DB Freebies is a specialized service designed to aggregate and present the best free design resources available on the Dribbble and Behance platforms. The service addresses a common challenge faced by designers: the difficulty of discovering high-quality free assets scattered across two major creative portfolios. By manually curating these resources, DB Freebies provides a streamlined method for accessing free icons, templates, UI kits, and mock-ups.
The platform was developed by web developer Stéphane Winter and launched approximately two weeks prior to the source publication. It utilizes AngularJS and the APIs of both Dribbble and Behance to function. The selection process for resources featured on DB Freebies is manual, ensuring that only specific, high-quality items are included. To have a freebie featured, creators must add the tags "free" or "freebie" to their uploads on either Dribbble or Behance.
The Relationship Between Dribbble and Behance
While DB Freebies draws content from both platforms, Dribbble and Behance serve distinct functions within the design community. Understanding these differences is essential for users looking to maximize the utility of free resources found through aggregators like DB Freebies.
Platform Accessibility and Structure
Behance operates as an open platform. Any user can join and upload art and design projects. This accessibility allows for a broad range of content, encompassing almost all creative fields. Users can perform narrow searches by selecting specific categories or tags. Behance is structured to allow designers to present projects in depth, including descriptions of concepts, stages of progress, embedded videos, GIFs, and links. It allows for the creation of collections by theme or the combination of different art pieces into a single preview.
In contrast, Dribbble is an invitation-only platform. While browsing is open to everyone, uploading content requires an invitation from an existing member, referred to as a "player." This restriction fosters a sense of exclusivity within the community. Dribbble is oriented toward "shots," which are previews of design work typically sized at 400×300px or 800×600px for retina displays. Unlike the comprehensive project presentations on Behance, Dribbble uploads usually consist of specific parts of a project, such as transition effects, animations, or isolated design elements. Users are limited to uploading five shots per day, totaling 48 shots per month.
Content Discovery and Filtering
Both platforms offer distinct methods for browsing and filtering content. Behance allows users to filter results by creative field category, location, and actions such as "Most Appreciated," "Most Viewed,","Most Discussed," "Most Recent," and specific timeframes.
Dribbble allows browsing by timeframe and actions like "Most Viewed" or "Most Commented." It also categorizes content by the type of Shot, including "Debuts" (first shots by a player), "Playoffs" (rebounds), "Team Shots," "Rebounds," "Animated GIFs," and "Shots with Attachments."
User Interaction and Communication
Behance provides open following and unfollowing capabilities, with a limit of 2,500 users. Messaging on Behance is free, allowing one-to-one or group messages with up to 10 participants. There are limitations to prevent spam, and users may encounter errors if they exceed messaging thresholds.
On Dribbble, only "Players" can comment on shots, though liking and following are available to all visitors. To contact designers regarding work opportunities, a "Scout" membership is required. Dribbble offers three free messages with this membership. The platform is strict regarding spam; attempting to solicit invitations via chat can result in the revocation of messaging privileges.
Job Portals and Hiring
Both platforms facilitate job opportunities through dedicated portals, though their pricing and features differ.
Behance Job Postings: * Adobe Talent: $399 per month (allows one job position per month). * Adobe Talent Unlimited: $1,499 per month (unlimited job posts).
Dribbble Job Postings and Hiring Plans: * Basic Search: $49 per month (search by skill and location, send up to 10 messages per month). * Advanced Search: $199 per month (advanced search features, unlimited messages). * Job Listing: $299 per month. * Dribbble Hiring Plan: $399 per month (combines Advanced Search and Job Listing).
Users can contact designers who have enabled "Work Opportunities" in their profiles on either platform.
Specific Free Resources Available
The source material highlights specific free assets accessible through these platforms and aggregators. One notable resource is a set of templates specifically designed for creating covers for Dribbble and Behance projects. This free PSD file is credited to Anna Zubchenko. It is intended to help users create effective preview images for their portfolio entries on either platform.
Summary of Utility for Designers
The existence of DB Freebies underscores the value of free resources in the design workflow. By leveraging the APIs of Dribbble and Behance, the service automates the discovery of assets that are otherwise difficult to locate due to the sheer volume of content uploaded daily. For designers, this means access to a vetted selection of UI resources, fonts, and templates without the need to manually sift through thousands of portfolio pieces.
While Behance offers depth and open access, and Dribbble offers exclusivity and bite-sized visual inspiration, both serve as repositories for free assets when tagged correctly. The requirement for specific tags ("free" or "freebie") on the source platforms is the primary mechanism for inclusion in the DB Freebies aggregator.
Conclusion
DB Freebies represents a targeted solution for designers seeking to leverage the free resources hosted on Dribbble and Behance. It bridges the gap between the vast libraries of design assets and the practical needs of users requiring quick access to high-quality, no-cost tools. By understanding the distinct environments of Dribbble and Behance—ranging from their accessibility and content presentation to their hiring and communication tools—designers can better navigate these platforms to find both inspiration and practical assets for their projects.