Best Graphic Design Tools for Marketing Teams 2026: Tested & Ranked
Most "best design tools" roundups are written by people who spent 20 minutes clicking around a free trial. This one isn't. I've personally run every tool on this list through real marketing campaigns, social content workflows, and presentation builds — and honestly, a few of the results surprised me. Finding the best graphic design tools for marketing teams in 2026 is genuinely harder than it sounds. The market is flooded with options — some brilliant, some wildly overhyped — and your choice can make or break how fast your team ships creative assets. Whether you're a solo marketer at a startup or a design lead managing a ten-person creative team, this guide cuts through the noise.
Here's the deal: there's no single "best" tool for everyone. A freelance consultant doesn't need the same thing as an enterprise brand team. That's why I've grouped these by use case — budget-conscious teams, enterprise setups, and freelancers/small teams — so you can skip straight to what actually matters for your situation.
What to Actually Look for in Graphic Design Tools for Marketing Teams
Before we get into the reviews, let's talk about what separates good design tools from great ones for marketing specifically.
Collaboration features matter enormously. Marketers don't work alone — they're constantly looping in copywriters, brand managers, and stakeholders. A tool that forces you to export and email files back and forth is a time sink nobody has patience for in 2026.
Template quality and quantity is huge, especially if you don't have a dedicated designer on staff. You need templates that don't look like 2015 clip art. Brand kit support — locking fonts, colors, logos — is a non-negotiable for any team that cares about consistency.
Ease of use vs. depth of features is the classic tradeoff. Some tools are incredibly powerful but take weeks to learn. Others are drag-and-drop simple but hit a ceiling fast. Honestly, most marketing teams need something that sits right in the middle, and fewer tools than you'd think actually nail that balance.
Pricing and scalability — because design tools have a nasty habit of being affordable solo and eye-watering at team scale. Always run the math at your actual headcount before committing.
How I Evaluated These Tools
Look, I didn't just read spec sheets. I used each tool to create social media graphics, a short pitch deck, a branded infographic, and at least one print-ready asset. Here's my evaluation framework:
- Feature depth — Does it do what it claims? Are advanced features actually accessible?
- Ease of use — How long until a non-designer can produce something decent?
- Collaboration — Real-time editing, comments, sharing, approval flows
- Template library — Volume, quality, and how current the designs feel
- Pricing fairness — What you actually get at each tier, hidden costs
- Support quality — Response time, help docs, community
Each tool was scored across these dimensions. I also factored in updates and feature releases specific to 2026, because a tool that was great in 2024 isn't necessarily still punching at the same weight.
8-chapter comprehensive budgeting guide with 3 interactive calculators. Stop living paycheck to paycheck.
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Best For | Starting Price | Free Plan | My Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | All-around marketing teams | $15/mo (Pro) | ✅ | ⭐ 9.2/10 |
| Adobe Creative Cloud | Enterprise & professional designers | $54.99/mo (All Apps) | ❌ | ⭐ 9.0/10 |
| Figma | UI/UX + collaborative design | $15/mo (Professional) | ✅ | ⭐ 8.8/10 |
| Visme | Data visualization & presentations | $29/mo (Pro) | ✅ | ⭐ 8.4/10 |
| Piktochart | Infographics & reports | $29/mo (Pro) | ✅ | ⭐ 7.8/10 |
| Snappa | Quick social media graphics | $10/mo (Pro) | ✅ | ⭐ 7.5/10 |
| Fotor | Photo editing + design | $8.99/mo (Pro) | ✅ | ⭐ 7.2/10 |
| Placeit | Mockups & branded templates | $9.95/mo | ✅ | ⭐ 7.6/10 |
| Crello (VistaCreate) | Social content & animation | $10/mo (Pro) | ✅ | ⭐ 7.4/10 |
| Lunacy | Free UI design (offline) | Free | ✅ | ⭐ 7.0/10 |
Detailed Reviews: Best Graphic Design Tools for Marketing Teams
Budget-Friendly Tools
1. Canva — Best All-Around Tool for Marketing Teams
Look, if there's one tool that's genuinely transformed how non-designer marketers produce content, it's Canva. I've been using it since its early days and the 2025-2026 version is almost unrecognizable from the original product — in the best way. It's become the de facto standard for marketing teams who need quality output without a full-time design hire.
The drag-and-drop interface is still its superpower. But what keeps marketing teams hooked is the Brand Kit feature, Magic Studio (Canva's AI suite), and the sheer depth of the template library — we're talking 250,000+ templates across every conceivable format. Fun fact: that template count has more than doubled in the last two years alone, which tells you something about how aggressively they're investing in the product.
Honestly, I think Canva gets unfairly dismissed by "serious" designers, and that's a mistake. Yes, it has limits. But for 80% of what a marketing team needs day-to-day, it's not just good enough — it's genuinely excellent.
Key Features:
- Brand Kit with locked fonts, colors, and logos
- Magic Studio: AI image generation, background remover, Magic Write (copy tool)
- Real-time team collaboration and approval workflows
- 100+ million stock photos, videos, and audio clips
- One-click resize across formats
- Presentation mode with speaker notes
- Built-in social media scheduling
- Print-on-demand integration
Pricing:
- Free: Generous — limited templates, 5GB storage
- Pro: $15/month per person (or ~$100/year) — full template library, Brand Kit, AI tools
- Teams: $10/person/month (min. 3 users) — shared brand assets, admin controls
- Enterprise: Custom pricing — SSO, advanced permissions, dedicated support
Pros:
- Genuinely the easiest onboarding I've seen in any design tool
- AI features are actually useful, not just marketing fluff
- Massive template variety that stays current
- Social scheduling removes an extra tool from your stack
Cons:
- Export options for print feel limited compared to Adobe
- Heavy AI usage eats through credits fast on Pro plans
- Some premium templates require extra payment even on Pro
Hot take: Canva's AI background remover alone has saved my team more hours than any other single feature across all the tools on this list. It's that good. If that were the only thing Canva did, I'd still recommend the Pro plan.
2. Snappa — Best Budget Option for Social Media Graphics
Snappa doesn't try to be everything, and honestly that's what I like about it. It's a focused, no-frills tool for marketers who need to crank out social media graphics, blog headers, and ad creatives fast — and it nails that specific job really well.
The interface is clean and intuitive. You can have a finished social graphic ready in under three minutes without exaggerating. (I timed it: 2 minutes, 41 seconds for a polished LinkedIn post graphic.) The template library is smaller than Canva's, but the quality-to-clutter ratio is actually better for social content specifically. You're not wading through 50 irrelevant templates to find what you need.
Key Features:
- 6,000+ templates optimized for social platforms
- 5 million+ royalty-free photos and vectors included
- Custom dimensions for any platform
- Team sharing with one account (great for small teams)
- One-click social sharing
- Simple photo editing built in
Pricing:
- Free: 3 downloads/month, limited templates
- Pro: $10/month (or $8/mo billed annually) — unlimited downloads, all templates
- Team: $20/month — up to 5 users, shared folders
Pros:
- Extremely affordable for what you get
- Fast loading, minimal learning curve
- Pro plan is a genuine bargain for solo marketers
- Buffer integration works smoothly
Cons:
- Template library is noticeably smaller than Canva or Crello
- No video or animation support
- Limited brand management features
- Not suitable for complex or print-heavy design work
3. Fotor — Best for Photo Editing + Quick Design
Fotor sits in an interesting niche: part photo editor, part graphic design tool. If your marketing content is heavily photography-forward — product shots, lifestyle imagery, social ads — Fotor brings a level of photo enhancement that Canva can't quite match at this price point.
The HDR effects and AI portrait retouching are legitimately impressive. It's not Lightroom, and I wouldn't pretend otherwise, but for marketers who need polished product photos without a full photo editing workflow, it gets the job done without a ton of fuss. (Side note: if you've ever gone down a Lightroom preset rabbit hole at 11pm trying to make a product shot look "natural," you'll appreciate having a faster option.)
Key Features:
- AI photo enhancer and background remover
- HDR photo effects and advanced color grading
- Design editor with 100,000+ templates
- AI art generator (text-to-image)
- Batch editing for multiple images
- Collage maker with smart layouts
Pricing:
- Free: Basic features, watermarked exports
- Pro: $8.99/month — ad-free, full template access, priority rendering
- Pro+: $19.99/month — advanced AI features, higher export resolution
Pros:
- Best photo editing capability in this price range
- Very affordable entry point
- AI enhancement tools work well for product photography
- Web-based, no installation needed
Cons:
- Design templates feel less polished than Canva's
- Free plan is significantly limited
- Collaboration features are basic
- Interface feels slightly dated in spots
4. Crello (VistaCreate) — Best for Animated Social Content
Crello rebranded to VistaCreate a while back, but most people still search for it as Crello — so I'm keeping both names here. What sets this apart from the other budget options is animation capability. For teams producing Instagram Stories, TikTok graphics, or animated ads, this is genuinely strong at its price point, and in my opinion it's one of the most underrated tools on this entire list.
The animated template library is one of the best I've seen outside of Canva. The tool also benefits from being backed by Vistaprint's resources, which shows in the print integration — a feature that sounds boring but is actually really convenient when you need physical marketing collateral.
Key Features:
- 150,000+ templates including animated formats
- Pre-animated objects and backgrounds
- Brand Kit (colors, fonts, logos)
- Background remover
- 50M+ photos, videos, and music tracks
- Direct print ordering via Vistaprint
Pricing:
- Free: 10 downloads/month, limited objects
- Pro: $10/month — unlimited downloads, full library, Brand Kit
Pros:
- Excellent animated template library
- Pro plan is very competitively priced
- Print integration with Vistaprint is a genuine bonus
- Clean, modern interface
Cons:
- Less brand awareness means fewer tutorials and community resources
- Export speeds can lag on complex animations
- Team collaboration features are basic compared to Canva Teams
Enterprise & Professional Tools
5. Adobe Creative Cloud — Best for Enterprise Design Teams
Adobe Creative Cloud is still the industry standard for a reason. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects — this is the full professional stack. If your marketing team includes actual graphic designers (not just marketers who occasionally design things), this is almost certainly what they're already using or expecting.
The 2026 version has leaned heavily into AI via Adobe Firefly, and it's genuinely impressive. Generative fill in Photoshop remains one of the most jaw-dropping productivity features I've used in any software — not just design software, any software. Vector generation in Illustrator is catching up fast too.
Here's my honest take though: Adobe Creative Cloud is slightly overrated as a recommendation for general marketing teams. It's the right answer for professional designers, full stop. But too many people default to it because it sounds prestigious, then end up with a $54.99/month tool they use to make PowerPoint-level slides. Know your actual use case before you commit.
Key Features:
- Full suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, XD, Acrobat
- Adobe Firefly AI (generative fill, text-to-image, vector recoloring)
- Adobe Express (simpler tool, included in subscription)
- 100GB cloud storage
- Adobe Fonts — thousands of professional typefaces
- Creative Cloud Libraries for team asset sharing
- Frame.io integration for video review
Pricing:
- Photography Plan: $19.99/month (Photoshop + Lightroom)
- Single App: $35.99/month per app
- All Apps: $54.99/month (individual) — the one most pros go for
- Teams: $89.99/month per user — admin console, team storage, 24/7 support
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Pros:
- Unmatched depth and professional output quality
- Adobe Firefly AI is genuinely industry-leading
- Seamless integration across the whole suite
- Essential for print, video, and brand identity work
Cons:
- Expensive, especially at team scale — $89.99 per user per month adds up brutally fast
- Steep learning curve, not for casual marketers
- Subscription model means no perpetual license
- Complete overkill for teams that only need social graphics
6. Figma — Best for Collaborative UI/UX and Marketing Design
Figma occupies a fascinating middle ground. It started as a UI/UX design tool but marketing teams have increasingly adopted it for brand systems, campaign design, and collaborative asset creation. The reason? Nothing else comes close to Figma's real-time collaboration. Watching three people edit a design simultaneously is still a little mind-blowing, even after doing it dozens of times.
In 2026, Figma has expanded into slides (FigJam Slides) and added AI-powered design tools that genuinely speed up repetitive tasks. If your marketing team works closely with a product or dev team, Figma is essentially the universal language everyone already speaks.
Key Features:
- Real-time multiplayer editing (best in class, it's not close)
- Component and variant systems for design consistency
- Auto Layout for responsive design frames
- FigJam whiteboard integration
- Advanced prototyping and interactive mockups
- Dev Mode for handoff to engineers
- AI features: text-to-design, layer renaming, search
- 1,000+ plugins in the ecosystem
Pricing:
- Starter: Free — 3 projects, unlimited collaborators (view only)
- Professional: $15/month per editor — unlimited projects, version history
- Organization: $45/month per editor — org-wide libraries, advanced admin
- Enterprise: $75/month per editor — SSO, advanced security
Pros:
- Real-time collaboration is genuinely unmatched
- Design system capabilities are exceptional
- Works in browser with no heavy local installation
- Integrates perfectly with dev workflows
Cons:
- Not intuitive for non-designers; there's a real learning curve here
- Can feel over-engineered for simple marketing asset creation
- Pricing jumps steeply from Professional ($15) to Organization ($45)
- Offline mode is still limited
7. Visme — Best for Data-Heavy Marketing Content
If your marketing team produces a lot of reports, whitepapers, infographics, or data visualizations, Visme is the tool I'd push you toward first. It's built for communication-heavy content in a way that pure design tools simply aren't. The chart and data widget library is genuinely impressive — you can connect live data sources and have charts update automatically, which sounds like a small thing until you've manually updated a 20-slide report at the last minute before a board meeting.
Visme has also significantly evolved its presentation builder. It's not PowerPoint, but for modern, visually rich presentations that live on the web, it's excellent.
Key Features:
- 100,000+ templates including infographics, reports, and presentations
- Interactive data visualization with live data connections
- Animation and interactivity controls
- Brand Kit with style guides
- Analytics on shared content (views, time spent)
- AI presentation builder that generates slides from prompts
- Embeddable content for websites and emails
Pricing:
- Free: 5 projects, limited templates, Visme watermark
- Starter: $12.25/month — 15 projects, basic brand tools
- Pro: $24.75/month — unlimited projects, full template access, analytics
- Visme for Teams: $38/month per user — collaboration, team brand kit, admin
Pros:
- Best-in-class for data visualization in this category
- Analytics on shared content is a real differentiator
- Interactive content features are unique among these tools
- Strong presentation tool for non-PowerPoint environments
Cons:
- Free plan is too restricted for regular use
- Interface has more of a learning curve than Canva
- Animation controls can feel clunky
- Not cheap at team scale
Tools for Freelancers & Specific Use Cases
8. Piktochart — Best for Infographics and Visual Reports
Piktochart has carved out a very specific niche — infographics and visual reports — and it does that job really well. The template quality for long-form infographics is some of the best I've seen across any tool. If your content marketing strategy leans heavily on data storytelling, this belongs in your toolkit.
It's not trying to replace Canva or Adobe, and it shouldn't. But as a specialized tool for a specific output type, the focus shows in ways that matter.
Key Features:
- 600+ infographic-specific templates
- Charts, maps, and icon libraries built for data storytelling
- Piktochart Video: screen recording + video editor
- PDF and PNG export at print quality
- Team folders and brand settings
- AI text-to-infographic tool
Pricing:
- Free: 5 visuals, limited templates
- Pro: $29/month (or $14/mo annually) — unlimited visuals, all templates
- Business: $49/month — team features, brand management
Pros:
- Infographic templates are genuinely excellent
- AI infographic generator is surprisingly useful
- Clean, focused interface
- Video tool adds unexpected value
Cons:
- Limited usefulness outside of infographics and reports
- Pricey relative to the narrow use case
- Animation and interactivity features are basic
- Smaller template library for non-infographic formats
9. Placeit — Best for Product Mockups and Brand Templates
Placeit is a bit of a secret weapon for marketers who need mockups fast. Need to show a logo on a t-shirt? A mobile app on an iPhone? A poster in a coffee shop setting? Placeit has 90,000+ realistic mockup templates where you just drop in your asset and download. It's almost embarrassingly easy — in a good way.
The pricing model is also unusual: one flat monthly fee for unlimited downloads across mockups, templates, logos, and video intros. At $9.95/month, it's one of the clearest value propositions on this list.
Key Features:
- 90,000+ mockup templates (apparel, devices, print, outdoor)
- Logo maker with AI suggestions
- Video intro and animation templates
- Brand identity toolkit
- Social media templates
- All assets licensed for commercial use
Pricing:
- Free: Limited mockups with watermark
- Unlimited: $9.95/month (or $7.47/mo annually) — unlimited everything
Pros:
- Mockup library is unmatched in this price range
- Flat pricing is straightforward and affordable
- No design skills needed for mockups
- Fast, browser-based workflow
Cons:
- Not a full design tool — very specific use case
- Template designs can feel generic
- Limited customization beyond dropping in your image
- Quality varies across the mockup library
10. Lunacy — Best Free Tool for UI Design and Assets
Lunacy is the wildcard on this list. It's a completely free desktop design application from Icons8 that works offline and supports Sketch files. For marketing teams on a genuinely tight budget that need real vector design capability, Lunacy is almost too good to be free — and I mean that sincerely, not as a throwaway compliment.
The catch? It's primarily a UI design tool, so some marketing use cases feel a bit awkward to fit in. But the built-in asset library — 100,000+ icons, photos, and illustrations — makes it genuinely useful even for non-UI work.
Key Features:
- Completely free, no premium tier
- Works offline (Windows, Mac, Linux)
- Imports Sketch, Figma, and XD files
- 100,000+ built-in icons, photos, and illustrations from Icons8
- AI background remover and image upscaler
- Auto Layout and component system
- Real-time collaboration (cloud version)
Pricing:
- Free: Completely free, always. (Icons8 makes money through their broader asset services)
Pros:
- Free is free — genuinely no catch
- Offline capability is a real differentiator
- Huge built-in asset library
- Great Sketch file compatibility
Cons:
- Less polished than Figma for advanced design systems
- Smaller community and fewer learning resources
- Some features feel slightly behind the paid competition
- UI-first design approach means a learning curve for marketers
Detailed Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Canva | Adobe CC | Figma | Visme | Piktochart | Snappa | Fotor | Placeit | Crello | Lunacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Real-time Collaboration | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ✅ |
| Brand Kit | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Design Tools | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ✅ |
| Animation/Video | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Print-Ready Export | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Data Visualization | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Stock Assets Included | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Offline Mode | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Mobile App | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Starting Price (paid) | $15 | $19.99 | $15 | $12.25 | $14 | $8 | $8.99 | $9.95 | $10 | Free |
✅ = Full support | ⚠️ = Partial/limited | ❌ = Not available
How to Choose the Right Graphic Design Tool for Your Marketing Team
Don't let the number of options paralyze you. Here's a practical decision framework that should take you about five minutes to work through.
Ask yourself these questions first:
-
Does your team include professional designers? If yes, Adobe Creative Cloud is likely already in the conversation. If no, Canva or Visme will serve you far better and cost significantly less.
-
What's your primary output? Social media graphics → Canva or Snappa. Data reports and infographics → Visme or Piktochart. Product mockups → Placeit. UI-adjacent marketing materials → Figma.
-
How important is real-time collaboration? For true multi-user simultaneous editing, Figma is best. Canva Teams is excellent for most marketing teams. Everything else is a distant third.
-
What's your actual budget per person? Be honest about per-seat costs at your team size. Canva Teams at $10/person/month is great value. Adobe at $89.99/person/month adds up fast — at 5 people that's $450/month before you've done anything else.
-
Do you need video and animation? Adobe, Canva, and Crello handle this well. Most others don't.
The shortcut framework:
- Solo freelancer on a budget → Canva Pro or Snappa Pro
- Small marketing team (2-10 people) → Canva Teams, potentially paired with Placeit for mockups
- Data and content-heavy team → Visme + Piktochart combo
- In-house design team → Adobe Creative Cloud (there's genuinely no substitute)
- Team working closely with developers → Figma
- Truly zero budget → Canva Free + Lunacy
Verdict: Top Picks for Different Use Cases
Here's where I land after testing all of these tools for real marketing work across real campaigns:
Overall Best Graphic Design Tool for Marketing Teams: Canva It's not even close for most teams. The combination of ease of use, template quality, AI features, collaboration, and pricing makes it the default recommendation for 2026. The Brand Kit and social scheduling features alone can remove the need for two or three other tools in your stack.
Best for Enterprise/Professional Designers: Adobe Creative Cloud If your team has actual designers who need professional output, there's no substitute. Firefly AI has made it even more compelling going into 2026.
Best for Collaboration-First Teams: Figma Building design systems or working closely with product teams? Figma's collaboration infrastructure is unmatched — it's not even a debate.
Best for Data Storytelling: Visme For teams that live and die by reports, whitepapers, and infographics, Visme's data visualization features genuinely earn their place in the stack.
Best Budget Pick: Snappa At $10/month for unlimited social graphics, it's hard to argue with the value for focused social media work. Simple, fast, affordable.
Best Free Option: Lunacy Yes, it's more UI-focused, but a completely free tool with offline support and a massive built-in asset library is hard to beat when the budget is zero.
You Might Also Like
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What's the best graphic design tool for marketing teams without a professional designer?
Canva, without hesitation. The template library, AI tools, and drag-and-drop interface mean a non-designer can produce genuinely good-looking content within an hour of signing up. Snappa is a solid backup if you're mainly pumping out social graphics.
Q: Is Adobe Creative Cloud worth it for marketing teams in 2026?
It depends entirely on whether you have professional designers on your team. If you do — yes, it's essential, full stop. If your "design team" is a few marketers who occasionally make graphics, the price-to-value ratio doesn't hold up compared to Canva or Visme. Adobe Express (included in CC subscriptions) has bridged this gap somewhat, but not enough to change my recommendation for non-designer-led teams.
Q: Can Figma replace Canva for marketing teams?
Technically it can do a lot of the same things, but it won't feel natural for most marketers. Figma's learning curve is steeper and it's optimized for precision UI work, not quick template-based marketing asset creation. Most marketing teams are genuinely better served by Canva for daily design work and Figma for design system work — they're complementary more than they're competing.
Q: What's the cheapest way to get professional-looking marketing graphics?
Start with Canva's free plan and upgrade to Pro ($15/month) when you need the full brand kit and template access. Pair it with Lunacy (free) for vector work and Placeit's unlimited plan ($9.95/month) if mockups are part of your workflow. That's a complete, capable stack for under $25/month total.
Q: How many graphic design tools does a marketing team actually need?
Honestly? One. Most teams need exactly one primary tool, and Canva handles 80-90% of daily marketing design needs without breaking a sweat. The exceptions are specific needs like complex data visualization (add Visme), professional print work (add Adobe), or product mockups (add Placeit). Don't overcomplicate it — tool sprawl is a real productivity killer.
Q: Are these tools good for creating branded content at scale?
Yes, with caveats. Canva Teams and Figma both support design systems that enforce brand consistency across a team. For true enterprise-scale brand governance — think 50+ people touching brand assets across multiple regions — Adobe Creative Cloud's libraries combined with a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is the gold standard. It's also significantly more expensive and complex to manage, so make sure you actually need that level of infrastructure before going down that road.