/ 07
Self-Care + Personal Growth
— Bags + Boxes
Clearbags
★★★★★
My must-have for creating your own branded graphics.
And I don’t say that lightly. As a designer, I have always shied away from drag-and-drop platforms like this. But I have to admit, I have slowly been converted and now even I use Canva (in addition to my design programs) to create graphics for my own brand. Not only is it user-friendly, but it’s a web-based platform with a mobile app that allows me to create content easily and from anywhere.
I personally create all of my clients’ custom brand templates for instagram in this platform and they all love it. I’ve even used it to create document templates for them (like freebies, downloadable guides or handouts). And as an approved third-party app by Facebook, you can schedule and publish posts and reels directly from Canva.
Alibaba
★★★★★
My favorite affordable mobile app for created animated stories and instagram posts.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Etsy
★★★★☆
A great mobile app to create sophisticated and modern branded graphics.
While not as robust as Canva, this is also a great tool for making instagram stories and posts using their beautiful, minimal templates. I gave it four stars because Canva is more robust and customizable, so I’d rather pay for a Canva Pro subscription. But, Unfold has a more refined aesthetic and better templates in my opinion, so it’s worth comparing the two to see which will work best for you or align best with your brand.
Uprinting
★★★★★
The only app I use to edit and create videos or reels on my phone.
I cannot say enough good things about this app. As a filmmaker, I never thought I would be able to (or want to) edit video content from my phone but this app changed all that. You can add music, transitions, text, graphics, retro effects, and record voiceovers all from this app. This is a must-have if you are creating any content for your brand.
— Embossers + Stamps
Wilshire Graphic Press
★★★★★
My must-have for creating your own branded graphics.
And I don’t say that lightly. As a designer, I have always shied away from drag-and-drop platforms like this. But I have to admit, I have slowly been converted and now even I use Canva (in addition to my design programs) to create graphics for my own brand. Not only is it user-friendly, but it’s a web-based platform with a mobile app that allows me to create content easily and from anywhere.
I personally create all of my clients’ custom brand templates for instagram in this platform and they all love it. I’ve even used it to create document templates for them (like freebies, downloadable guides or handouts). And as an approved third-party app by Facebook, you can schedule and publish posts and reels directly from Canva.
904 Custom
★★★★★
My favorite affordable mobile app for created animated stories and instagram posts.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Artisaire Pro
★★★★★
A great mobile app to create sophisticated and modern branded graphics.
While not as robust as Canva, this is also a great tool for making instagram stories and posts using their beautiful, minimal templates. I gave it four stars because Canva is more robust and customizable, so I’d rather pay for a Canva Pro subscription. But, Unfold has a more refined aesthetic and better templates in my opinion, so it’s worth comparing the two to see which will work best for you or align best with your brand.
— Tape + Tissue
Sticker Mule
★★★★★
The only app I use to edit my photos.
I’ve tried a ton of photo editing apps with customizable sliders, filters and presets, but nothing comes close to Lightroom’s ability to edit photos whether I shoot them on my camera and edit on my computer or do quick edits of photos shot on my phone in Lightroom mobile.
Noissue
★★★★☆
A great free app for planning your instagram grid.
I’ve been using Preview for quite a few years now and it’s a wonderful free option for planning and playing with your grid. I’m pretty obsessive about my grid, so I spend a lot of time in this app. I love that you can store photos in it to help inspire future posts and you can write your captions ahead of time and even save hashtag groups. I had to knock one star because it can be a little buggy, but hey, it’s 100% free. Oh, and you can have toggle between multiple instagram accounts for my fellow multi-passionate entrepreneurs.
— Branded Merch
Custom Ink
★★★★★
The only app I use to edit and create videos or reels on my phone.
I cannot say enough good things about this app. As a filmmaker, I never thought I would be able to (or want to) edit video content from my phone but this app changed all that. You can add music, transitions, text, graphics, retro effects, and record voiceovers all from this app. This is a must-have if you are creating any content for your brand.
