Useful websites, online tools and apps for communication professionals.
Canva
Canva is a free graphic-design tool with an easy to use drag-and-drop interface and access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals. The tools can be used for both web and print media design and graphics and are particularly useful for creating social media graphics.
Home - Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics and the recognised national statistical institute of the UK.
National Readership Survey
The National Readership Survey was established in 1956 and today provides the most authoritative and valued audience research in use for print and digital advertising trading in Britain. The survey covers over 250 of Britain’s major newsbrands and magazines, showing the size and nature of the audiences they achieve.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is a United Kingdom-based professional body offering training and qualification in Marketing and related subjects, together with ongoing support for members. CIM has over 35,000 members and aims to develop the profession, maintain professional standards and improve the skills of marketing and sales practitioners by providing membership, qualifications and training.
OFCOM
Ofcom is the communications regulator in the UK. It produces an annual Communications Market Report which looks at how consumers use the communications services available to them, as well as exploring how the communications market is changing. There is a UK-wide report as well as reports for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. An interactive version of the report is also available.
Government Communication Service
The GCS is the professional body for people working in communication roles across government. Its aim is to deliver world-class communications that support Ministers’ priorities, improve people’s lives and enable the effective operation of our public service. The GCS serve both politicians and the public.
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is a professional body in the United Kingdom for public relations practitioners. As of late 2012, CIPR had 10,095 members. The association provides training and education, publishes a code of conduct and hosts awards and events.
The Behavioural Insights Team
The Behavioural Insights Team’s objectives are:
Piktochart
No complex design software. No heavy designer fees. Just a simple, intuitive tool that helps you tell your story with the visual impact it deserves.
Facebook Audience Insights
The more customer insights you have, the better you’re equipped to deliver meaningful messages to people. That’s the thinking behind Facebook Audience Insights, a tool designed to help marketers learn more about their target audiences, including aggregate information about geography, demographics, purchase behaviour and more.
IrfanView
Irfanview A very useful free image editor which allows you to crop and edit almost any kind of image file. A great alternative to Photoshop.
Open Data NI
The Open Data portal has been created to allow easy access to Northern Ireland public sector data for both reuse and redistribution. There are datasets available from across the public sector in Northern Ireland. The data that is available will not be of a sensitive or personal nature, but is the raw data that drives the public sector and its services. The data sets available can be usedto build useful applications that help society, or investigate how effective policy changes have been over time.
