragon Art

JC Flower Vectors 1 by Josey’s

Vector Flower by Free Vector Images

Flower Vector Patterns by FileVector

Flower Silhouettes by Jay Hilgert

Vector Abstract by OrnamentVector