Let's begin this chapter with, if you want to design, do it. 

Accept criticism and critiques, don't automatically get defensive. Yes, some people are jerks, but there are some genuine people here that want to help others improve. 

Many users now design exclusively on phone apps. While this isn't necessarily an awful thing, it's limiting. Also, many of the 'design' apps aren't really meant for graphic design, they're merely photo editing apps. Throwing a filter atop something that creates a design element does not make you a designer. If you can't manage to create that effect on your own all you're doing is using something someone else made to create your work. These apps also tend to limit you on text options. Whereas if you're designing in something like Photoshop you can always download fonts to your computer and they automatically become available in Photoshop. I've lost count of how many fonts I have downloaded, at one point it was something like 3000, but that was on my old laptop that has sadly died. I had to start over on the one I have now. Using a computer over a phone always gives you more flexibility.

There are so many options out there for everything nowadays and yes our phones have become mini computers, but they are not a replacement for our trusty computers. I don't know any professional designers who use their phones to create their work. Why? Because it's limiting and they can't do what they can in programs on their computers. A friend of mine does the most amazing digital art. He uses Photoshop and it takes him hours upon hours to put together his images. And he uses so many small elements that his photos literally have thousands of layers artfully put together to create a seamless, realistic design. His work is simply amazing and I know I will never reach his level of editing skill. The man is simply awesome. 

I have seen designers here on Wattpad design from scratch using only phone apps and do one hell of an amazing job. So, I'm not dissing the apps, but there is a difference between a designer and a photo editor.

I still feel the best things for design are Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. I've never used Illustrator, but a professional cover designer I know always uses it for her work. If you learn to create effects yourself then you'll never be dependent on others to make your end product. A large advantage to using Photoshop over an app is the ability to save a PSD file so if your client needs changes it can be very easily done. Many of the folks who use an app exclusively don't offer revisions because they would literally have to start the graphic all over. I save all of my PSD files, seriously, I have them from the time I began using the program. If a client comes to me in four years and wants to change something, bam, done. I actually had someone come back and ask for a change, they loved the image but they wanted to change the text, even though it had been years since I made her cover, I still had the file and it was easy to change the text.

While I'm not familiar with all the apps/free web sites out there. I can say there are some that are simply not great for designing. Canva (for example) is crap. Their download resolution sucks. An author group I belong to used it for their promotional posters and they always looked awful when printed out (which is why I am now their art admin, I do all our posters). Any of the free 'poster or cover' creation sites usually suck as far as final product goes. They claim it's free but when it comes to downloading your image it's usually web resolution (which is 72 DPI) unless you want to pay for a high resolution image or pay for a the appropriate licensing to use it for any monetary offerings.

Consequently, when you put up these types of graphics for display they end up being fuzzy. Yes, if you're posting it to Wattpad for display, which is online and uses web resolution it will usually suffice. But for the most part places like Canva are designed for those who are not designers by trade. They are plug 'n play. They hand you a template and you either use it as is or switch out images in a design that someone else created. No professional designer worth their salt will use Canva for professional work. It was created as an option for those who want nice looking graphics but can't design on their own and don't want to pay a designer or can't afford to pay one. It is not a program any true graphic designer would ever use to create their designs.

While Canva's free option says it can be used for personal as well as commercial use, they also tell you that they can't guarantee the validity of any licensing on the free images, which means using them for any sort of publication is iffy. That goes for most of the 'royalty free' sites. Some of these sites offer free uploads to anyone and everyone, which means they could be uploading items they don't have the right to upload. Those uploading aren't verified in any way. So do beware of royalty free sites, just because it's free doesn't mean it isn't copy righted by someone out there. 

Resolution is a basic thing all designers should know about, if you don't then go learn about it. It's important especially if you want to begin designing professionally. Most of the apps or free design site options do not offer you the ability to change your resolution. Generally, Web resolution is 72 DPI and anything for publication is at least 300 DPI. A huge difference in quality. 

Explore all your options when you decide to begin designing. Don't just use whatever everyone else is using because it's the 'in' thing to do. If you want to build skills then learn to create on your own, from scratch. Check out YouTube, there are thousands upon thousands of videos that teach techniques, especially for Photoshop. If you want to be accepted as a graphic designer then you must build your skillset and be willing to learn. 

Don't be afraid to design.

There is a difference between a graphic designer and a graphic artist. I cannot draw to save my life. I'm a designer, not an artist. I've noticed that for some reason everyone here all of a sudden seems to believe they are one and the same and if you're a designer you're also an artist and if you can't draw your images then you don't count. That isn't true, many of us can't draw at all, but we can still design skillfully. It has taken me years to get where I am. I have been designing for more than ten years and I know I still have a whole lot to learn.

So get out there, design and have fun.